(*I've been sitting on this one for awhile and thought today would be good since it is the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Also, frankly, I have been a bit off my game this week (sometimes depression still hurts even on meds) and haven't gotten around to writing much yet. But I will soon. The sun is back out and my spirits are up.)
"Why do Catholics pray to Mary?"
This, this is a question that many non-Catholics ask. Probably the one they ask the most. They have asked me. Unfortunately they did so when I was a teenager and had no answer other than, "I don't know." (You can't blame me-I wasn't even sure God existed at the time, so I wasn't up on theology...)
But now I do have the answer. The whole answer. I just learned the last piece of the puzzle recently. Pray in the sense that we pray to Mary means to ask her. As in old English- "I pray thee to pass me the butter." I always knew it is because we are just asking her for things but never had that info to make it make sense to others.
When Catholics say they pray to Mary and saints and angels this is what we mean. That we are asking them for their prayers for us. They are not dead. God is a God of the living and those in Heaven are even more alive than we are. They are also closer to God and perfect in their love. So why not ask them to pray for you, if you can ask me-a still very imperfect human being-for my prayers?
This is called the communion of saints. We believe that they can see us and love us and pray for us. I don't know how it all works and how Mary hears all these prayers at once, I just know that with God all things are possible. I think it has something to do with not just everlasting life, but eternal life. Somehow they are able.
Why would God not want us to all pray for each other? If anything those who have moved on from this world should want to pray for us even more so we can get to where they are. Why should they be cut off from us now that they are in heaven? They should love us even more. The communion of saints is no different than if you think your grandma watches out for you from heaven.
Let's examine the biggie as it refers to Mary. The Hail Mary. I heard Scott Hahn (love Scott Hahn!) say when he was Protestant he thought it seemed like the score was God one, Mary ten. But the rosary is the prayer of the gospel. During each set of Hail Mary's (and one Our Father and Glory Be) we are to think about a different aspect of Jesus's life while we pray these prayers. I am female and can contemplate while saying rote prayers I have known since I was a child. (Though my scattered brain does wander onto things other than these mysteries, but I think God is happy with my efforts to at least try and I am usually talking to Him about everything else I want to say and pray for. I often fall asleep mid rosary and wake up with those darn beads in my hands.)
The Hail Mary:
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee (Gabriel's words to Mary at the annunciation) Blessed are you among woman and blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Elizabeth to Mary when little John the Baptist danced in the womb-don't tell me it's not a baby in the womb!) JESUS (See, see not Mary worshippers after all, are we? He's right in the middle of the prayer.) Holy Mary, Mother of God (Who is Jesus? God and she is His mother) PRAY for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
So you see, we are just asking her for her prayers and not worshipping her. Honor yes. She is special cause she is Jesus's momma, but not the same as the worship due to God alone. We pray to God when we ask Him for things, but we also worship and adore Him just for who He is and what HE has done for us. Even Mary did this.
Why should she pray for us? Because she loves us. We see her as a spiritual mother in the sense that she loves us like a mother would. As my friend said, when she wasn't Catholic Mary was still her mother, she just didn't know it.
Mary's job is, and always has been, to bring people to her Son. It is as she said to the servants at the wedding feast at Cana-"Do whatever He tells you." That is her constant prayer for us now as well.
6 comments:
This is so well-explained, Amy. Very clear and understandable to the masses! :) As a Catholic, it's a hard question to answer, particularly since it's often accompanied by a scathing remark about "worshipping Mary." I really appreciate the clarity you brought to the issue.
Totally agree that those who've passed on (with faith in Christ) are not dead - just living in a different realm and waiting for us in some sense. However, I've never thought of asking any of my friends who've passed on to pray for me. I guess my understanding is that they have other things to do - praising the Lord in eternity, lol! Also, though I'd need to look up the verses, my scriptural understanding is that they already know all about our lives anyway. But I do think you do a good job of explaining how it's just asking someone to pray for you, not worshipping her. I hope most Catholics know that; I wonder what percentage makes the mistake of elevating her too high if they really don't understand the theology of it? (Which isn't to say that Protestants don't make theological mistakes, too; just wondering!)
Don't know a percentage but I know it does happen. Catholics can just as easily misunderstand and I think for some people it is because Mary seems more loving and approachable if they see God as judge. Would love to know what the Scripture verse is! Never thought that they already know about us anyway, but it is probably true. I guess in that sense I just see it as God wanting us to know that they know and that they pray for us and help us.
Thanks you Jessie Leigh. Glad to know I didn't totally mess that one up!
Like I said before, I am reformed protestant (gasp! on a catholic woman's blog! Scandal!), so these are controversial issues for me, but I really do like the Roman Catholic take on a lot of things, whether I agree or not. It really makes me think and wrestle through my faith and doctrine.
I like the clarification. Of course, there are always those who do not understand the things we do in our rituals and so forth, but a right understanding is always what needs to be taught.
I do have a question however, why do you feel the need to pray only to 'revered' saints (i.e. Mary), when we are all saints? Would it not be just as well to pray to Zacchaeus the tax collector, or to my Aunt who died some years ago now? Just wanted your thoughts on that?
Honestly, I pray to Jesus because of his Humanity, to the Father, because of his Holiness and Righteousness, and to the Spirit because of His power in the present day. I do not see any examples in the Bible where people pray to people, but perhaps I am mistaken.
Your brother,
Semper Reformanda,
Josiah Woltersdorf
ps, I totally did not read the other comments before posting.... so I take back the praying for other saints question.
And Tina, Hollenbeck, Protestants make theological mistakes? Nooooooo! Just Kidding :P
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