Why Catholics pray to Mother Mary...?

Rom 15:30, "...help me by your prayers to GOD for me."

Col 1:9, "This is why we too have been praying for you unceasingly."

1Thes 3:10, "Night and day we pray more and more..."

2Thes 1:11, "To this end we pray always for you."

2Thes 3:1, "In conclusion brethren, pray for us..."

Jam 5:16, "...and pray for one another that you may be saved."

Rev 8:3-4 "...that he may offer it with the prayers of all the saints..."

The Bible is asking you to pray for one another. Have you ever asked someone to pray for you? Have you ever told someone you will pray for them? Why then, when the name of Mary is introduced, is it not to be asked of her? Was she not a created being like all the rest of us? Why can we ask everyone else to pray for us, but we can't ask it of Mary? Does it not stand to reason that her Son would listen to her and grant her requests?

He turned water into wine at Cana just by Mary making a remark, "They have no wine", Jn 2:3. He was subjected to her in Lk 2:51, and no doubt for many years until His ministry started at age 30. He listens to her now, just as He did then. She must have a lot more influence with Him than any of us do, since she is His mother. Now let us see if Catholics 'pray' to Mary.

Have you ever listened to the words of the most used Marian prayer of all, the Hail Mary?

*** "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." *** This is nothing more than the salutation of Gabriel in Luke 1:28.

*** "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Jesus)." *** That is Elizabeth's greeting to Mary in Lk 1:42.

***"Holy Mary, mother of GOD." *** She is a saint which makes her holy, and she is the Mother of GOD, because Elizabeth calls her the 'Mother of Our Lord' in Lk 1:43. The original Hebrew for Lord is used: Adonia, which means God.

Also if you take Jn 1:1 "...and the Word was GOD', and add it to Jn 1:14, "...and the Word was made flesh", GOD was made flesh, and who was His mother? Mary!

*** "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen." ***

This is nothing more than petitioning Mary to PRAY FOR US, just like in the Bible verses I presented. Do we 'pray to' Mary, or are we only petitioning her to pray for us?

http://home.inreach.com/bstanley/marypr.htm

The clearest line of separation between Fundamentalism and historic Christianity, when it comes to devotion to Mary, is the differing perspectives on the dictum "to Jesus through Mary." Historic Christianity has never seen Mary in isolation from Jesus and has viewed Marian doctrine and devotion as the safest, surest and swiftest path to a true and lasting commitment to Christ. Fundamentalists claim that they "do not need Mary" to go to Jesus and that they prefer to go directly to Jesus.

This response is a misunderstanding of the traditional teaching. All Christians can and should pray directly to Jesus. But no one actually "goes" to Jesus "alone". We all carry with us some mediating group or individual when we go to Jesus. Fundamentalists approach him with a Calvinist picture of a god who has predestined the majority of mankind to damnation or with a Dispensationalist picture of a god who operates through various covenants and dispensations established with Israel and the church. Faith movement Charismatics have their own health-and-wealth conception of god. Nobody goes to Jesus "alone". We go with various pictures of God and salvation. If we go to Jesus through Mary we go with the right picture, the historic picture, the God-given picture.

When we talk about going "to Jesus through Mary" we are not suggesting that Mary's function is to "introduce" us to Jesus. We are talking about growing deeper in our life in Jesus with and through Mary's assistance. With Mary as our model, teacher and guide we become the kind of Christian God wants us to be. With and through Mary we become more and more like Jesus. Thus "through Mary" does not mean that she functions as a door-opening "go-between". In actuality, it means that she is acting as our Mother trying to make us more like her divine Son. We are simply doing what Jesus commanded in John 19 and what the book of Revelation teaches when it says that those who "keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" are "her seed." (Revelation 12:17).

http://www.mariology.com/content/view/9/28/

Some of these other answers are so wrong I'm not sure where to even begin.

Mary is not "the" intercessor between God and man. I don't know where that came from. We, Catholics, believe you can ask any saint or person here on earth to pray for you. Mary is a saint. She had to be pure. Why would God bring Jesus into the world through an unholy vessel? He didn't. Mary was pure and a saint. She's in heaven. We can ask her to pray for us just as any saint in heaven or person here on earth. Catholics do NOT have to ask the saints to pray for them. It is a personal choice.

Also, I think your girlfriend is not the most knowledgeable source when it comes to Catholicism. Mary does not grant forgiveness. Only God can give forgiveness. She should know this.

Where, exactly, is that quote ("Pray to no other man then me")? I'm sorry, but I have several Bible translations and cannot find it in a single one. Besides, it's also wrong. Jesus is fully God AND fully man, not a human part and a divine part.

As others have told you here: To pray is to ask, and can mean a fervent request or supplication of a person as well as God. (Example: Court petitions almost always contain a phrase along the lines of "plaintiff prays that the Court grant relief ..." and no one takes that to mean that the Court, or the judge for that matter, is being worshipped or is considered God).

We ask Mary to pray with and for us on our behalf, just as we ask each other to do the same. I can't call Mary on the phone to get on her prayer list, but because she is in heaven and God hears all prayer, I believe He makes it possible for her to pray for us when we ask. To insist otherwise is to put God in a box, limited by our own understanding and a narrow definition of what "prayer" is. Although prayer is definitely involved in worship, the two words do not mean the same thing.

I notice that you did not cite a chapter and verse from the Bible that says, "Pray to no other man than me..."

That statement is not in the Bible. Not anywhere.

Pray means "ask". There is nothing in the Bible that forbids us from asking for another Christian to pray with us and for us. In fact, we are told to share one another's burdens and pray for each other.

Your g/f who says she prays to Mary because Mary is more forgiving is way off base and uneducated in Catholic theology. She needs training. Mary doesn't do any forgiving. All Mary does is direct us to do whatever Jesus tells us to do and to encourage us to rely on Christ. Only Christ can provide absolution for our sins.

John 2 tells us that Jesus does respond to Mary's requests, but that Mary always tells us to do what Jesus asks of us.

We pray WITH her and ask her to pray FOR us. It's a practice of intercessory prayer, asking others to pray to God for us on our behalf. We do this because we believe in a communion of saints. We believe that all people, on earth and in heaven, are our brothers and sisters, which is why we pray for each other. We consider it a family affair, with all the prayers of heaven and earth rising to God in a single, united voice.

Mary does not and cannot forgive sins. Your friend may be sincere, just a bit misinformed. Only God can forgive sins.

Hope this helps. God bless.

Mediator: Jesus is our mediator with God for our salvation

Intercession: Catholics prays to Jesus the Mary: Jesus CANNOT SAY NO to Mary, His Mother. Actually He obeys her.

Pray the Holy Rosary for world peace!!

. It's like this. Every religion thinks one way or does something a different way than the other religion. No one knows if they are right if that's what you believe that's fine but if somebody wants to pray to mother Mary then let them. Why is everybody else's business will God they believe in? I am an ex-Catholic. To tell you the truth I really don't know what religion I am? I think they all have their quirks. But whatever religion I choose, it's no one's business but my own

No, the Bible says "worship no other gods than Me."

We pray to Mary so that she can pray to her Son for me.

i think your g/f is mistaken. we ask Mary and the saints to pray for us to God as we are praying to God for our needs. i can't remember where it's at but i do know somewhere in the Bible it says asking those in Heaven to pray for us on Earth is ok and even encouraged.

We pray in the meaning "to ask." We are asking Mary to pray for us, just like we ask the saints to pray for us, just like any one of us would ask a friend or family member to pray for us.

You are a silly fool like most other protestants. We ask her to pray on our behalf. It's like asking a family member to pray for a safe trip for you before you travel. Just as a son loves his mother, Jesus loves his mother Mary, we are expected to love Mary as a mother the same way as Jesus does.