Non-Catholics / Protestants are far more obsessed with Mary than Catholics. It's a topic that comes up whenever the "C" word shows up. Mary, Mary, Mary, as if that is all there is to Catholicism.
Big news, folks: no Catholic is forced to pray to Mary.
"pray to" is short hand for asking for intercession, it does not mean "worship".
Mary can't do anything without God, to suggest otherwise is just anti-Catholic myth making.
It's understood in Catholic spirituality and theology that any of us can pray to God at any time. The Bible emphasizes relationship to God, as sons and daughters to a Father. That said, there is also the practice of praying for each other. Our Protestant brethren in Christ (who generally reject intercession of the saints) accept the notion of “getting a holy man [or the pastor, etc.] to pray for you.”Hence, a person would, for example, ask Billy Graham to pray for them, because it is thought that somehow his prayer might have more effect. This intuition is actually based on explicit biblical testimony:
James 5:14-18
Note here that the Bible itself recommends asking someone else to pray: “the elders” of the Church, who, like other Church leaders (1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1:7), are supposed to be of exemplary character, and “worthy of double honor” (1 Tim 5:17). They have more power, due to their ordination.
To nail down his point, St. James cites the example of the prophet Elijah. When he prayed, it didn't rain for three-and-a-half years. James says this was the case because (here is the principle he wishes to convey): “The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” We see the same dynamic in the following passage:
1 Kings 13:6
This is the biblical rationale for asking others, of more spiritual stature in the kingdom, or holier (or, best of all, both!) to pray for us. But that is not yet the same as asking a (dead) saint to pray for us. How does one arrive at that conclusion? It takes a little more work, but it is possible to ground it, too, in Scripture.
In Revelation 5:8, the “twenty-four elders” (usually regarded by commentators as dead human beings) “fell down before the Lamb . . . with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” They appear to have other people's prayers, to present to God. So the obvious question is: what are they doing with them? Why does Revelation present dead saints presenting the prayers of other saints to God?
If they have them, it stands to reason as a rather straightforward deduction, that they heard the initial prayers as well, or at least were granted knowledge of them in some fashion: ultimately through the power of God. Revelation 8:3-4 is even more explicit. Rather than equating incense and prayers, it actually distinguishes between them, and presents the scenario that the prayers and incense are presented together:
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; [4] and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God.
It seems clear that they have heard the prayers of men, and are involved as intercessors. Angels are extremely intelligent beings. We know that they rejoice when a sinner repents. They have knowledge in ways that we do not; above our comprehension.
This is biblical proof that dead saints and angels both somehow know about our prayers and present them to God. They are acting as intercessors and intermediaries. How do they hear our prayers? God gives them the power to do so because they are in heaven and therefore, outside of time. They are aware of earthly events. We know that from Hebrews 12:1 (“we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses”) and from Revelation 6:9-10, where dead saints are praying for those on the earth.
We also know of several incidents where dead men (even some from heaven) interact with those on earth:
the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-3 / Mk 9:4 / Lk 9:30-31),
the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11:3-13,
the prophet Samuel (not just a demon impersonating him: 1 Sam 28:7-20),
and “many bodies of the saints” that came out of their graves after Jesus' Resurrection and went into Jerusalem, appearing to many (Mt 27:50-53)
This is our entire rationale for asking saints to pray to God for us: all in perfect harmony with the Bible:
1) Holy men and women's prayers have great power.
2) Dead saints are perfected in holiness and are still part of the Body of Christ.
3) The Blessed Virgin Mary in particular is exceptionally holy (Immaculate Conception) and as the Mother of God, her prayers have more power and effect than that of any other creature: all by God's grace.
4) We know that they are aware (or are made aware) of earthly events.
5) We know that they exercise much charity and pray for us.
Why Would Anyone Pray to Saints Rather Than to God?
ask the people that is not in the body anymore is unbiblical. Yes we AS pastor that still in the body to pray for us, but not to his soul.
in my country catholic not only asking Mary for pray to them but there is pray directing to Mary
asking to pray start with please pray for me.
praying to, start with bless me or oh mother protect my family. If you Google Translate this pray, you Will see It is combination between praying to and asking to pray
and the title is praying to Mary
brother you better honest and choose bible or catholic. You can not choose both.
DOA KELUARGA KEPADA BUNDA MARIASanta Maria Bunda Allah dan Bunda kami juga ,
kami serahkan segenap keluarga kami,
dan apa yang kami cintai dan miliki,
kami serahkan kepada perlindunganmu dan doa restumu,
kuasailah rumah kami, terimalah kami semua sebagai milikmu.
Dengan bimbinganmu ya Bunda,
Kami ingin mentaati perintah Allah dan Gereja.
Berilah kami kekuatan,agar didalam kesulitan yang beratpun,
kami tetap teguh bertahan dalam iman, dan setia kepada Anakmu
Bantulah agar dalam segala persoalan hidup,
kami dapat mengambil keputusan yang tepat.
Hantarlah kami seutuhnya dalam pengabdian kepada Anakmu,
agar semakin menyerupai engkau dalam kasihmu kepada Allah.
Anugerahilah kami rahmat,
supaya semakin mampu memancarkan sinar kasihmu
dalam lingkungan dan masyarakat kami.
Bimbinglah agar keluarga kami sungguh-sungguh menjadi sel perdamaian
serta kerukunan bagi semua golongan dan masyarakat kami.
Agar orang yang tersandung dan tersesat hidupnya
dapat melihat terang yang membebaskan.
Kuatkanlah kami dan berilah kami keberanian serta kerelaan
membawa silih atas semua dosa dan kedurhakaan di sekeliling kami,
dengan setiap hari mempersembahkan karya kami.
Ya Bunda, terimalah kami di dalam hatimu,
yang penuh keibuan dan tahan uji dalam derita.
Bimbinglah kami,
agar semakin dalam kami menyelami rahasia Putramu yang Illahi,
Dialah yang menentukan jalan kebenaran serta kehidupan,
hari ini dan sepanjang hidup kami.
Amin
I Will Translate the title
A family pray to mother mary
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