Why do Catholics pray through Mary and not Jesus?
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Catholics don't worship or adore Mary. We venerate her, and call her blessed, just as Scripture shows. (Luke 1:48). \n\nCatholics request Mary's intercession because the fervant prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. (James 5:16). It's hard to find someone who fits this description more than Mary. This is not asking Mary to mediate (Jesus Christ is the only one with that role (Tim 2:5)), merely to intercede. It's similar to St. Paul asking fellow believers to pray for him. (Romans 15:30, Col 4:3, and other verses).\n\nNeither do Catholics practice idolatry, because they do not worship statues, or anything else created. Exodus 20:4-5 prohibits the making of images for the purpose of worshiping the image, but does not prohibit image-making altogether. (In Exodus 25:18-19, G-d commands Moses to make statues of cherubim.) Statues and other images are used as an aid to faith by helping to call to mind that which they represent, but the image itself is not worshipped.
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The Virgin Mary sometimes also called Holy Mother. Make no mistake, She is not greater than God, but she is humble in his presence. When people pray to Mary, they are actually praying through her. She acts as a guide for prayers. She brings prayers to God. And as a mother and a woman, many female Christians can relate to her. \n\nHow to pray to The Virgin Mary, one such prayer goes like this....\n\nHail Mary \nFull of grace\nThe Lord is with thee\nBlessed art thou amongst women\nAnd blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus\nHoly Mary\nMother of God \nPray for us sinners\nNow and at the hour of our death\nAMEN.
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To april_hwth: Catholics don't pray to popes and saints as an end. They pray to saints to intercede on their behalf to God since they are already in heaven and can effectively communicate with God. Catholics can also pray directly to God, if they so choose. \n\nThe Rosary is one type of prayer asking the Virgin Mary (who is a saint) to intercede to her son Jesus on behalf of the person. It is not the only prayer that Catholics employ, but it is one of the more popular ones.\n\nAnd Catholics believe that faith is not enough to get to heaven. You should do all you can to do good works and help others because you'll find Jesus while doing good works. Faith without good works is dead. What are you supposed to do, just keep believing in Jesus and not do anything good? Is that fair for the people who spend their entire life doing good? Will they get the same reward as someone who honestly believes in Christ but does nothing good? Even Jesus did good things...and all Christians should do their best to emulate that good example, which does include good works.
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Catholics use a Bible that has added books that aren't put into a protestant version. Catholics pray to Mother Mary and use rosary which protestants don;t usually. Catholic priests usually can't marry legally and father children. Priests hear the congregations confession. There are many other ones, but this is a start
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NO where in the bible does it say to pray to Mary,it is through Jesus,he is the way,to the Father(John 14:6-14)
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All prayers are answered by God if you're a Christian. Catholics are another denomination of Christianity, like Protestants. Man has set up a number of barriers to free worship of God. To say you're Catholic or Protestant further divides Christianity. What it amounts to is like Crocodile Dundee said, a bunch of fleas arguing over who owns the dog they live on. That's what I tell them. Christians all pray to the same God, no matter if you're Protestant, Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, or any of the others. To say that God only answers the prayers of people who pray the Rosary or does it differently based on your denomination is just not logical.
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I am sad to see so many Catholics who do not know their Catechism. Catholics DO WORSHIP Mary. The word worship does not mean that we think someone is God that we worship. It means a form of honor or respect. God is given the worship of Latria-- meaning the way we serve an honor God is to Him alone, the form of worshipping the Saints is Dulia, and the form by which we worship Mary is called Hyper-Dulia. None of these theological terms are the same. Any worship given to Mary or the saints is given to God on high, to honor God's holy ones and Our Lady is to honor God for His greatness and mercy.
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Here we go Again.\n\nThey are NOT prayed to, they are prayed through and with.  In the prayer Catholics ask for their help, as a mediators.  Suppose you want to meet with the Kind, can you just go directly to the Kind, walk  into his house, and ask Him for what you want! No.  Each Saint, is a patron of something.  such as Patron of children, of lost causes, etc.  If all we need is to go directly to God, then what was the need for God to send us so many Prophets, Saints, and other to aid us! think of that one!\n\nI hope that was helpful.  It is not to, but through them.  OK!
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Its not in the bible, neither is praying to Mary.
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they dont want to accept the fact that Jesus was God and dont want to convert or go to mass or do something for God.\nthey just want to be ignorant and live life according to their will. they dont want to acknowledge Jesus as God or else they will have to give up time and worship Him.
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Answer:  Mary hears no ones prayers.  She's not God.  The Bible says "There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."  1 Tim 2:5\n\nJesus Christ is my intercessor. Heb. 7:25\nMary can mind her own business and stick to her knitting!
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Mary was a normal human like everyone else.  She never preformed miracles, and she didn't stay a virgin much longer after Jesus was born.  She gave birth to Jesus' brother.    And right now (sorry Catholics) Mary is a dead woman who is nothing special.  What if a woman named "Suzan" gave birth to Jesus?  Would people start praying to "the virgin Suzan"?  Dead people don't hear prayers, only God does.
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Because this practice(along with others) by Catholics is not scripturally based. \n\ntosmith
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People who kneel to a statue or icon are not idolizing the statue or saint.  They are praying for them to pray for them as well.  Similar to how you might ask a friend to pray for your sick mom.  Catholics and other grouos believe in the communion of Saints which holds the idea that both living and dead are in communion with God and he will listen to both prayers.  \n\nA person who kneels at a icon or statue may not even be praying to that particular figure, they might be praying in that location for privacy, comfort etc.
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You need to understand that we do not pray to Mary and/or the Saints as a final act.  We pray to them to ask them to pray to God for us.\n\nLook at it this way. . . Have you ever been sick or ill and asked a friend to pray for you (or a loved one)?\n\nThat is basically what we, as Catholics, are doing when we pray to Mary or a Saint.  We are asking them, who are in Heaven and can see God directly, to join us in prayer for our intentions.\n\nIt has always been known that we are free to go directly to God with our prayers, but would prayers not be better served to have more people join in?\n\nI hope that I have answered your question.  If not, please post more and I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities.
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The Scriptures give no reason why Mary should have remained a virgin.So did Jesus have any half brothers and half sisters?\nThat Mary had other children besides Jesus is clear from the questions asked by Jesus' townfolk who where well acquainted with his family:"Where did he get all this?What kind of wisdom is he endowed with?....Is this not the carpenter,the son of Mary,a brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?Are not his sisters our neighbours here?"-Mark6:2,3,NA.\nThat Jesus had natural (half)brothers is also indicated by the fact that on one occasion he was told that'your mother and your brothers are standing out there and they wish to speak to you'We further read that "not even his brothers had confidence in him"-Matt.12:47;John 7:5,NA
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Fundamentalists challenge the Catholic practice of asking saints and angels to pray for us. But the Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us.\n\nThus in Psalm 103, we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20-21). And in Psalm 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!" (Ps. 148:1-2)\n\nNot only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.\n\nAngels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] 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; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3-4).\n\nJesus himself warned us not to mess with small children because their guardian angels have guaranteed intercessory access to the Father: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." (Matt. 18:10).\n\nBecause he is the only God-man, Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim. 2:5), but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us (1 Tim. 2:1-4), including those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).