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Praying To Mary
Is
it Okay for Christians to Pray to Mary?
Christianity.com
Editorial Staff
The Bible is clear
that Mary’s unique position as the mother of Jesus did not give her any more
access to God than another believer in Christ is given.
Therefore, Mary is
not worthy of receiving prayers from Christians.
Jesus addressed this
in Luke 11 by emphasizing that it’s more blessed to be a follower of Christ
than to be the mother of Christ.
Mary, Mother of Jesus
Christians have
always been amazed and interested in Mary, the mother of Jesus.
This is
understandable because her role in God’s redemption plan is unlike that of
anyone else.
She carried the Son
of God in her womb, gave birth to him, nursed him as an infant, and (with her
husband, Joseph) nurtured him through his childhood.
Mary is worthy of
admiration due to her selflessness, courage, and faith in God.
Especially in her
time, to be unwed and pregnant was extremely shameful and sometimes even
resulted in serious punishment.
Yet she faithful
fully obeyed when God called her.
Her
response to the angel’s announcement was to rejoice in song – “My soul
glorifies the Lord” (Luke
1:46-55).
Yet for all this, the
Bible is clear that Mary’s unique position did not in any way give her special
access to God.
This section was
adapted from Sam Allberry’s original Christianity.com article.
Mary in the Bible
In Luke 11, Jesus
freed an afflicted man by driving out the demon that made him mute.
Once Jesus cast the
demon away, the man could speak again, and the watching crowd was amazed (Luke 11:14).
Some of the crowd
questioned Jesus, even suggesting Jesus was operating by power of Satan.
As
Jesus then started to preach to the crowd, a woman called out, “Blessed is
the mother who gave you birth and nursed you!” (Luke 11:27).
Jesus
replied to her, amending, not scolding, saying, “Blessed rather are those
who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28).
“Jesus says that better even than being his
mother is being his follower. Better than having him as a son is having him as
a master,”
according to Sam Allberry.
While praying to Mary
is not found in the Bible, the practice is common in the Roman Catholic
tradition.
The sentiment in Luke
11:27 is referenced in the Hail Mary, which is one of the most popular Catholic
prayers.
However, Jesus’
correction in verse 28 is missing from the prayer.
Hail Mary Prayer
Hail Mary, full of
grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of
God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Why Do Catholics Pray
to Mary?
In the Roman Catholic
church, Mary is seen as a mediator in her own right and therefore, worthy of
receiving prayers from Christians.
Veneration of Mary
and the practice of praying to her is supported by the Roman Catholic doctrine
of Assumption, which holds that after she died, Mary was taken up into heaven
like Jesus – physically and spiritually.
This was a popular
idea since before the Middle Ages, but not made official dogma in the Catholic
Church until Pope Pius XII declared it so in 1950.
Such unique devotion
to Mary is also supported by the Roman Catholic doctrine of Immaculate
Conception, which refers to Mary’s conception, not Jesus’s conception.
The doctrine states
that as the mother of God incarnate, she was without the stain of original sin
from her own conception.
Pope Pius IX
authorized this idea as official church doctrine in 1854.
What Jesus Said About
Prayer
1. Pray in
humility.
“And
when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell
you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your
room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father,
who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6)
2. There’s no need
for repetitive phrases.
“And
when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be
heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows
what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:7-8)
3. An example:
“Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
4. Ask God for
what you need in faith.
“So
I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)
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