Question for Catholics

[Michie]

As the apostle Paul says, "Pray for us!"
Paul is not praying to other Christians. He is asking them to pray for him.

25 Brothers, pray for us.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 1 Th 5:25.

And? This introductions. Not General Theology.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Mary is the first in the Church.
" Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. (from Luke)
Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (also from Like)
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death"

Orthodoxs attitude towards Mary is exactly the same of Catholic

I consider saying this at Mass equal to worshiping Mary. Weren't these words spoken by the angel Gabriel when he told her she will be pregnant with Jesus the Messiah? Not ordinary people like her. Even Joseph did not tell her she was "blessed among women" and "mother of God." The first two words spoken alone are literally worshiping Mary unless you are talking about a specific passing play in American football. We should be hailing God, who is her Father as the Creator of all people. She is not above Jesus, but merely the woman who gave birth to him.

I am not trying to downplay her importance here. It is just ridiculous that Catholic and Orthodox Christians put her above Jesus. She was by far the most important saint, but not even close in importance to the man she gave birth to.

HAIL JESUS!

 

[prodromos]

It is just ridiculous that Catholic and Orthodox Christians put her above Jesus.

It certainly would be if we did.

 

[dzheremi]

I consider saying this at Mass equal to worshiping Mary.

Ok. Well they don't, and this thread is called "Question for Catholics", not "Question for Protestants".

Weren't these words spoken by the angel Gabriel when he told her she will be pregnant with Jesus the Messiah? Not ordinary people like her. Even Joseph did not tell her she was "blessed among women" and "mother of God."

Why would St. Joseph need to tell her that she is blessed among women and mother of God if the Archangel Gabriel already told her?

Also, why is "mother of God" in scare quotes like that? If St. Mary is not the mother of God to you, then who do you say Jesus is?

The first two words spoken alone are literally worshiping Mary unless you are talking about a specific passing play in American football.

No they're not. You don't get to make up your own definition of a word based on what you think of Catholic theology. That's silly. The interjection "hail" is used to wish good health and prosperity on people (NB: it is etymologically related to the word "healthy"). It's not a means of worshipping them.

We should be hailing God

Is there is a reason to wish God good health or prosperity?

 

[RileyG]

I'm not Catholic, and I'm not trying to start an argument either. So don't think I'm attacking Catholics, but why do Catholics worship and pray to saints? Like St. Anthony for protection and so forth. It's breaking the first commandment in my opinion. I know my question is like that of the OP's, but no one asked about saints yet and I saw someone give an answer to the OP's question already. Thanks!!

We do NOT, do NOT, do NOT worship Saints. PERIOD. Not once, NOT EVER.

We ask for their prayers because they are alive in heaven.

 

[RileyG]

I consider saying this at Mass equal to worshiping Mary. Weren't these words spoken by the angel Gabriel when he told her she will be pregnant with Jesus the Messiah? Not ordinary people like her. Even Joseph did not tell her she was "blessed among women" and "mother of God." The first two words spoken alone are literally worshiping Mary unless you are talking about a specific passing play in American football. We should be hailing God, who is her Father as the Creator of all people. She is not above Jesus, but merely the woman who gave birth to him.

I am not trying to downplay her importance here. It is just ridiculous that Catholic and Orthodox Christians put her above Jesus. She was by far the most important saint, but not even close in importance to the man she gave birth to.

HAIL JESUS!

Ridiculous. We do not put her above Jesus. That is an outright lie. Attend a Catholic Mass. It's entirely Christ-centered.

 

[FenderTL5]

I consider saying this at Mass equal to worshiping Mary..
..The first two words spoken alone are literally worshiping Mary..

Those two words were spoken by the Arc Angel at the Annunciation. That means it's your position that the very messenger of God Himself literally worshiped Mary and it's recorded in Luke's Gospel.

I am not trying to downplay her importance here..

Yet you are.
The Holy Scriptures, the Bible, says that "All generations will call me (Mary) blessed.." yet you can't bring yourself to do so.
You prefer to insult those who do.
Lord have mercy!

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Hey, I am not a Catholic and I have a question regarding the Virgin Mary. Please correct me if I am wrong but is it true that Catholics not only pray to God but to Mary as well? If this is true, then doesn't it break the 1st commandment? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

By no means am I trying begin an argument but when I heard this I was concerned and would greatly appreciate an explanation.

God bless!

Are you breaking the commandment by commuicating with others on this fourm?
If not, neither is anyone communicationing with other Saints thru the Holy Spirit.

 

[Truth7t7]

We pray through Mary to reach Him when we realize that we are not worthy to ask something to Him directly

The Catholic religion is "False", Jesus Is The "Only" mediator between God and men

1 Timothy 2:5KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

[Truth7t7]

We ask Mary to pray Christ for us.

The catholic religion is "False" Jesus is the "Only" mediator between God and men

1 Timothy 2:5KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

[dzheremi]

The Catholic religion is "False", Jesus Is The "Only" mediator between God and men

1 Timothy 2:5KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

The saints are not mediators (i.e., they do not facilitate the relationship between two parties); they are intercessors (i.e., they pray for us before the Lord, according to our pleas that they do so).

The difference ought to be clear enough in an operative sense when we consider that Christ our God is literally "the way" to the Father (cf. "No one comes through the Father except through me"), while the saints are those who pray for us before Christ. This is why one of the most common intercessory prayers in the Coptic Orthodox tradition is an explicit acknowledgement of that, e.g., "Intercede on our behalf, O mother of God, the Theotokos, before our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may forgive us our sins." Note Who is doing the actual forgiving here, and who is helping us in our petitions.

 

[IcyChain]

The catholic religion is "False" Jesus is the "Only" mediator between God and men

Yawn. At least be original.

 

[Truth7t7]

The saints are not mediators (i.e., they do not facilitate the relationship between two parties); they are intercessors (i.e., they pray for us before the Lord, according to our pleas that they do so).

The difference ought to be clear enough in an operative sense when we consider that Christ our God is literally "the way" to the Father (cf. "No one comes through the Father except through me"), while the saints are those who pray for us before Christ. This is why one of the most common intercessory prayers in the Coptic Orthodox tradition is an explicit acknowledgement of that, e.g., "Intercede on our behalf, O mother of God, the Theotokos, before our Lord Jesus Christ, that He may forgive us our sins." Note Who is doing the actual forgiving here, and who is helping us in our petitions.

Scripture is very clear, "One Mediator" Jesus Christ

1 Timothy 2:5KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

[dzheremi]

Scripture is very clear, "One Mediator" Jesus Christ

1 Timothy 2:5KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Yes. Again, the saints are not mediators. They are intercessors. They're not the same thing.

 

[prodromos]

Yes. Again, the saints are not mediators. They are intercessors. They're not the same thing.

He'll probably post it again in BOLD (and allcaps)

 

[a_ntv]

The catholic religion is "False" Jesus is the "Only" mediator between God and men

1 Timothy 2:5KJV
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

I fully agree: Christ is the only mediator with God. We ask Mary to ask Christ to pray the Father for us.

 

[Truth7t7]

I fully agree: Christ is the only mediator with God. We ask Mary to ask Christ to pray the Father for us.

The catholic teaching is "False" Mary "Dosent" have a "saving office" nor does she bring "gifts of eternal salvation"

Catholic Catechism 969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation … Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."[512]

 

[Tropical Wilds]

The catholic teaching is "False" Mary "Dosent" have a "saving office" nor does she bring "gifts of eternal salvation"

Catholic Catechism 969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation … Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."[512]

After reading that, then reading what you wrote, something tells me you don’t understand what they’re saying.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Hey, I am not a Catholic and I have a question regarding the Virgin Mary. Please correct me if I am wrong but is it true that Catholics not only pray to God but to Mary as well? If this is true, then doesn't it break the 1st commandment? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

By no means am I trying begin an argument but when I heard this I was concerned and would greatly appreciate an explanation.

God bless!

Praying to Mary certainly does break the 1st Commandment. And because sin is transgression against the Commandments the Scripture says that the soul that sins shall surely die. So to ensure that you can have some assurance of salvation is it best to avoid praying to Mary.