Bible Question:
You ask: "am I wrong in thinking that you pray to Mary and if you do, what confidence do you have, or faith or whatever it is that you want to call it, that she hears you and where in the Bible do you get this assurance? Catholics pray "to" Mary and the saints only in the same sense that we would ask a friend or family member to pray for us or with us about any matter. Catholics believe in the "communion of saints." That is we believe that God is the God of the living (Matt 22:32), and that all those who are in Christ are alive in him even after physical death. In a sense after they die they are with Him in an even deeper and intimate sense than we are here on earth. But still Jesus, is the vine and we are all the branches on earth heaven that trust in Him and obey (John 15:1-10). St. Paul in his epistles often asks for the prayers of his congregations and assures them of his prayers for them. He also speaks of being physically absent from them but with them in the spirit (1 Cor. 5:3, Col. 2:5). Although he was alive on the earth at the time he wrote, the same principle applies after death if God is the God of the living, not of the dead. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are dead in the physical sense, but counted among the living by Jesus in Matt 22:32. And so to live in Christ is to transcend the separation of death by faith, hope and charity (1 Cor. 13:13). In the Book of Revelation we see the Church in heaven praising God (Rev 4) and praying before God for the Church on earth (Rev 6:9-11 and 7:9-8:5). See also Hebrews 11 especially 11:40 through 12-4 that speaks of how those who have gone before us are bound together with us in salvation and are a great cloud of witnesses as we continue in our struggle against sin. So we ask them to pray with us and for us before the throne of God, starting with Mary, God's own chosen vessel, and all the saints throughout the ages as well as those struggling here with us. |
Bible Answer: Emmaus, The "communion of saints", as I understand it, is from the creeds and refers to the assembly of believers. No where in the Bible does it say that the living are to "commune" with those who have passed on. In your scripture you seem to be making up rules for communing with those who have physically died. You write of the apostle Paul: "Although he was alive on the earth at the time he wrote, the same principle applies after death if God is the God of the living" What you have wrote here is an assumption, based on your own logic, that is not supported by scripture. The Bible discribes the death of saints as a sleep. It would be hard for me to pray with you when I'm asleep. Only God can awaken those who are "asleep in Jesus" so it would be usless to pray to them first. 1Th 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1Th 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 1Th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Below is the end of a prayer that was written by the Pope, posted on the forum by Nolan. Sustain us, O Virgin Mary, on our journey of faith and obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation. O clement, O loving, O sweet Mother of God and our Mother, Mary! From this prayer it doesn't sound like he is asking Mary to pray with him, he is asking Mary to intercede for him as an advocate to "obtain for us the grace of eternal salvation" To pray in this manner is counter to scripture. 1Jo 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; God is eternal and being eternal it is impossible for Him to have a "mother". God put on humanity as Jesus and Mary is the mother of that humanity. She is not the "Mother of God". To say she is the mother of God would be calling God created and it is He who created Mary. I suggest you pray to the one who never sleeps and not to those who sleep in Jesus, so that your prayers will be heard. Jhn 16:26 "In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; Jhn 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. Rejoice in the Lord, Bob |