If Jesus said "the father knows what you need before you ask him", why do some pray to Mary?

Question

Your Father who knows what you need before you ask (Matthew 6:8)

It would appear here that Jesus only authorizes us to ask Father God for stuff, so why pray to Mary?

Answer 1

As Christ died on the Cross, the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was rent in two, thus allowing us to approach the Throne of Grace directly through Jesus Christ, the final High Priest. It is in His Name that we present our petitions to The Father in faith that we have already received what we ask for, so Christ is undisputably our Mediator. The teachings that we can pray to Mary, or any saint for that matter, is nothing less than a false doctrine. None of them hung on the Cross and none of them paid the penalty for our sins once and for all. None of them was God in the flesh. I don't want your thumbs up for I do not seek praise from men, for I am a mere servant myself. My Father will commend me Himself when I enter into His presence. Although, you may feel free to give me all the thumbs down you feel necessary until your heart's desire is filled. I would never preach a false doctrine and am fully prepared to defend my faith with the True Word of God, so bring it on! God bless your ears and touch your heart!

Answer 2

Well, Gandalf's Ghost has a point, Lion...why pray at all if the only reason you pray is to ask for "stuff"? God already knows, right?



Because there is a power in verbalizing what's on your mind. The mind can be much like a monkey in the shadows swinging from tree to tree, and always busy. But to verbalize those thoughts (or even write some thoughts down), a clearer picture can emerge and slow that monkey-mind down....we begin to discover what it is we truly want (and need) in our lives.



You don't have to ask Mary to pray with you. But you are not the center of the world. Others will ask all the people that are available to them, from the stranger down the street to God Himself. Why are you so intent on taking that away from others?

Answer 3

Using this as a proof text is ludicrous. Nowhere in that verse does it say "the father knows what you need before you ask him, AND NEVER EVER PRAY TO ANYONE ELSE BUT GOD".

Answer 4

For the same reasons you would ask something of your mother instead of asking your father. And those reasons are a varied as the answers you will get. And they ask for the intercession of the saints for the same reason you would ask a sibling.



I'm still not convinced what they are doing is properly called prayer, since they are asking for Mary (or the saints) to pray for them, or to intercede for them, just as you or I would ask our mother or a sibling to put in a good word with our father for us. I've also seen prayers that ask them to pray with us...hardly something we would condemn anybody for.



That said, I think you're right. We are supposed to ask God for our needs through Jesus, and in the authority of the Holy Spirit.



Edit to Logan: Auricular Confession to a priest (as well as asking others to pray for you) has Biblical sources. See James 5:16 and John 20:23. And the Romans are not the only ones who use it.

Answer 5

Well in using that quote out of context as you have, why pray at all really. If He already knows why would you insult Him in asking. I know that sounds harsh, but Lion you haves asked this same question a million times worded a little different ok sure I'll give you that but the meaning is the same and so is the answer. We don't pray to Mary. We praise God for His creating Her to be our Perfect fully Human Mother and the Mother of the Most High. We pray to Her to intercede to Her Son who is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and He supplies everything She ever asked of Him. In prayer through Her we honor Her creator. In prayer through Her we worship the Holy Trinity, One God more fully because we give thanksgiving for giving Her to us and Her inturn clothing Christ in Her own human flesh. This is beyond your comprehension, but the Son denies His Mother nothing. The best way to have Jesus in your heart is through His Mother, and She inturn places Her Divine Son in our Hearts so we can more fully love, honor, worship and praise the Most Holy Trinity.



Pray the Rosary, receive the Sacraments for the Glory of Christ our Lord.

Answer 6

Asking someone to pray for you is not wrong, nor is it ever wrong, Biblically or otherwise. The Bible states that the host of heaven pray for us. There is nothing wrong with praying to Mary and asking her to pray for you, from a Christian standpoint.



Praying to Mary as equal to god yes, but this is rarer than you apparently think.



And how is it an argument only for Christians? Those of us with other faiths who have been Christian or have an understandings of the doctrines of which you speak are perfectly able to respond and debate intelligently.

Answer 7

Sure we can ask God.



When you need help with learning Math, do you ask a math Teacher?



We know that Mary and the Saints are great people that have achieved a level of Holiness that we have not. Just like the Teacher that knows more about Math than we do.



Why would God be mad if we ask them for guidance? Are you worshiping your Math teacher when you go to Class? No, same when we ask for guidance from a Saint, or from Mary.



Hope this helps!

Answer 8

LOL......a well deserved answer from Gandalf..........for your ignorant and repeated question.









Mary herself, under the divine inspiration of God, predicted that "all generations will call me blessed."





That is called devotion.







Catholics call Mary blessed because of the unique role she played in our salvation.









This has nothing to do with worship.

















Looks like you are not part of the family of generations that calls Mary blessed.

Answer 9

If you've never asked someone (a family member, a friend at church) to pray for you, *then* you can ask this question. But if you've ever asked someone to pray for your needs, then you are just as "guilty" of doing what you're saying that Catholics do.



What -- are you going to go against Jesus' word when He only "authorized" you to pray for yourself? Shame on you! You need to run right down to church and confess your sins!



Oops, I forgot. Fundamentalists don't have the authority to forgive sins. Jesus only gave that to His disciples and their successors, the priests. Gee, you rotten sinner, you -- I guess you're just headed to Hell just for asking someone to pray for you.



Gee, ain't fundie "logic" a wonder to behold? I never get tired of seeing the way that they try to twist Scripture and use it as a club to beat their Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ.

Answer 10

Probably the biggest misconception in world religion. . .



Have you ever read the "Hail Mary"??



If you had, you know that those who say it are asking Mary to pray for them. It's no different then if you want to say something to a family member who is no longer living.



I still "talk" to my Grandma sometimes.

Answer 11

Why do you care? This has to be at least the tenth time you've asked the same question. Stop asking it if you won't accept the answer....

Answer 12

I am not sure why people do this, but I was "Catholic" before I was saved. I am by no means saying that Catholics are not saved, but I do want to be honest here, and say that some things I practiced in the Catholic church were cast to the side whenever I received an experience of salvation by God.

I started reading the bible more and going to a different church and started studying God's word closely.

I was "taught" to pray to Mary at times in Catholicism. I changed this after reading the bible more.

Why?

I found that Jesus was the incarnation of God, and since He is my God and Savior, His word and His presence in my life is the utmost authority. This logically disproves any notion for having to pray to any "saint."

Jesus also commands that when we pray, to pray in His name.

Jesus also makes references to how close we are to be to him, i.e., the branch and root, the bread of life...

He never preached for us to pray to anyone besides God, the Holy Spirit, and Himself. Even Jesus himself prayed alone to God when he was in the wilderness.

I think people pray to Mary because they are told to do this by the church. They also may not have been taught scripture correctly or taken it upon themselves to read more of the bible on their own.

Personally, I think we should honor and respect Mary, but she is not the one who saved our rotten souls.

Answer 13

I have never understood that in Catholicism. That and the part where they ask the Priest for forgiveness. I am Baptist and was always taught that only God can forgive you for your sins. No one else. And that we can have a personal relationship with him. There isn't any middle man, if you want to talk to the Lord, then we pray. I don't mean any offense to anybody, I just never understood it.





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Tebone0315: Yours was a very thought out explanation. Thank you.

Answer 14

The Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us.



Thus 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)



Not 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.



Angels 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).



Jesus 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).



Because 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).





Catholics do not differentiate between the living (in this world) and the dead (those who departed) members of the Body of Christ (the fullness of the Church.) The fullness of the mystical Body of Christ is found in the union of all the saints, past and present, here below and those above in Heaven.



In view of the aforementioned, it cannot be denied that those who were called to Heaven, including Mary, are still alive in spirit in the Kingdom of God that coexists with our world. As some non-Catholics pray through their deceased parents, grandparents or other biological relatives, asking these beloved departed persons to intercede before God on their behalf, Catholics pray through Mary to Jesus, taking advantage of her blessed position as the Mother of God.



This Catholic action affirms the prophetic and Divinely inspired passage that is found in the Holy Bible where it states, "Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed." [Lk. 1:47] All generations could not call Mary blessed if she was not actively involved in the progressive Divine Plan that continues to develop before our eyes.



Indeed, all generations have called the Blessed Virgin Mary blessed, including this one, because she has never stopped interceding on behalf of the world, her intercession obtaining endless miraculous cures and other favours. The role of Mary in the area of obtaining physical miraculous cures is well known and documented in Lourdes, France, this being only one of the many holy places where the grace of God has been manifested through the Virgin Mary at apparition sites.

Answer 15

maybe it's a mom/dad thing...y'know how it is - you ask your dad for something and he has to be the disciplinarian, so he says no straight out. You ask your mom, she puts it to your dad in a better way than you could, and you stand a better chance of getting your shiny new bike for Christmas...

Answer 16

you must be talking about Catholics. they think that Mary has a direct line to Jesus so they pray to her to get her to intercede on their behalf. i don't know why people can't understand what's right in front of them and make intelligent choices. the Bible is very clear on who to pray to. the Catholic church is full of discrepencies and unorthodox teachings.

Answer 17

Mary is dead.......... Jesus stated - the dead know nothing.



Jesus ALSO stated that the only way to God was through Christ.



Another man made way to try to get to God.

Answer 18

They do it so you have something to ask stupid questions on YA about. Is that a good enough answer?

Answer 19

we ask her to pray for us to God for our needs when we pray to God for them. just like we ask friends and family to pray for us when we are sick. there's no difference to it.

Answer 20

That's all they know, they are lost, and need to find Jesus, they still think HE is hanging on the cross, what they do not know is that HE is GOD and is sitting in heaven right now waiting to hear from them

Answer 21

The importance of Silence can not be stressed enough in our day of frequent distraction and noise for God does not speak to us in such things but in silence as in a gentle breeze is the lord heard (3 kings 19:12-14).



Whenever you have to speak, be careful, in conformity with the advice of the Holy Ghost, Make a balance for thy words, to examine what you ought to say.

Make a balance for your words that you may weigh them before you give expression to them.



St. Bernard says that "before your words come to the tongue, let them pass twice under the file of examination," that you may suppress what you should not utter.



The same was said by St. Francis de Sales in other words, namely, that to speak without sin every one should keep a lock on his lips, that in opening his mouth to speak he might reflect well on what he wishes to say.







Before speaking you should consider—



1. Whether what you intend to say can injure charity, modesty, or exact observance.



2. Examine the motive that impels you to speak; for it sometimes happens that what a person says is good, but her intention is bad; she speaks either to appear spiritual, or to acquire a character for talent.



3. Examine to whom you speak, whether to your Superiors, to companions, or to inferiors: whether in the presence of seculars, or of the postulants, who may perhaps be scandalized at what you say.



4. Exa



















Prayer.



O my God, may the patience with which Thou hast borne me be forever blessed. Thou hast given me time to love Thee, and I have spent it in offending and displeasing Thee. Were I now to die, with what heartfelt pain should I end my life, at the thought of having spent so many years in the world, and of having done nothing. Lord, I thank Thee for still giving me time to repair my negligence, and so many lost years. O my Jesus! through the merits of Thy Passion assist me. I do not wish to live any longer for myself, but only for Thee, and for Thy love. I know not how much of life remains, whether it is long or short; but were it a hundred or a thousand years, I wish to spend them all in loving and pleasing Thee. I love Thee, O my Sovereign Good, and I hope to love Thee for eternity. I do not wish to be ever again ungrateful to Thee. I will no longer resist Thy love, which has so long called me to be entirely Thine. Shall I wait till Thou abandon me, and call me no more?



Mary, my mother, assist me, pray for me, and obtain for me perseverance in my resolution to be faithful to God.



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Answer 22

If the benevolent god thing knows what you need why do you need to ask at all?

Answer 23

Because they've started to figure out that prayer to God doesn't work, so they're looking for some extra help. If they thought that prayer to God works, they wouldn't need to pray to Mary...it wouldn't even occur to them to do so.

Pretty soon maybe they'll figure out that that doesn't work, either.

Answer 24

Misguided traditions handed down over time perhaps. It is only Jesus Christ Himself Who stands as intercessor for us before the Father.



Blessings

Answer 25

Mary is dead.......... Jesus stated - the dead know nothing.



Jesus ALSO stated that the only way to God was through Christ

Answer 26

It's a throwback to worship of a different sort *grins*