Should We Pray to Mary?

Dear friends:
I have found this article tracing the history of promotion of Mary very interesting.

Please click the link for the whole article if you want to read the whole article.

https://www.raptureready.com/rr-catholic.html

Roman Catholicism

The Mary Mystery

Now, before I begin, lest you think that I am 'Catholic bashing', I can assure you, I am not.  Now, before I begin, lest you think that I am Catholic bashing, I assure you that I am not. Nor am I suggesting that those who follow the Catholic faith are, by definition, not saved. Luke tells us in the Book of Acts, verse 17:11, that we are to be Bereans, testing every teaching against Scripture. Paul writes, "All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). My point is to merely take an intellectual look at the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and compare them to Scripture, which I consider all authority as the Word of God...

Here is a listing of extra-biblical decrees made over the years by the RCC( Roman Catholic Church).  This article is designed to only focus on what I will call the Mary Mystery,  her ascent in status via the Church of Rome over the years, and what it means to the Vatican today.

From that list, I am going to note the progress made by the RCC to take Mary from her human state to the state of being Mother of the Church.

• 431 AD - Mary Worship began
• 600 - prayers directed to Mary
•  (Ave Maria added in 1508)
• 995 - canonization of saints
• 1854 - immaculate conception of Mary (her sinlessness)
• 1950 - assumption of Mary (she never died)
• 1954 - Mary proclaimed Queen of Heaven
• 1965 - Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church
• 1980 - Mary proclaimed Spouse of the Holy Spirit

Mary's Perpetual Virginhood

"Based on the Protoevangelium of James, (Circa 120 AD), it is written and accepted by the RCC that Joseph was a widower with children from his former marriage.  According to this document, when Mary's birth was prophesied, her mother, St. Anne, vowed that she would devote the child to the service of the Lord, like Samuel had been by his mother (1 Sam. 1:11). Mary would thus serve the Lord at the Temple, as women had for centuries (1 Sam. 2:22). A life of continual, devoted service to the Lord at the Temple meant that Mary was not able to live the ordinary life of a child-rearing mother, and so she was vowed to perpetual virginity."
( for more details of the development of Mary's being a virgin forever, click the link below)

Is the Perpetual Virginity of Mary a Biblical View? 

When Did the Idea of Mary Being a “Virgin Forever” Begin?

The idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary comes from a dubious apocryphal book written well after the New Testament. The book is called the Infancy Gospel of James, The Protoevangelium of James, or sometimes simply Protoevangelium, and it is estimated to have been written in the middle part of the second century.

Authoritative New Testament works were those written or affirmed by the apostles (Luke 11:49, 1 Corinthians 12:28,Ephesians 2:20, Ephesians 3:5, 2 Peter 3:2). A host of false teachings and books came out after the canonical books. Some were written by well-intentioned Christians, some by Gnostics (thinking they had secret knowledge of God), and others by pagans of the day. Some of these books challenged New Testament teachings while others tried to fill in information

THE PROTOEVANGELIUM OF JAMES IS LIKE OTHER FORGERIES TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON AN APOSTLE. ...)

Scripture says nothing about Joseph being a widower. Scripture does, however, tell of the siblings of Jesus. Matthew 13:55 names His brothers as James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. Mark 6:3 confirms this and additionally references the sisters of Jesus in the process. Luke 16:6 differentiates between Judas, the brother of Jesus, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

Giving the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume that these men (and women) were not the blood brothers and sisters of Jesus, but merely were stepsiblings from a previous marriage, as the Catholic Church asserts.

Does Scripture address this? Yes, it does. Matthew 27:56 clearly says that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is also the mother of James and Joses. Mark 15:40 confirms this, as does Mark 16:1.

So we can see by Scripture that Mary indeed was not a virgin for the duration of her lifetime, since she was the mother of several children besides Jesus.

Mary's Sinless Nature and the Immaculate Conception

The RCC maintains that Mary was sinless throughout her life.  "But by a special intervention of God, undertaken at the instant she was conceived, she was preserved from the stain of original sin and its consequences." ³

What does Scripture say about this?

Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Friend, there is no “out” clause there. The word “all” in this reference is translated from the Greek word, pas (Strong's 3956), which means: “all, all things, every, all men, whosoever, everyone, whole, all manner of, and/or every man.” There is no wiggle room for assumption here. When the Lord said “all,” he meant “all.”

Additionally, Mary confirmed her own sinful nature and need of a Savior as recorded in Luke 1:47.  Scripture is clear on this one as well.

Hebrews 7:26  For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens

Jesus was the only Person to have ever lived a sinless life. To claim that Mary did as well is to say that Christ is “one of” the sinless, not “THE” sinless one. Without Christ's unique, sin-free life, where does that leave His sacrifice? Where does that leave the promise of salvation?

Mary's Position 

Was Mary blessed?  YES!!  Mary was chosen among women to be the vessel who bore the Messiah.  The Bible honors Mary as the mother of Jesus and calls her "blessed...among women" (Luke 1:28) but not above women.  What does this mean to us today?  Nothing.  No offense intended, but Mary's job is done.  

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The Heavenly Assumption of Mary 

Enoch "walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). He was translated so as not to see death (Heb. 11:5). Elijah was taken to Heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Chron. 2:1-13).

Scripture is silent about the death of Mary.   This is where the RCC fills in the gap.

"The doctrine of the Assumption says that at the end of her life on earth Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven, just as Enoch, Elijah, and perhaps others had been before her.  Some people think Catholics believe Mary "ascended" into heaven. That's not correct, Christ, by his own power, ascended into heaven. Mary was assumed or taken up into heaven by God. She didn't do it under her own power."⁴

...Nothing backs up this “doctrine” (*in the scripture) except that the Catholic Church says it’s so. Since the Catholic Church believes it can't err, the teaching is held to be true by default.

Prayers to Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen.

Catholicism teaches that Christ is a stern, wrathful judge who cannot be approached by sinners.  It teaches that Mary, on the other hand, is a tender, understanding, merciful intercessor who is more sympathetic and compassionate than the Lord and will plead our case to Him with the forceful persuasion of a loving mother.

The practice of petitioning Marian intercession is to pray to Mary, asking her to intercede as the mediatrix between man and God.

...

The RCC makes no distinction between intercession and mediation.   Intercession is praying to the Father for another, just as one would pray for the healing of a friend.  Mediation on the other hand, is the practice of believing your prayers are heard only through another - a mediator or mediatrix.

Additionally, no distinction is made between the living and the dead. The RCC claims that the dead are in Heaven with the Lord and therefore can hear our prayers and intercede with the Father on our behalf. We have already documented that the RCC agrees that Mary did indeed die (although in 1950, the wording was changed to say "her earthly life was completed").

What does Scripture tell us about communicating with the dead?

Deuteronomy 18:10-12: There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.

Wow. These are harsh words from the Lord. Communicating with the dead is an abomination?

Let's turn back to Scripture and see if Jesus weighs in at all on the subject of prayer:

Matthew 6:7-8: And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.   Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Apparently, the message that Jesus was trying to get across is that we don't have to chant things over and over as if the Lord is not listening to us. I guess you could say that not only is it an issue of quantity vs. quality, but additionally it is written that the Lord knows our needs, meaning that we don't need for anyone who predeceased us to petition the Lord on our behalf.

...

One other way of looking at this is to consider your view of God. Ask yourself the following questions:

1.  Is God big enough to hear my prayers, or does He need a "switchboard" to help Him?
2.  Does God care so little about me that He will only listen to the requests of people appointed by the Catholic Church and not me directly?
3.  If giving the power of an audience with the Father is, as the RCC maintains, Mary's “call,” then what if she is too busy or deems me too unimportant?

God is omnipotent.  Mary is not.  She was a mere mortal, just as the rest of us today.

The Queen of Heaven?

"Since Mary is Jesus' mother, the fact that she is also the Mother of God is inescapable, for if Mary is the mother of Jesus, and if Jesus is God, then Mary is the Mother of God."⁶

This sounds innocent enough, right? Well, let’s look again to Scripture.

John 1:1, 14: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

Rev 1:8: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

You see, Jesus was God before Mary was even born.  Mary is the vessel that produced the Messiah from the line of David, she is not the Mother of God.

Now, assuming that you disagree with me and you do feel that Mary was the mother of God, how far are you willing to take it? In 1954, Mary was elevated to Queen of Heaven. In 1965, she was named Mother of the Church. Quite a promotion, eh?

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36. Now, in the accomplishing of this work of redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was most closely associated with Christ; and so it is fitting to sing in the sacred liturgy: "Near the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ there stood, sorrowful, the Blessed Mary, Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World."

Does Scripture address this? The 44th chapter of the Book of Jeremiah is dedicated to the subject of there being a "Queen of Heaven," past or present and the Lord's opinion of that particular classification.

In addition to her titles of "Mother of God" and "Queen of Heaven" Mary is also known as the "Spouse of the Holy Spirit." 

Citing Prudentius in his February 2, 1974 writing, Apostolic Exhortation For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion To the Blessed Virgin Mary (full text here), Pope Paul VI proclaims this marital relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary, "The unwed Virgin espoused the Spirit." And from the writing of Pope John Paul II,On the Mystery and Worship of the Eucharist, penned on February 24, 1980 (full text here), we have:

"In order that this unity and the constant and systematic collaboration which leads to it may be perseveringly continued, I beg on my knees that, through the intercession of Mary, holy spouse of the Holy Spirit and Mother of the Church, we may all receive the light of the Holy Spirit."

How far will the RCC go in the promotion of this woman's role? Would you believe me if I told you that a movement is afoot to elevate her once again to being the sinless, co-redemptrix of salvation? Given the comments from Pope Pius XII above, it shouldn't surprise you.

Bottom Line

Peter confirmed that Jesus is the rock on which the Church should be built, not himself and not the Catholic (or any other) Church. Matthew, Mark and Luke confirmed that Mary was not only the mother of Jesus, but of several other children as well. Mary confirmed that she herself was a sinner in need of a Savior.

Friend,  Mary did not ask for this attention.  Better yet, I feel quite comfortable in saying that Mary would be saddened and ashamed that people are placing so much undue importance on her role in this day and age.  Mary had a role to fill and she obeyed the Lord and filled that role.  Her job is now done.  Let her rest in peace.   

The Mary Mystery?  I am sure that she is as bewildered by all of this as I am.

Also click the link below for the crown of Mary.

Update on the Fifth Marian Dogma - Mother of All Peoples

www.motherofallpeoples.com/2015/.../update-on-the-fifth-marian-dogm...

Sep 4, 2015 - In April, 2013, a petition for the Fifth Marian Dogma from 22 Archbishops from 16 developing nations was presented to Pope Francis; In July, ...