Why Do Catholics Pray to Mary?

The Catholic Church attributes to Mary, the mother of Jesus, various and numerous titles of glory. How important is Mary? She was the mother of Jesus, and also a follower of His teachings, and she was there present at His death. So why don’t we, Church Of Christ members, pray to her as others do?

[SHOW OPEN]

I’m Bob Pellien and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible.

[0:45] The Church doesn’t worship Mary

We do not subscribe to the devotion to Mary upheld and taught by the authorities of the Roman Catholic Church. But it is important to note dear friends, that it is not because we are against recognizing her, we do recognize Mary as the mother of Jesus; but our recognition is based only on what’s taught here in the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, and we don’t go beyond that. We received this question to our program about Mary:

If Joseph and Mary are Jesus Christ’s parents, are they considered on the same level of God?

Andrea Francisco (Garden Grove, CA)

And dear friends, we also came across this question in a Reddit discussion which was about Mary:

Why are people encouraged to filter their prayers and supplications to Christ through Mary?

@bongalak

Well, we thank you for your question and comments about Mary. Dear friend, we disagree with the Catholic Church in how they recognize Mary because it goes beyond what is written in the Bible.

So together let’s pose some study questions on this topic, for example:

1. What are some common teachings of the Catholic Church about Mary?
2. Is it biblical to exalt Mary as a mediator or go between God and people?
3. Is Mary equal to God such that we should pray to her?

[2:30] What the Catholic Church teaches

Well let’s start with the first, what are some common teachings of the Catholic Church about Mary? One of the most astonishing, dear friends, is that they teach that she is a Savior! Yes, they officially teach this in their writings, and one of those writings is Mary and the Priest here on page 64 I quote:

It is bewildering to realize that the salvation of the whole world, of millions yet unborn, depended on a little maiden, no more than fourteen years of age, going through the great adventure of motherhood.

Mary and the Priest, pg 64

So dear friends, the salvation of the world does not depend on Mary as the Catholic Church just stated in their book. Salvation depends on our Lord Jesus Christ because God made Him, not Mary, the Savior, as also indicated in the Holy Bible in the Book of Acts 5: 30-31. You know dear friends, another statement they make about Mary is this, and it’s recorded in their book entitled Glories and Virtues of Mary here on page 165, they write this:

Mary is the Queen of heaven and earth; she is Queen of purgatory, of the missions, of the rosary, of peace – the universal Queen.

Glories and Virtues of Mary,  pg 165

Dear friends, the Catholic Church teaches here that she is the universal queen. That is a title that is not given to her anywhere  in the Holy Bible. You can’t find that anywhere in the Scriptures.

But dear friends, the most grievous error of all,  it’s something they also attribute to Mary, the mother of Jesus in their book entitled True Devotion To Mary they say this on page 9:

When the saints tell us that all things in heaven and on earth, including God Himself, are subjected to the Blessed Virgin, they mean that the authority God gave her is so great that she appears to have the same power as the Trinity, and that her prayers and requests have such an effect upon God that He receives them as commands.

True Devotion To Mary, pg 9

We can see here beloved viewers, that according to them, God Himself is included among those who are “subjected to the Blessed Virgin” Mary. Because of this, what do they say about their prayers and requests of Mary to God? Well, according to them, her “prayers have such an effect upon God that God receives them as commands.” What is the equivalent of this? It only goes to say that Mary commands God. Indeed, they, and all people influenced by the Catholic Church’s adoration of Mary, should be concerned about their excessive recognition of Mary. Why?

What else should we know? Well, according to the Catholic Church, dear friends, is Mary equal to God such that she should be worshiped? Well here is their official response to that question in their book entitled Roman Catholicism In the Light of Scripture, page 179:

The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH in actual fact worships Mary, the mother of Jesus, more than it worships either God or Christ.

Roman Catholicism In the Light of Scriptures, p.  179

Beloved friends, the Catholic authorities cannot deny that they really worship Mary. Because according to them, the Roman Catholic Church in actual fact worships Mary, the mother of Jesus, more than it worships either God or Christ.

So why do Catholics  pray to Mary, worship her and say Rosary prayers to her, asking her help? Because of what they believe her role to be! What is that role? In yet another of their books, this one entitled A Guide to Catholic Reading, and it states, I quote once again from their official author

Created by God with no stain of original sin, she lived a life of immaculate purity and has ever since been the ideal for all women. As the mother of Christ, she has always been regarded as the mother of the Catholic Church and as the mother of all Catholics. As the devoted spouse of St. Joseph she is all that any wife could hope to be. As the sorrowing mother at the foot of the Cross she is the epitome of the all-encompassing love that mothers have always had for their children. The recipient of God’s tender love as revealed through her bodily assumption into heaven, she is the queen of heaven and a mediatrix before God for all men. God showered on her all of his blessings and graces as he clearly indicated she was most perfect of all his human creatures.

A Guide to Catholic Reading, p. 243 (II-193-194)

Dear friends, why do Catholics pray to Mary, we asked? In fact even make statues of her, bow down to them and pray to her? Well, as we again just read, one of the reasons is because they believe her to be a mediator between God and mankind.

[8:56] No biblical proof Mary is a mediator

So we ask, is it biblical to exalt Mary as a mediator or go between God and people? They teach she is their mediator between them and God the Father. But, dear friends, whom does the Bible teach is the only mediator between God and people? Is it Mary? Let’s find out. We turn now to the Holy Bible, 1 Timothy 2:5 I quote:

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

1 Timothy 2:5 New King James Version

Dear friends, the Bible teaches that there is only one mediator. And who is that true and only mediator between God and mankind? Is it Mary? It is NOT Mary the mother of Jesus, it is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, our Savior. It’s Jesus, and none other.

[10:04] Mary is not equal to God

Is Mary equal to God though, such that we should pray to her? Well, let’s continue turning to the Holy Scriptures for answers to this question as well. Ephesians 4:6 states:

one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Ephesians 4:6 New King James Version

The teaching of the Catholic Church then, dear friends, about Mary is indeed a blasphemy against God. Why? Because of such erroneous beliefs, they’re subjecting God under the authority of Mary. Whereas in the Bible, it is clearly stated that the Father is above all, and of course that’s including Mary. One of the reference books of the Catholic Church we read from went so far as to say that Mary is to be worshipped.

However, according to the Bible, who should be worshipped by the true worshippers? Is it Mary? Well let’s turn to John 4:23 for the Bible’s answer, I quote:

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

John 4:23 New King James Version

Dear friends, our Lord Jesus Christ actually told us who to worship. He said, “true worshipers will worship the Father” in heaven, not Mary. So that is why here in the Church Of Christ we don’t use rosary beads to pray to Mary, the Saints, or to anyone else for that matter. Members of the Church Of Christ pray to God, through the only mediator between God and mankind which is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Alright so let’s review the questions we began with and let’s see what the Bible has revealed to us. We asked:

1. What are some common teachings of the Catholic Church about Mary? We learned from their own books that they worship her, they pray to her and consider her the mediator to the Father, all of which is contrary to the truths of the Holy Bible.
2. Is it biblical to exalt Mary as a mediator or go-between between God and people? No. Why? We also learned from the Bible that that would not be proper because there is only one mediator and that one mediator is NOT Mary. It is our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Is Mary equal to God such that we should pray to her? We also learned from the writings of the Apostle Paul that the Father is above all, that of course includes Mary.

Dear friends, it’s important to note here we’re not against Mary. We don’t discuss this topic to belittle her in any way, no. But rather, our intent is always to teach the truth and use the Holy Scriptures to correct any errors taught by false religions that will lead people to false beliefs and away from their salvation.

We’d like you to continue learning about all these teachings of the Bible taught inside  the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ. To do so, please visit us online and browse the different topics or set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel. And if you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us. I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time on That’s in the Bible!