Does God hear/honor prayers to Mary or the saints?

Beebee Hei

God’s beloved
Well he needs to read John, probably one of the most important gospels, it show Jesus divinity, and his miracles, and also ties Genesis 1 and John 1 that Jesus is God.

well he did but stopped at chapter 8.
And the fact that they also consider Jesus as God, this gave them the idea that since Mary is the mother of JEsus, she then is the mother of God.... That's included in their litany.
That being said, they believe that Jesus/God will surely honor whatever Mary asks Him, more than He honors the saints' requests. They strongly believe that God respects and honors Mary as his mother. This is the very reason why Catholics would rather pray to Mary for their petitions, rather than direct their prayers to God.
 

greg64

Well-Known Member
This doesn't sound like the Catholic Mary...

While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You." But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."
Matthew 12:46‭-‬50 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.12.46-50.NASB

Or this...

Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
John 19:25‭-‬27 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/jhn.19.25-27.NASB
 

Seashell

Active Member
Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead. It’s based on Matthew 22:32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Catholics believe that if you die in Christ then you are living forever in Christ If you don’t and go to hell, then you are dead, if you make it to Purgatory then you will be refined and they believe you eventually get to heaven. They believe you can ask people in heaven to pray for them, the same as I can ask anyone living on the earth to pray for me.
 

DanLMP

Well-Known Member
Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead. It’s based on Matthew 22:32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Catholics believe that if you die in Christ then you are living forever in Christ If you don’t and go to hell, then you are dead, if you make it to Purgatory then you will be refined and they believe you eventually get to heaven. They believe you can ask people in heaven to pray for them, the same as I can ask anyone living on the earth to pray for me.

All of that is true but God specifically states somewhere to pray to no one else but Him.

The fact that Catholicism believes that purgatory exists is a direct statement that they don't think that Jesus did enough to eliminate ALL of our sins.

The original sin that Adam committed was to not rely on God and God's plan for Adam's life. In effect Adam was saying that Adam was taking control of his own life and didn't want to rely on God for that.

The concept of purgatory just doubles down on that concept. It says that God does only so much and that man will do the rest.

Mankind needs to rely solely and wholly on God for our guidance and deliverance. Not on Mary, not on saints, not on ourselves. God only.
 

ChildofLight

Well-Known Member
Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead. It’s based on Matthew 22:32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Catholics believe that if you die in Christ then you are living forever in Christ If you don’t and go to hell, then you are dead, if you make it to Purgatory then you will be refined and they believe you eventually get to heaven. They believe you can ask people in heaven to pray for them, the same as I can ask anyone living on the earth to pray for me.
That was pretty much the answer I had gotten from my boss, who went from Church of Christ to Catholic when got married. The last couple of years before he suddenly passed, he was getting more vocal (in a suttle way) in getting people to Jesus. Especially those we knew weren’t saved. I’m still praying for those I worked with that aren’t saved. Can always tell those that aren’t.
 

SkyRider

Well-Known Member
The RCC has worked hard to replace Jesus with Mary or their saints :mad2

Right. And they don't waste an opportunity to try to diminish what Christ has done for us, nor to try to point their adherents to anything else other than Jesus as a means of salvation: their priesthood, Mary, purging one's own sins in Purgatory, the Roman Catholic sacramental system of redemption, etc.
 

crossnote

fully dependent upon His grace
Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead. It’s based on Matthew 22:32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Catholics believe that if you die in Christ then you are living forever in Christ If you don’t and go to hell, then you are dead, if you make it to Purgatory then you will be refined and they believe you eventually get to heaven. They believe you can ask people in heaven to pray for them, the same as I can ask anyone living on the earth to pray for me.
What promise is there in Scripture that those who pass on (excluding Jesus) hear us?
Scripture says there is ONE Mediator between God and man, the Man Jesus Christ. (Who happens also to be our High Priest).
 

yeshua'sbride

♥ Standing with Israel
Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead. It’s based on Matthew 22:32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Catholics believe that if you die in Christ then you are living forever in Christ If you don’t and go to hell, then you are dead, if you make it to Purgatory then you will be refined and they believe you eventually get to heaven. They believe you can ask people in heaven to pray for them, the same as I can ask anyone living on the earth to pray for me.
Are you a practicing Catholic, Seashell?
 

Annie

Be A Berean!
Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead. It’s based on Matthew 22:32. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Catholics believe that if you die in Christ then you are living forever in Christ If you don’t and go to hell, then you are dead, if you make it to Purgatory then you will be refined and they believe you eventually get to heaven. They believe you can ask people in heaven to pray for them, the same as I can ask anyone living on the earth to pray for me.

Catholics don’t believe they are praying to the dead? They may not believe they are praying to the dead when in fact, according to the Bible, they ARE.

My mother, who remains in the RCC, and I recently had a conversation about the Catholic Mary. She says she doesn't pray to Mary so I asked her why then do they have the Hail Mary prayer?
And why do they pray to Catholic Saints. Who are also dead :hmmm
 

lismore

Well-Known Member
God has provided His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5). With Jesus Christ as our mediator, we can go through Jesus to God. Why would we want to go through a sinful dead individual, especially when doing so risks the wrath of God?

Yes. The curtain of the temple was torn in two when Jesus died, his death opening up a new and living way for us to reach God directly. Therefore the Catholic position is at best a huge step backwards, going once again through some kind of mediator. God Bless :)
 

Seashell

Active Member
I've seen a lot of people lately making the same old heretical claims about Mary. They love to bring up the wedding in Cana. I tell them to look closely at the account because when Mary went to Jesus to say there was no more wine, all Jesus did was to say "Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come." He did exactly nothing else. Mary didn't bother trying any further, she had failed to move Jesus to act. She went back to the servants and told them the wisest words to be found in The New Testament, "Whatever he says to you, do it."

This account concludes with the servants going directly to Jesus. Once they did that they were rewarded with the 5 best jars of wine in all existence! Mary living couldn't move the heart of Jesus to act on anyone's behalf. She has since entered her eternal rest, it not her job to hear out prayers, that belongs to Jesus, our Mediator.
She didn’t bother to ask anymore, but Jesus did Change the Water into Wine as his mother asked.
 

Seashell

Active Member
Just curious Seashell if you are practicing in RCC as yeshua'sbride asked you back on Sept. 24th
Yes, for the most part and I don’t agree with the current Pope. In fact, I’m quite sure he’s a communist sympathizer. However, I stay because Jesus said that that the gates of hell shall not prevail and when Jesus says that it means that hell will be right in all of our churches, but they won’t win.

However, I don’t think we are all as far apart as people think we are and I like the news articles and some of the ideas that are presented here. Also, many Catholics don’t even understand biblically why Catholics believe what they believe, I took the time to study all of it and it was very enlightening. The bottom line is that Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins and that made it possible for us to get to heaven. This is the base of all Christian faiths. So by most Protestant standards if sins are forgiven, past, present and future then Catholics who believe this are all saved despite going to confession etc. All Catholics are taught about the sacrifice Jesus made for us at a very young age and I have never been taught any other way besides Jesus to get to heaven. That is what the whole season of Lent is about and making sacrifices to Jesus by not eating meat or giving something up and mediating on Fridays in Lent is thinking about his suffering on the cross for our sins. We don’t do those things to get to heaven, it’s to be closer to Jesus and to become more like him. Catholics believe Jesus is coming at the very end of the tribulation period to Judge the living and the dead, even though they don’t call this the Rapture it is the same idea.

If you look at all the Eastern Churches which were started by the other Apostles, they are very similar to the Catholic Church in practice. I’m talking about Greek Orthodox, Ethiopian (Which is the oldest unchanged Christian Religion today) Byzantine, Armenian, Syrian and others. If I truly had my choice of which Church I would be in, it would be the Ethiopian Church, but its a long way for me to drive to the closest congregation, so I just stay where I’m at.
 

Armor of Light

Praising my Savior all the day long!

DanLMP

Well-Known Member
Yes, for the most part and I don’t agree with the current Pope. In fact, I’m quite sure he’s a communist sympathizer. However, I stay because Jesus said that that the gates of hell shall not prevail and when Jesus says that it means that hell will be right in all of our churches, but they won’t win.

In the long run what "religion" you belong to doesn't matter. Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship.

Knowing and understanding the purpose and full implications of Jesus' sacrifice is one thing, accepting it and informing God that you accept that sacrifice as forgiveness of your sins, is another.

The first just makes you smart, the second makes you saved and a Christian no matter what denomination you claim.

The other important matter in my view is to understand and accept the 100% authority of God in our/your life. This means that you accept that it is God alone who saves, among other things, and that mankind is unable to add or subtract anything from that. I am still on the fence as to whether that's a necessary component of salvation; some say yes, some say no, but understanding and believing that concept certainly goes a long way in understanding our relationship with God.
 

FJP65

New Member
I need some help in explaining to a Catholic about this. They believe that Mary and the saints hear their prayers. I told them they cannot because they are dead, and that only God, Jesus & the HS hear them. Now they claim that God hears them for them bc they had God in their hearts. How can I explain to them in love this isn't so? Is there any scripture I can use?
Thanx :)
There is only ONE mediator between God and Man - Jesus. That is scripture
 
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