Why do we pray to Mary and saints and have several devotions?

Why do we pray to Mary? This is probably one of the most asked questions and is often a focus of criticism. Perhaps the place to start is the word “pray.” In English the word “pray” means simply “to ask.” It does not mean “worship.” Many Protestants equate the two terms, but they are not the same. In Catholicism the word “worship or adore” is latria. This is the adoration given only to God. Catholics do not worship Mary as a goddess and we do not consider her divine. She is human just as we are, but she was chosen by God to be the Mother of Jesus who is God with us. Therefore, we call her Mother of God. We give her what we call dulia, which means “honor or venerate.” As in the command to honor your father and mother. When we ask her to pray, we are asking her to pray for us.

St. Paul recommends intercessory prayer for others and such prayer does not end when someone dies and goes to heaven. St. James wrote, “the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” Those in heaven can and do pray for us. That includes all the saints. We consider them to be our elder brothers and sisters in Christ who constantly pray for us before the throne of God. Praying to Mary and the saints is scriptural and part of Christian tradition all the way back to the early Church. One of the earliest prayers dates from the third century, “Mother of God, [listen to] my petitions; do not disregard us in adversity, but rescue us from danger.” In the catacombs, there are inscriptions asking for the prayers of the saints. Beneath St. Peter’s basilica was found the inscription, “Peter, pray for the holy Christian men buried near your body.” Thus we see devotion to a saint, prayers to a saint, and prayers for the dead all common practice in the early Church.

Our Code of Canon Law says in canon 1186: “To foster the sanctification of the people of God, the Church commends to the special and filial reverence of the Christian faithful the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, whom Christ established as the mother of all people, and promotes the true and authentic veneration of the other saints whose example instructs the Christian faithful and whose intercession sustains them.” There are a variety of ways that we show our devotion and ask the prayers of Mary and the saints. Many of these come from the long history of the Church and the wide variety of cultures that are part of our faith. These are tried and true ways to pray. The rosary has pride of place for Latin Catholics, but there are many other forms of prayer. Novenas, litanies, scapulars, medals, and other such devotions are part of the treasure of the Church. Catholics are free to pick which ones they find helpful.

Prayer is both simple and complicated. It is simple in that it can just be reciting the rosary. However, if one truly meditates on the mysteries of the rosary, you get into deeper concepts quickly. Faith deals with complicated issues, and so at times is complex in its answers. Our Catholic devotions can appeal to both the simple and the complicated parts of our lives. You can read part four of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for a summary of our teaching on prayer.

Given all of this information, what should we do? Personally, we can choose which devotions to Mary and the saints foster our spiritual lives. Everyone has different personalities and needs and there are plenty of ways to pray. Mary is not only the Mother of Jesus, but also the Mother of all of us who by baptism become brothers and sisters of Christ. Mary is our mother too and will always pray for us. We can also choose special patron saints who we ask to pray for us, maybe the one you are named after or your confirmation saint. These devotions help to remind us that we are part of the communion of saints and are never alone.

We can also share these things with our Protestant brethren. Many harbor misconceptions about the Church and our devotion to Mary and the saints. Christ is indeed our “one mediator between God and man,” but he invites all of us to pray for each other. In no way does our devotion to Mary and the saints diminish Christ. In fact, it leads us to a deeper relationship with Christ. Mary has only one command recorded in scripture, “do whatever he tells you.” Mary always leads us closer to her son. Catholics know this from 2,000 years of experience dating back to the Apostles. This is a great gift we can offer to non-Catholic Christians.