Can you point me to apostolic teachings which address the blessed Mary? Specifically an intercessory doctrine the apostles taught?
Thanks.
Reference to the Virgin Mary as being blessed in found in the Holy Bible. The first instance is in Luke 1:28 when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce to her that she would be the mother of the Lord Jesus.
“And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” [Lk. 1:28]
The next instance is when Elizabeth was with the Holy Spirit, she stated that Mary was blessed.
“And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” [Lk. 1:42]
Then there is when Mary sang the Magnificat that is found in Luke 1:46-55.
“Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” [Lk. 1:48] (except for the present Protestant generation!)
Finally, there is another reference during the ministry of Jesus when a woman raised her voice in the crowd and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!”
“And it came to pass, as he spoke these things, a certain woman from the crowd, lifting up her voice, said to him: Blessed is the womb that bore thee, and the paps that gave thee suck.” [Lk. 11:27]
So, what exactly does it mean that Mary is blessed?
In Luke 1:48, the Virgin Mary said, “Henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” This reference of being called blessed throughout every generations can imply two different meanings.
First of all, it can mean that when every generation considers the fact that the Virgin Mary was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus, the Temple of the Most Holy of holies, overcome with the awe of this wonder, they will be left speechless, only being able to say, “Truly, she was blessed.”
Secondly, the reference to every generation calling Mary “blessed” can surpass the blessing that relates to the incarnation of God and the motherhood of Jesus. It can literally mean, over and above the aforementioned, as history has shown through her endless worldwide apparitions and miraculous cures through her intercession, that the Virgin Mary shall be blessed throughout every generation. While the mystery of the Incarnation is without doubt the greatest of all the blessings of the Virgin Mary, all other blessings that have been received to this date serve to affirm that truly, all generations shall call the Virgin Mary “blessed.”
Fundamentalists often challenge the Catholic practice of asking saints and angels to pray on our behalf. But 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 the opening verses of Psalms 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!" Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In the book of 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 offend 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 and the Mediator of the New Covenant, 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). In particular, we should ask the intercession of 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).
As the following passages show, the early Church Fathers not only clearly recognized the biblical teaching that those in heaven can and do intercede for us, but they also applied this teaching in their own daily prayer life.
more from the Early church Fathers continued here:
http://www.catholic.com/tracts/the-intercession-of-the-saints
AMDG