Posted on 03/19/2014 1:32:10 PM PDT by rwa265
Have you ever been in spiritual need and asked a friend to pray for you? Have a sick mom - “please pray for my mom, she was just diagnosed with cancer!”... There is NO difference here!! Asking Mary to pray for you and petition the throne is just as simple as asking a friend to pray for you... However, arguably, she has a closer relationship to God and Jesus than our friends.
Using roman catholic logic why don't we pray to Abraham....he is the father of the Jews...he is held up as an example by Paul in Romans.
Yes, we've all been in a situation where we ask someone to pray for us.
However, the Biblical model is not to pray to the departed saints. We have no examples of Paul, Peter, James, John, Matthew, Luke, or Mark praying to Abraham, Moses, Elijah or any of those fellows.
We have no Biblical model that indicates people in Heaven can hear our prayers either.
However we do have the following:
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; (Romans 8:26, NASB)
Unfortunately the catholic church is attempting to replace the Holy Spirit with another marian doctrine that proclaims her as Advocate and Helper....roles currently filled by the Holy Spirit.
We also have this admonition from Matthew:
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:6-8)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Brethren, pray for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:25
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; (Colossians 4:2-3)
In all of these passages, believers are directing their prayers to God....not Mary, not departed saints.
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