Catholic Position
¶2677 Holy Mary, Mother of God: With Elizabeth we marvel, “And why is
this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Because
she gives us Jesus, her son, Mary is Mother of God and our mother; we
can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us as she
prayed for herself: “Let it be to me according to your word.” By
entrusting ourselves to her prayer, we abandon ourselves to the will of
God together with her: “Thy will be done.”
Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death: By asking Mary
to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we
address ourselves to the “Mother of Mercy,” the All-Holy One. We give
ourselves over to her now, in the Today of our lives. And our trust
broadens further, already at the present moment, to surrender “the hour
of our death” wholly to her care. May she be there as she was at her
son’s death on the cross. May she welcome us as our mother at the hour
of our passing to lead us to her son, Jesus, in paradise.
¶971 “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to
the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church
rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most
ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of
‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their
dangers and needs…. This very special devotion … differs
essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and
equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this
adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and
Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,”
express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Scripture Says
Jeremiah 33:3
3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Psalm 50:15
15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Psalm 91:15
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Philippians 4:6
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Matthew 11:28
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Commentary
- Will you pray to Mary?
- Or will you pray to God?
- Who is most (certainly) able to help you?