| Devotion to Mary |
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The doctrines around Saint Mary are some of the most confusing in the Catholic Church and also contributes to the divisions between us and many Protestant denominations. Our separated brethren accuse us of worshipping Mary, taking away the mediatorship of Jesus by making Mary a mediator between us and God, and we are also accused of "inventing" doctrines that cannot be found in the Bible. Catholic doctrines on Mary have been taught since the time of the Apostles and there is historical evidence to back them up. In order to have full communion with God, Mary must play an important role in our spiritual life. It is difficult to have a true devotion to Jesus apart from a true devotion to Mary. If you really want to help the souls in Purgatory, you need to do it with Mary's intercession. What does Mary have to do with the souls in Purgatory? Why pray to her? Mary is very concerned with the holy souls because they, like all Christians, are her children. Jesus made her our spiritual mother when, while crucified, he told his disciple John "behold your mother" (John 19:27). Like all mothers, she does not like to see her children suffer and would do anything possible to help stop their suffering. She would like to take her children out of Purgatory as quickly as possible. We should pray to Mary because she is the intercessor between us and Jesus. No one can directly approach God because of our sinful and fallen nature (John 1:18). God [the Father] sent Jesus [God the Son] to earth to die for our sins and redeem us, thus purifying us of our sin and allowing us to approach God through him. Jesus of course is the mediator between us and God, but does it not make sense to have a mediator between us and Jesus, since He is God and by John 1:18 we are not worthy to directly approach him? John the Baptist, whom Jesus said was the greatest man who ever existed (Luke 7:28), did not feel worthy to approach Jesus directly: "I am not worthy to loosen the thongs on his sandals" (Luke 3:16). Also, the centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 did not feel worthy to directly approach Jesus either so he sent his servant to intervene for him. Another reason to pray to Mary is that Jesus cannot refuse her requests (see the wedding at Cana in John 2:1-11). Mary's intercession to God can provide relief for the holy souls in Purgatory. At times, she will go to Purgatory as a result of our prayers to comfort the people there. If we co-operate with Mary, we can release many souls and give them eternal joy in Heaven. |
