Bible Christians Should Pray to Mary Too

There are usually two identifiable obstacles that Bible Christians face when it comes to praying to Mary. The first one is a misunderstanding of the word 'pray' and the second one is that they think the Hail Mary is at odds with the Bible.

Both obstacles are easy to remove...

The word pray is what throws a lot of Bible Christians off. When they hear 'pray to Mary', they equate that with 'worship Mary'. But a careful analysis of the word pray points to the fact that pray first and foremost just means 'to ask'. Here's Webster Dictionary's definition: 1: to make a request in a humble manner 2: to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving.

So when Catholics pray to Mary or any other Saint, we are using definition number 1, 'to ask'. What are we asking? We are asking Mary to 'ask' (pray) for us. So that means our prayers to Mary end in God. While Mary is the Mediatrix of grace, God is always the source of divine grace. With that out of the way, we can now turn to the 'Hail Mary'. Each line of the Hail Mary is totally biblical...

Hail Mary, full of Grace

Located in: Luke 1:28 (Hail, full of grace or Hail favored one)

It means:  With the word, 'Hail', the Angel Gabriel greets Mary with a very respectful greeting used for royalty. The text doesn’t say “Mary” after Hail but it is implied. Gabriel then proclaims Mary full of Grace (full of God’s own life and love).

The Lord is with You

Located in: Luke 1:28 (The Lord is with you)

It means: The Angel Gabriel, a messenger sent by God, said that the Lord is with Mary. She is filled with grace and therefore she is aligned to God's will.  

Blessed are you among Women

Located in: Luke 1:41 (Blessed are you among women)

It means: Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit; she is inspired by the 3rd person of the Holy Trinity to proclaim that Mary is the most blessed among all women. Mary alone is set apart and chosen as the Immmaculate One. 

And Blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus 

Located in: Luke 1:42 (and blessed is the fruit of your womb) 

It means: Elizabeth still inspired by the Holy Spirit, proclaims that the fruit of Mary’s womb, the developing Jesus, is blessed. The text doesn’t say “Jesus” after womb, but it is implied, the fruit of her womb is Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Located in: Luke 1:43 (And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?)

It means:  Mary is full of God’s grace; this would make her holy. Mary is the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity. Since Jesus is God this makes her the mother of God. She is the mother of the God-Man Jesus, not the mother of the Trinity.

Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

Located in: James 5:16 (Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects)

It means:  St. James tells Christians to pray for one another. All the baptized are members of the body of Christ (1Cor 12:12-14), therefore it is right to pray for other members of the body. James goes on to say that the prayers of the righteous have great power. What human (other than Jesus) is more righteous than the Blessed Mother. Though she is in heaven she still hears the prayers of her children on Earth and intercedes for them.

Bible Christians, what are you waiting for...