A question that arrives in the inbox with surprising regularity is one that deals with the Blessed Virgin Mary and why we Catholics pray to her.

After all, isn’t Jesus the only Mediator between God and man? And isn’t it his death that won us redemption?

To both those questions, the Church answers with a resounding Yes.

So why pray to Mary? Why not cut out the middleman, so to speak?

One simple answer is that praying to Mary is very biblical.

For instance, the Israelites, on occasion, asked Moses to mediate for them before the Almighty. “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die” (Exodus 20:19).

Then there was the centurion in the New Testament. “When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave” (Luke 7:3).

And of course, there was Mary herself, whose intercession with Jesus at Cana spared the newlyweds the embarrassment of running out of wine for the wedding guests.

Why is it so hard for some to accept Mary as an intercessor? She is, after all, the Mother of Jesus. And how would the perfect Son ever deny his mom a favor?

This isn’t a matter of sentimental attachment. Mary’s heroic faith, from her Fiat at the annunciation to her standing by the cross on Calvary, opened the way to a divine plan that changed the world. No wonder she is such a powerful intercessor with Our Lord.

To cultivate a Marian devotion, it might be helpful to use our Retreat Guide on “Welcoming the Word”.

With Mary’s intercession, we too might have the confidence to open our hearts to do whatever Our Lord asks of us.

In Christ,

Father Edward McIlmail, LC

Ask a Priest contributor