Am I on trial here or something? I said I do not know of any Catholics who pray to Mary. They may ask her for help, but they do not pray to Mary as one prays to God.
Let's address this Mary thing. First of all, there is the Hail Mary:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Amen
(Hey, I'm impressed - I posted that from memory! I can do it in French too!)
Then there is the Hail, Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.
How about the Morning Consecration to Mary:
My Queen, My Mother, I offer myself entirely to thee
And to show my devotion to thee,
I offer thee this day my eyes,
My ears, my mouth, my heart,
My whole being without reserve.
Wherefore good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me as thy property and possession. Amen.
Finally there is the Salve Regina:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Hail my life, my sweetness and my hope
To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve
To you we send up our sighs
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears
Turn, most gracious Advocate, your eyes of mercy towards me
and after this, our exile
show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus Christ
Clement, loving, sweet Virgin Mary
Amen
So none of these are prayers but just asking for help?
Who is our helper according to Scripture?
Do the dead hear the prayers of the living?
Do the dead intercede for us with Jesus Christ?
Do the dead have the ability to hear prayers from everyone around the world - thus being omnipotent and omnipresent - characteristics only God holds?
