Our Catholic devotion to Mary is one of our greatest strengths, but also a source of confusion for non-Catholics.  You might hear them say, "Catholics worship Mary," or "Catholics believe that Mary created God!"

Let's clear things up.  Mary is our guide, our mother, and our friend.  She prays for us continually before God, and that is her gift to us.  We often ask others to pray for us when we have a need or are struggling, especially if they are holy.  As Catholics we believe that the saints and angels pray for us, and are a part of our lives.  Mary is the queen of the saints, and so her prayers for us are extremely powerful.  In the first reading from John, we see that not even Jesus could deny her request for changing water into wine (even though it seems He did not want to).  Mary doesn't have magical powers.  She takes our prayers to her Son, and asks on our behalf.

Mary has also played a key role in our salvation.  You will notice that in John, Jesus calls Mary "Woman."  It may seem odd for a son to call his mother that, but John is trying to make a point.  In the Garden of Eden, it was Eve who first took the apple, and then gave it to Adam, who also ate of it. That was how sin entered into the world.  Eve said “no” to God, and Adam followed.  The name "Eve" is translated into the word woman.  Mary is the new Eve, and by saying “yes” to God, she brings Christ into the world.  Jesus is the new Adam who submits to the Father's will and dies on a cross for us, gaining our salvation and freedom from sin and death.  So Eve’s “no” led to Adam’s “no” and sin and death entered the world; Mary’s “yes” led to Jesus’ “yes” and now we live in grace and truth!  Alleluia!

Upon the cross, Jesus gives his mother to the "beloved disciple."  The Church has always seen that as a symbol of how Christ has given Mary to us as a role model for our faith.  In Revelation we see Mary (again, the "woman") crowned as queen with 12 stars upon her head.  God has glorified her and as a Church we celebrate her glory.  But we do not adore her in the same way that we adore God, that is something the Church commands us never to do.

“Why not just pray to Jesus?"  Well, when we ask Mary to pray for us, that is what we are doing. We do not pray to Mary, but with Mary.  Our love for Mary does not remove our focus from Christ, but rather it strengthens it.  Mary points us to Jesus.  She is a sure guide for us in our spiritual growth.  Mary knows the way to Christ better than we do.

Ask her to pray for you by saying the Hail Mary prayer, and learn to pray the Rosary. If you have never prayed with her before, ask for her help and allow her to be your mother,