Understanding the Intercession of Mary: A Catholic Perspective

Why do Catholics pray to Mary? Well, first I’ll clarify that we don’t worship her, we pray to her. And the word pray just means to ask. So why do we ask for her intercession? Well, I think Saint Louis de Montfort puts it best when he says that she takes our humble offering, she cleans it up, augments it, magnifies it, places it on a gold platter, and then presents it to our Lord. When I think of Mary’s intercession, I think of the four words, they have no wine. In the book compendium of Mary and devotion by Father Ed Broome, he speaks of these four words, and he just explains him so beautifully. He shares that the words they have no wine shows that Mary’s eyes and Immaculate Heart are always open and attentive to our problems and our needs. She’s looking out for us. When she sees that they are out of wine, she turns to Jesus and she says, they have no wine. He responds, it is not yet my time. Notice that she doesn’t say anything more. But he receives her request, and he answers. In fact, in The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, the second luminous mystery is the wedding feast at Cana. And the fruit of the mystery is to Jesus through Mary. Mary is the mother of Jesus, but she’s our mother, too. Jesus gives her to us. When you consider the crucifixion. Now, talking about the crucifixion is. Gosh, so Difficult. But when I consider the end of the passion of our Lord, and, you know, he’s just lacerated from head to foot, torn and reddened by the spilling of his adorable blood, I mean, the crucifixion is said to be, you guys, the worst way to die. He is in such agony. And so his seven last words from the cross are so important. Now, you consider that one of the things that he said was when he turned to John and he said, behold your mother. Think about that. In this act of love, he is giving to all mankind. Mary as our mother. Saint John Paul 2 calls this the new motherhood of Mary. She is now the mother of Jesus, the mother of the church, and the mother to each and every one of us. Now, everyone knows that a mother’s love is incomparable. But Saint Francis de sales says that if you took the love of all mothers for their children, it could never add up to the love that Mary has for just one soul. That’s just so beautiful. She’s such a loving and caring mother. So turn to our lady, you guys. She is our queen, and she is our mother, and she is the quickest and surest way to Jesus. To Jesus through Mary.