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Immaculate Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners. I beg of you by the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and by the graces God has granted to you since your Immaculate Conception, the grace of never going astray again, Mother, keep me. A sinner constantly bathed in the light of your Immaculate Heart.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, in union with your brothers and sisters throughout the world, I freely consecrate myself to your heart, immaculate and pure. Please accept this personal consecration as an act of reparation and for conversion of sinners.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, I love you! And wait patiently for the day your immaculate heart will triumph.

Humbly lay my soul in the light of your purity! Immaculate Heart of Mary, be my refuge, and the way to The eternal light of Jesus, our God. Amen.

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Dear delchiante, I think there are usually two areas that need more reflection -- one Biblical, and the other cultural --- in order for us to make sense of the queenly role which we see in Mary, the mother of our King.

First, the Biblical: one must carefully consider the unique position of the queen-mother in the Kingdom of Judah, which provides the foreshadowing, type and model for Mary in all those various queenly titles.

The major queenly figure in a Jewish royal court was not the king's wife (because he may have had many) but his mother (because he only had one.) To see this illustrated, you might want to look at how Solomon related to his mother, Bathsheba:

1 Kings 2:19
"When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand."

We should be well aware that when a king actually bows to another, and graciously grants that person to be enthroned at his right hand, this indicates a place of unique honor and of powerful advocacy.

If you were to get a concordance and write down all he queenly references in the OT --- especially in the Psalms --- you would find the source all the titles and honors applied to Mary, since she is the fulfillment of all the royal-queenly imagery in the OT, just as Jesus her Son is the fulfillment of the royal-Kingly imagery.

Do not make the mistake of thinking this puts Mary on an equal footing with her Son. She is human, a creature, a handmaid; He is the Lord God Almighty. But as it is His pleasure to exalt the humble, all the glory redounds to Him, since as Mary said, "He has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid," and "He who is mighty has done great things for me."

The second consideration, the cultural: We, 21st Century Americans, have almost no exposure to, or natural affinity for, the kind of court-language which was natural to the Jews of Biblical times, as well as to our own European ancestors. Courtly language is foreign to us; it strikes us as strange because it is no longer part of our world.

However our ancestors, in their great artist and poetic expressions of the Kingship of Jesus, liked to portray His royal court with all kinds of devotional attention. This is perfectly valid because Jesus applied all the attributes of Judaean kingship to Himself, in accordance with all the expectations fond in OT precedent and prophecy.

It seems strange at first: but we should be careful to appreciate a culture diferent from our own, one with a far more elaborate and in-depth understanding of kingship and the relationships of royal persons.

It is late where I am but I understand your style of questioning. I once left the Catholic Church and came back. I talked to my mother at the time when she was alive almost the same things you bring up. I do not have the time right now to go into all of it. But I do appreciate your honest words.

One of the basics you have to remember is the Word "Pray" confuses people about Catholics. The word first meant and always means a "beseeching."

Popular culture( meaning as time progressed through the centuries) has brought to it to think of only to use in a sense towards God only. When you realize this is not true that is where the "scales" will fall.

It is first and foremost a "beseeching" to an individual man or Deity. The Dictionary will define two basic meanings.

pray 1. to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).

2. to offer (a prayer).

3. to bring, put, etc., by praying: to pray a soul into heaven. 4.

to make earnest petition to (a person).

5. to make petition or entreaty for; crave: She prayed his forgiveness.

World English Dictionary

pray (preɪ)

— vb (when intr, often foll by for; when tr, usually takes a clause as object )

1. to utter prayers (to God or other object of worship): we prayed to God for the sick child

2. ( when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive ) to make an earnest entreaty (to or for); beg or implore: she prayed to be allowed to go ; leave, I pray you

3. rare ( tr ) to accomplish or bring by praying: to pray a soul into the kingdom

— interj 4. archaic I beg you; please: pray, leave us alone

[C13: from Old French preier, from Latin precārī to implore, from prex an entreaty; related to Old English fricgan, Old High German frāgēn to ask, Old Norse fregna to enquire]

When we pray to Mary we are beseeching her for pray to God for us just like if we ask a relative or neighbor. Then when we believe we had answer we will declare to the person. Thank you for "saving me."

It does not mean they did it except by his or her intercession. Meaning as person/soul praying by asking God we got an answer.