[savedbygrace]

The words recited in the "Hail Mary" are scriptural.

Great, then you're the one who can tell me what the scriptural source is for praying to saints who have died and are in heaven. Where is that?

I ask this because you have assured me that the Hail Mary is scriptural. The Hail Mary is a prayer to Mary, who has died and is in heaven, right?

[Leonine]

The Ave Maria has scriptural quotations (two of them) but is mostly non-scriptural. I am not making a value judgment, just stating the facts.

[Ohioan from Florida]

Catholics understand prayer to be a form of conversation. Since we cannot speak to Mary in her person, we "pray" or communicate with her our needs, our thoughts, just as you would have any conversation with a friend.

You are understanding Scripture in a different way than I do. I do not know where it is said specifically or if it even is mentioned specifically in the Scriptures about praying to the saints. I keep trying to explain that just because something isn't EXPLICITLY written in the Bible does not necessarily make it untrue. Sometimes you have to dig a little deeper. The best way for me to explain this is that when I was a kid, I used to understand the scripture on a simple level. As my faith and my relationship to God grew, I understood the same passages in deeper, more meaningful ways. The Holy Spirit educates us.

Finally, Catholics do not believe that Mary died. It's not in the Bible! We know that already, and we are okay with it, because the Bible isn't about Mary. The main focus of the Bible is Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. Wouldn't you agree?

[MiniCooperChick]

The Hail Mary is a prayer to Mary

Against my better judgement, I am weighing in on this one....

The Hail Mary is not a prayer TO Mary, it is a prayer FOR her intercession with God our Faither and her Son, Jesus. Because you are obviously unfamiliar with the Hail Mary, I will fill you in on the pertinent part...

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

If we really pray TO the Virgin Mary (or any of the Saints for that matter) we would ask HER to forgive our sins and we most certainly do not do so.

As others have pointed out, if you ask other people to pray for your intentions, then you are doing nothing different than Catholics do when we pray for the intercession of the Angels and Saints. Of course, if you don't believe in Heaven, then I guess you wouldn't get it, but then you wouldn't be a Christian then, would you.

Why don't you just agree to disagree with Catholics and leave it at that ? Thanks! GG