From Saint Paul we were told, “For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
There are some of other faith traditions who improperly apply this verse against Catholicism. They claim that we place Mary and the saints over the power of Christ. They claim that priests, bishops, and even the pope take the place of Christ. They act as if we are able to go to Christ with our needs. They rightly claim that Christ is the one mediator between God and men (that is what scripture says after all), but improperly understand this verse in light of the Church.
From the 2nd Vatican Council document Lumen Gentium, “The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church, the community of faith, hope, and charity, as a visible organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men.”
And from the Council of Trent well before that, “If anyone asserts that this sin of Adam, which in its origin is one, and by propagation, not by imitation, transfused into all, which is in each one as something that is his own, is taken away either by the forces of human nature or by a remedy other than the merit of the one mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ . . . let him be anathema.”
As Catholics we understand the importance of the intercession of the saints. They are able to pray for us as we are able to pray for one another. They unlike us, have already been found worthy of Heaven and have thus been incorporated into the beatific vision. In no way do they take the place of Christ for even Saint Paul understood that “supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone”.
The title Mary Mediatrix of All Graces does not go against what was spoken of by Saint Paul concerning Christ. Mary’s role is not independent, but instead receives its power and authority from Christ. It was she who brought God into this world through her womb and thus she is able to connect humanity to God through her Son. She is solely a conduit through which God’s grace flows to us.
Priests have a unique role assigned to them. They pray for the faithful, they offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and they minister at the sacraments. Despite this unique role they are not mediators between man and God, that is Christ alone. At the heart of the Mass is Christ who lays down His life for us out of love upon the cross.
As Catholics we should pray directly to Jesus for He is the one mediator. At the same time let us continue to pray for one another and to ask the intercession of the angels and saints that we may come to live good and holy lives. And so let us ask the “blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.”
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