Praying to Mary

Mary is the most admired and respected of all the saints.  From the time of her birth and throughout her life, she did what God asked her to do.  She could have said no, but she didn't.  Even when it was heart-breaking, she didn't stop obeying God.

Many people pray to St. Mary, in a form of prayer called intercession.  It's a prayer you pray to saints to ask them to help you tell God what you want to say.  During the badarak, we often ask saints to intercede for us. 

"Receive, O Lord, our supplications by the intercession of the Holy Mother of God, the immaculate birth-giver of thine only-begotten Son, and by the supplication of all thy saints.  Hear us, O Lord, and have mercy; forgive, expiate, and remit us our sings; make us worthy to thank and to glorify thee with the Son and with the Holy Spirit, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."

We ask Mary to speak to God for us.  We can ask her to speak to God with us.  We can think of St. Mary as our friend or as another mother to us. 

You can make up your own intercessory prayer to Asdvadzadzin (Holy Birth Giver).  You might say something like this:

Mary, Mother of God, help me tell your Son Jesus about the wrongs I have done today and ask him to forgive me and help me to be better.

St. Mary, you obeyed God all your life.  Help me obey God too.  Ask God to make me smart enough to know right from wrong.

I need your help, Asdvadzamayr (Mother of God), to give me the courage to tell God about the things I need.  I want so much, but I know having everything is not good for me.  Help me know which things I should ask for.  Be like my mother and help me make the correct choices.