Over on Twitter a protestant asks:
I keep seeing many say something like the following, “we are just asking them to pray for us, we are not praying directly to them.” Ok, I get that, but how does it accord with a prayer like this Fatima one? It seems to go far further than just asking for Mary to pray to God for us: “O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the tender Mother of men, In accordance with your ardent wish made known at Fatima, I consecrate to your Immaculate Heart myself, my brethren, my country, and the whole human race. Reign over us, Most Holy Mother of God, and teach us how to make the Heart of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, reign and triumph in us even as It has reigned and triumphed in you. “Reign over us, dearest Mother, that we may be yours in prosperity and in adversity; in joy and in sorrow; in health and in sickness; in life and in death. O most compassionate Heart of Mary, Queen of Virgins, watch over our minds and our hearts and preserve them from the deluge of impurity which you did lament so sorrowfully at Fatima. We want to atone for the many sins committed against Jesus and you. We want to call down upon our country and the whole world the peace of God in justice and charity. Therefore, we now promise to imitate your virtues by the practice of a Christian life without regard to human respect. We resolve to receive Holy Communion on the First Saturday of every month and to offer you five decades of the Rosary each day, together with our sacrifices in a spirit of reparation and penance.”
I responded:
You bring up an important point! When we look at prayers like the one you mentioned from Fatima, it’s understandable how someone might think Catholics are doing more than just “asking Mary to pray for us.” Let’s break it down to see how this fits within the Church’s teaching and whether it crosses any lines.
1. What Is the Nature of Prayer? In Catholic understanding, prayer is not always the same as worship. Worship (or latria) belongs to God alone. However, prayer in the broader sense can simply mean asking someone for something—like asking a friend to pray for you. When Catholics “pray” to Mary or the saints, they’re petitioning them, asking for their intercession, not worshiping them as divine beings.
2. Understanding Marian Devotion: The prayer you cited expresses deep devotion to Mary, but it’s essential to understand that this devotion is always oriented toward Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that everything Mary does is directed toward leading souls closer to Jesus. In John 2:5, at the wedding feast at Cana, Mary says, “Do whatever He tells you.” Her role is always to point us to her Son.
3. Consecration and Reign: The language of “consecration” and “reign” in this prayer can sound like it’s giving Mary authority equal to Christ. However, in Catholic tradition, consecration to Mary is really consecration to Jesus through Mary. St. Louis de Montfort, a major proponent of Marian consecration, explains that Mary’s “reign” is entirely subordinate to and dependent on Christ’s reign. When the prayer says, “Reign over us, Most Holy Mother of God,” it’s asking for her maternal guidance and protection so that Christ may reign more fully in our lives.
4. Imitation of Virtue: The prayer emphasizes imitating Mary’s virtues (humility, purity, obedience) as a way to grow closer to Christ. Far from replacing Christ, this devotion seeks to draw the faithful into deeper union with Him by following the example of His most perfect disciple—Mary. In Luke 1:46-49, Mary says, “My soul magnifies the Lord… For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.” Mary’s role is to magnify Christ, making Him more present in our lives.
5. Reparation and Penitence: The Fatima message emphasizes making reparation for sins, but this isn’t a new concept in Catholic spirituality. Catholics believe that through our participation in the Body of Christ (cf. Colossians 1:24), we can offer prayers, sacrifices, and penances to atone for the sins of others, just as Christ did. Offering these in union with Mary simply acknowledges her unique role in salvation history as the one who perfectly united her will to God’s.
6. Why This Matters: Marian devotion might seem like it “goes far,” but it’s meant to help us get closer to Jesus. When the prayer says things like “Reign over us,” it’s asking Mary to help us live under the reign of her Son. It’s a poetic way of expressing trust in her intercession and guidance, not a way of equating her with God.
7. Official Church Teaching: The Church is very clear: Only God is worshiped with latria. Mary is honored with hyperdulia, which is a high form of veneration because of her unique role, but it’s still infinitely lower than the worship due to God alone. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. The Church rightly honors ‘the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit’” (CCC 971).