Pope, Mary or God?

   Certain church groups pray directly to Mary the mother of God, or to the Pope. Is it the right way? Or is it Biblically taught?

   Mathew 6:9-13 is a record of a prayer commonly known as The Lord’s Prayer. While it is common for people to recite this prayer as their prayer, many have failed to understand that as the name says, it is the Lord’s prayer. We have to say our own prayers, but ‘after this manner” (Vs 9). The Lord’s prayer is simply a prayer model to be followed by anyone who wishes to talk to God. E.g. first you adore the Lord, and then confess your sins, followed by thanking Him and eventually your supplication (the ACTS prayer). It is the HOW to pray part that the Lord desires to teach in this passage.

   Another important thing that really should be understood from this passage is WHO to pray to. According to the Bible (Matthew 6:9), you pray to ‘Our Father’. Now since there are some churches who give the title of ‘father’ to certain of their leaders (e.g. Catholic Church), lets see which father it is referring to here.

   ‘Our Father who art in Heaven.’ What plainer meaning can you get than this? It is the Father who is up in the Heaven that we must pray to, and that is God. It is not biblical to pray to any father on earth, let alone the Pope. "And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." Matthew 23:9.

   ‘Hallowed be thy Name.’ To hallow means to make holy, so we must pray to the Father whose name is holy. Only the Name of God must not be taken in vain (Ex. 20:7), and the name of Jesus is the only Name given under heaven that man will be saved (Acts 4:12). It is not biblical to say “Holy mother of God’ to Mary, or ‘Holy Father’ to pope, for these are earthly mortals just like you and me. Where is the scriptural authority that you should call Mary or the Pope holy?

   ‘Thy Kingdom come.’ Pray only to the Father who has a kingdom. And if He has a kingdom, He must be the King. Our God has his kingdom, and He is our King. What kingdom does Mary or the Pope has? Are these people kings? Not so according to my Bible. So pray to the God who has a kingdom, and is the King of that kingdom.

   ‘Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.’ This Father that we are praying to must have a will that earthly as well as heavenly creatures should follow. The will is in both heaven and earth. Does Mary or the Pope have a will that heavenly beings are following? The answer is absolutely NO! Why praying to them if they are in no position to make Heaven follow their will? If we claim that heaven is obliged to follow the decisions of Pope or Mary (the Papacy did make such claim!), where is the scriptural authority?

   ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Only God is able to supply our daily needs, and to Him only should our prayers be made. Why should I pray to Mary, who is already dead and has no power to supply my daily bread?

   ‘And forgive our debts.’ Only God can forgive our sins and to Him only should our prayers be made. Anyone claiming to forgive sins is guilty of the sin of blasphemy against God (Luke 5:20, 21). This claim was made by the Catholic Church: “Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find one created being who can forgive the sinner, who can free him from the chains of hell. That extraordinary being is the priest, the Roman Catholic Priest.”  The Catholic Priest, Pg 78. Such claim is blasphemous.

   ‘Deliver us from evil.’ Only God can save His people from their sins, and to Him only should our prayers be made.

    “Power and Glory forever.” Mary died, and is still dead, so are the popes. We are biblically correct when we pray to a Father that has power and Glory for ever – Someone who will never die. That is Jesus or God and none other.

   So the Creator God is the only person or Father that we are biblically encouraged to pray to, and who fits all the descriptions and titles in the Lord’s Prayer.