Zero Sum Christianity
In the world of economics there is a theory called zero sum economics. This theory is mainly practiced in the Congress by liberals and it holds that there is an x amount of money available and if someone earns a dollar than someone out there is losing a dollar. This theory sounds correct only at a casual glance, yet when you compare it to economic realities you see that it is woefully short in explaining the truth of economic translations.
I sometimes run into comments or posts where a person asserts some kind of Zero Sum Christianity. That if you pray to Mary and/or the Saints that you are taking away from Jesus. Going strait to Jesus is often the term used and the verse from 1st Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," is normally used to defend this position. This theory also at casual glance appears to be correct, but if you look just a few verses before to 1st Timothy 2:1 "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men," you find that we are asked to pray for others. Does this contradict the unique mediatorship of Christ? No, since our own mediations can happen only because of Christ. As parts of the Mystical Body all of us including those who have died and are in Purgatory or enjoy the Beatific Vision pray with our final end in Christ. Of ourselves our prayers would avail nothing. Jesus also said "God said to him, `I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong." Even those who have died are living and part of the economy of grace.
I also find the idea that praying to Mary will detract from worship of God is something that does not match reality. Is someone really going to assert that the Marian devotion of St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Therese, etc kept them from being head over heals in love with Christ? If their devotion ended in distraction from Christ, then please heap on me this distraction. At first I also had difficulty with praying to Mary and the Saints. I would pray to Jesus or the Holy Spirit mainly. After I started to know Jesus more I finally decided that I needed to meet some of his "sons by adoption." Meeting his Mother and other relatives was a boon to my prayer life and not something that hindered it. Seeing Mary I saw what Christ originally intended us to be before Original Sin marred us. Seeing the saints I saw what was possible for all of us who suffer from Original Sin and the concupiscence of flesh. Their merits were totally from grace. If we admire what God has done with one of his creatures we do not take away from the fact that it was God's grace that did it. Admiring a beautiful painting does not insult it's creator. I still pray strait to Jesus and knowing what he had done for his family helps me to love him all the more.
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Marian devotion didn't take anything away from Luther's faith either. Too bad many don't know or don't remember his devotion to our Mother.
My journey out of Lutheranism and into the Church (a journey which will be fulfilled this Easter Vigil) began a few years ago when I started being uncomfortable with the fact that Lutherans ignore Mary, except to trot her out at Christmas with the proviso that she was as sinful as we are. I would think, what if we are dissing Christ's own Mother? I believe that was the leading of the Spirit, and that Mary prayed me into the Church.
Mary certainly prayed me back into the Church, too. Her gentle (but persistent) inner urging to "dig out your mother's rosary", then "well, don't just leave it there on the night stand", led to my realization that this beautiful prayer was deepening my contemplative prayer life, not cheapening it. Next step, try going to Mass again. (At the time I was attending a protestant church, after a return to my faith in the Lord).
The rest is history. She kept her hand on my soul and prayed me back home. I have no doubt about this. I read somewhere once a comment that protestant denominations have about them a sort of "bachelor" ambiance, whereas Catholicism has more of a "familial" ambiance. I feel vastly enriched by being able to enjoy the companionship and intercession of the part of my family--the communion of saints--that is already enjoying heavenly bliss. And I can't understand how we can think that Jesus would not want us to honor His mother. Lets see, who exactly did make up this "honor thy father and thy mother" biz anyhow?