MARY
Jesus said, "Honor thy mother and father" (Mat 15:5). On the cross, Jesus gave His mother to us all when he told St. John, "...behold thy mother" (John 19:27).
Mary has no power or authority of her own. She cannot save your soul, you can only be saved through Jesus Christ. Her place is to lead us to Jesus.
At the wedding of Cana, Jesus listened to His mother's plea on behalf of the bride and groom, and turned water into wine (John 2:3-7). In the same manner, we ask her to pray for us (mediate) or anyone else in need in the same manner we ask a friend to pray (mediate) for us. Think of our prayers to Mary as an addition to our prayers to God -- not a replacement for our prayers to God. Why do we ask Mary to mediate for us? Jesus is the one mediator between God and man. Mary is the mediator between us and Jesus (who is God).
People have asked me, how Mary can be the mother of Catholics. She's not only the mother of Catholics but of all God's children. In Rev 12:1-17 it clearly shows Mary as the mother of us all. Rev 12:1-2 tells of a woman with child, "...and there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered." No other woman is ever mentioned in the Bible as traveling with a child - the woman is Mary, the child is Jesus. Verse 5 again references Jesus. Throughout these verses, 1-17, there are references to Satan (as a dragon) making war with "the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ". You don't think the dragon is Satan? Read verse 9, it actually identifies the dragon (Satan).
An analogy can be found in the Old Testament. The Ark of the Covenant was holy because of what it contained inside. It signified the presence of God to the Israelites. Mary can be thought of as the Ark of the New Covenant - she carried God's only son. No, Mary isn't to be disregarded - as so many do.
Did Mary have other children? No, she didn't. The Bible mentions Jesus' "brothers and sisters", but in the old languages there was no term for "cousin" and the word "brethren" is used a lot. Mark 6:1-3 lists James, Joses, Simon and Judas as Jesus' "brothers". However, Mark 15:40 says, "the woman standing at the foot of the cross was Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joses and Salome". John 19:25 says, "...Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene". Mark 15:47 states, "...and Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid". Mark 15:49 states, "And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him".
Nowhere is there mention of Jesus' mother with other siblings, only of his "aunt" who just happened to also be a Mary, and her children.
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