Question:  Greg,

            I’m a bit confused.  Why is it that most Christians pray to God while Catholics pray to the Virgin Mary?  What did I miss in the Bible on this topic?

            Fatima, Portugal, 1913.  What did the three children actually see?

            Why is it that Christians see visions of Christ and Catholics see visions of the Virgin Mary?  How would anyone know they are looking at something divine?

            Thank you,

            Pablo

Answer:  Dear Pablo,

            You missed nothing in the Bible about praying to the Virgin Mary.  Christians may pray to either God the Father, God the Son or God the Holy Spirit because these three divine Persons are one God.  However, Mary is not divine, and it is useless to pray to her.

            I am not an expert about what happened in Fatima, and cannot help you.  I do not believe in apparitions/appearances/etc. that are claimed by some, so this topic is not something I take any time in discounting—it is not a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ and therefore deserves no part of my worship of God.

            Visions gradually decreased in the Bible--from appearances of God, visions, theophanies, etc., occurring frequently in the Old Testament to occurring much more rarely in the New Testament.  Jesus came to reveal God; he was God in the flesh.  He is known to us and available to us as the risen Lord.  We do not need visions the way humans once did, as God in the flesh has come to us, becoming one of us to save us.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht