Before I
begin, let me say that I really like a lot of the videos produced by Saints
Unscripted (PKA “3 Mormons”). However, a recent video they produced is
representative of the problem of theological ecumenism that is becoming more
common in LDS circles, an attitude of “well, it does not really matter what you
believe as long as you live a good life” mentality. This, of course, is simply false. Don’t take my word for it—read what Jesus Himself said to Joseph Smith
in the First Vision and how offended Christ was at the false teachings of the
churches of the day or Paul condemning the Judaizers in Galatians.
The first half was okay, but the second half was, frankly, abysmal. Let me focus on one thing: the positive view of the Rome ("high five the pope" being a line in the song). I will challenge those who produced the video if they can, in good conscience, (1) defend the propriety of the following Catholic prayers to/through Mary and (2) ask them to say one of these prayers next time they are asked to say an opening or closing prayer in a church setting:
Morning
Offering
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through the
hands of
Mary Immaculate Queen
bless me and give me the grace to spend this day in a
manner pleasing to You.
Close to You, Mary Immaculate Queen, I want to live. With You
I desire to offer myself to Jesus. Through You I wish to receive
His blessing in order that my whole day,
from morning to night, may be occupied solely in the carrying
out of His Most Holy Will.
Mary Immaculate Queen, take my hand in Yours
so that I may keep in step with You
as we walk along the pathway of the Will of God. Amen.
Mary Immaculate Queen
bless me and give me the grace to spend this day in a
manner pleasing to You.
Close to You, Mary Immaculate Queen, I want to live. With You
I desire to offer myself to Jesus. Through You I wish to receive
His blessing in order that my whole day,
from morning to night, may be occupied solely in the carrying
out of His Most Holy Will.
Mary Immaculate Queen, take my hand in Yours
so that I may keep in step with You
as we walk along the pathway of the Will of God. Amen.
Morning
Offering
O, Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of
Mary I offer Thee my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day in union
with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all
the intentions of thy Sacred Heart, the salvation of souls, reparation for sin,
the reunion of all Christians.
Indulgence
Prayers
Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Pray
for us.
O Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Most Blessed
Sacrament who art the glory of Christians, the joy of the Universal Church and
the hope of the world, pray for us. Stir up in all the Faithful, devotion to the
Most Holy Eucharist, that they may render themselves worthy to communicate every
day.
Let us with Mary Immaculate adore, thank, beg
and console the Most Sacred and Beloved Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
Prayer to
Our Lady of Guadalupe
O Virgin of Guadalupe You appeared long ago
in the Americas to show Your love and compassion. Your help and protection. You
directed the Indian Juan Diego to gather flowers where they never grew—from stony
ground, a place of cactus, thorn and thistle. He took them in his mantle to the
Bishop who beheld Your image upon the cloth.
O Mary, My mother incline Your ear to what I ask. See the grace from Your Son to touch the hearts of those who seek abortion and bring forth from this stony ground a love and respect for all the innocent children; little roses full of the fragrance of Heaven bearing in their souls the very image of God. To obtain this I offer You my prayers and my sacrifices. Gather them in Your mantle and present them to Your Son from whom all life comes. Please protect Ireland from the scourge of abortion. Amen.
Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of the unborn, pray for us.
Our Lady Queen of Ireland, pray for us.
O Mary, My mother incline Your ear to what I ask. See the grace from Your Son to touch the hearts of those who seek abortion and bring forth from this stony ground a love and respect for all the innocent children; little roses full of the fragrance of Heaven bearing in their souls the very image of God. To obtain this I offer You my prayers and my sacrifices. Gather them in Your mantle and present them to Your Son from whom all life comes. Please protect Ireland from the scourge of abortion. Amen.
Virgin of Guadalupe, Patroness of the unborn, pray for us.
Our Lady Queen of Ireland, pray for us.
St. Joseph protector of the infant Jesus from
murder at the hands of Herod, pray for us.
The
following prayers, examples of which could be multiplied, are taken from the
book by Pray Pray Pray compiled by
Catholic priest Dr. Gerard McGinnity (2d ed.; Achill, Ireland: Our Lady Queen
of Peace House of Prayer, 2000).
Of course, I
know that those at Saints Unscripted would never pray such prayers: the
Mariology and other theologies informing these prayers (e.g., Mass as a
propitiatory sacrifice and Transubstantiation) are, in LDS theology, false,
which really puts the lie to their video: being a nice person is not all there is—one must possess, and hold
firmly onto, doctrinal truth, not
(often, blasphemous) errors.
On the topic of Mary, see my book on the topic, Behold, the Mother of My Lord: Towards a Mormon Mariology (2017).