First, let me make an important clarification: Catholics are not required to involve Mary in their prayer lives. Doing so is totally voluntary. Many people pray to her and ask for her intercession; others never do. It’s a matter of choice.

That, of course, begs another question: why do many Catholics make her a part of their prayers? Ultimately, it comes down to our beliefs about Mary. Catholics have traditionally regarded her as a powerful intercessor (you can see a biblical example of this in the story of the Wedding at Cana), and as a woman who can draw us closer to her son. For centuries, Catholics have also honored her as a powerful example of living a God -centered life. In the apostolic exhortation Marialis Cultus, Pope Paul VI explained it thus: “Mary’s ‘yes’ is for all Christians a lesson and example of obedience to the will of the Father, which is the way and means of one’s own sanctification.”

By giving her life totally to the plans that God had for her, Mary shows us the power and beauty of discerning and following the ways of God. It can’t hurt to ask for her prayers as we try to do the same.