Story and Michael Reeves joins us again from the UK, filling in this week for John Piper.

Michael praying to Mary is a striking phenomenon in the Roman Catholic Church, striking to

us as Protestants.

Even in the most recent Catechism, the Vatican continues to spell out the value and importance

of liturgies and feasts and prayers dedicated to Mary.

So how did this practice develop over time?

Why do Catholics pray to Mary?

Okay, there are really two parts to the story.

And the first part starts very well, that from the very earliest days, the Church and

theologians have taken Paul's vision in Romans 5 of the two men, Adam and Christ, who

determine the destiny of all people, to be a very strong dominant image in salvation.

There are two men, Adam and Christ, and we all depend on one of them for our salvation

in Adam.

We all fell in Christ.

Those who are united to him are saved.

Now that became such a strong feature in the theology of the early Church.

The people began to think, what's Eve's place in this?

So it wasn't just Adam who fell, it was Eve who fell as well.

They began to see a man and a woman are the origin of our damnation and to see a nice

tightness as there's a first Adam and a last Adam, according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.

So some theologians started to play with the idea that there was a first Eve and a last

Eve who'd be Mary.

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