Am I worshipping a false god by praying to Mary?

My non-Catholic relative says I shouldn’t pray the rosary because I am worshipping a false god by praying to Mary. I know they are wrong, but how can I better explain our Catholic Marian devotion?

The Catholic Church knows very well Who she worships and who she does not. She worships One God, the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And she knows that the greatest expression of this worship is done by faithful participation in the Holy Eucharist. The first point to bring up to your relative is that Catholics know what correct worship is and are ready to help others come to understand right worship at Mass, following the instruction of Jesus Christ to “Do this in memory of Me.” Catholics do not worship any other god. Not in the Mass or in any of her prayers, including the holy rosary.

Next, a theological distinction can be helpful—the difference between latria and dulia. Latria is the praise that is due to God alone. This form of praise, finds its fullest expression in this world during Mass. In comparison, dulia is the praise God desires us to give to the saints. How amazing is it for us to think that God, Who alone deserves all our praise and Whom we can never sufficiently praise, still desires us to honor Him by praising the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints! Praise of the saints (dulia) does not diminish our praise due to God alone (latria). The praise of the saints can be seen throughout the Old Testament in the honor shown to Abraham and Moses and many others. It is encouraged powerfully in St. Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, “Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

A further simple, yet powerful, theological distinction needs to be made regarding dulia. Although God desires us to honor all the saints, He also wants us to have a special praise due to His Mother and ours, the Blessed Virgin Mary. This exceptional praise given to Mary alone is called hyperdulia. We know God desires this exceptional praise of Mary because He Himself praises her when He sends the Archangel St. Gabriel to greet her using the words, “Hail, full of grace!” Then, shortly after her cousin St. Elizabeth, filled with God the Holy Spirit, praises her by saying, “Blessed art thou among women…!” Even Mary herself, in her astounding humility, tells us “…All generations will call me Blessed.” The exceptional praise the Catholic Church gives to Mary, hyperdulia, is clearly inspired by God Himself.

When we praise the Blessed Virgin Mary, as God desires, He is glorified and, at the same time, the devil, who tricked our first mother, Eve, is humiliated and cast out by the new Eve, Mother Mary. Since God desires us to rightly praise Mary, we can be confident that it is the devil who discourages and mocks this true and holy devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Those who are critical of the faithful who pray the rosary need to take care that they aren’t doing the work of the devil, who hates the Virgin Mary and her rosary which bring many souls to the right praise of God.

The powerful Catholic tradition of praying the rosary before Mass is quite fitting. When the faithful meditate on the rosary, they are enabled to enter more profoundly into the right praise of God during Mass. God knows we cannot praise Him enough, so He has given us His own Mother to help us try! Ave Maria!