Q. Devotion to Mary and prayer of Divine Mercy Chaplet get any foundation for Bible?
A. To talk am exactly as e be, Bible no talk clearly say, “Pray Rosary and other devotions to Mary.” E no also talk clearly say, “Pray Divine Mercy Chaplet.” But, of course, that answer na wetin person fit easily see. Wetin go really answer your question na the foundation wey those practices get for Bible. So make we look into am.
Plenty ways dey wey Bible show devotion to Mary. Na some of those ways be these.
First, the Rosary, wey be the devotion to our Mama wey God don bless wey people dey practise pass, get Holy Scripture as im main foundation. For each bead of the rosary, we dey pray with the words wey Angel Gabriel tell Mary, and the words wey St. Elizabeth tell Mary too. “I greet you, you wey full of grace, the Lord dey with you.” And, “You be blessed among women, and the fruit of your womb be blessed” (Luke 1:26-46). Apart from that, we dey pray the “Our Father” prayer, wey come directly from Jesus, and the “Glory Be” prayer, wey Holy Scripture dey repeat im message plenty times. So, yes, for that sense, the Rosary get foundation for Bible. Na passages from Holy Scripture we mainly dey repeat. Also, as we dey pray the Rosary, we suppose meditate on one out of twenty different stories from Holy Scripture for each of the twenty decades. So the prayers come from Holy Scripture, and the things wey we dey meditate on come from Holy Scripture too.
Second, devotion to Mary in general get im foundation from the fact say Jesus follow the Fourth Commandment perfectly for Im life. That Commandment talk say, “Honour your papa and mama.” Jesus honour Im mama perfectly, and we suppose imitate Jesus for everything wey E dey do. So, we suppose honour Im mama too.
Third, for the Cross, Jesus tell Apostle John say, “See your mama.” And as Jesus give Mary to John, the Church don always understand am to mean say E give Mary to all of us. All of us suppose recognise Mary as our mama.
Fourth, Jesus give Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and talk say anything wey Peter bind for earth, dem don bind am for Heaven (Matthew 16:19). E give Peter the gift to lead the Church enter all truth without error. We believe say this gift to teach without error no stop with Peter, but dem pass am on through the ages to all the people wey succeed am, the popes. Through ages wey nobody fit count, the popes don teach with final authority about the value of honouring our Mama wey God don bless. So, even though this last point no be direct call from Bible to honour our Mama wey God don bless, na indirect command from Bible through the teaching of the Church wey Christ establish for Holy Scripture.
E go take one whole book to explain all the ways wey the Old and New Testaments talk about Mary. I hope say the thoughts wey dey above go help.
As for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, na the same basic principles apply. Even though Holy Scripture no mention this Chaplet, im message and the things wey we dey meditate on get deep foundation for Holy Scripture for every way. “Because of Im Passion wey full of sorrow, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” Na this be the heart of the Chaplet and the heart of the Gospel message. For true, no prayer fit get foundation for Holy Scripture pass this one. Holy Scripture dey reveal God mercy, the salvation wey E dey give us as gift, and how we need am. Holy Scripture dey point to Jesus sacrifice wey save us as the source of salvation, and this Chaplet dey acknowledge that truth and call on that grace.
Na this be the last point. Make sure say you use the Bible according to the way dem write am. Dem no write am as strict and complete road map wey give direct answer to every question. Yes, e dey answer every question and give us the message of salvation wey we need. Na the fullness of wetin God don reveal. But Jesus never tell us say, “See My Bible. Follow am, and na only am make you follow. No do anything wey these pages no talk about clearly.” No, wetin Jesus do na to start Im Church on the foundation of the Apostles. And na from that Church we receive the Bible too. But we must always read the Bible in union with the Church and im teachings through the ages.
To learn more about the Church and devotion to our Mama wey God don bless, you fit like to read wetin follow from the My Catholic Faith! book:
Chapter 3 – The One Wey Be God and Man, and His Mama