Why do we venerate saints and the Mother of God, is Christ not enough?
In short: We do not worship saints instead of Christ, nor do we make them little gods. We ask them to pray for us, exactly as you would ask a faithful friend, pray for me. The only Savior remains Christ; saints are not a parallel path, they are friends of His who hold our hands on the way to Him.
The Orthodox nuance
The objection often comes from Protestants and Muslims, and it is honest, because it seeks to defend the uniqueness of God. Except that here there is a confusion of words: worship with adoration belongs only to God; to venerate someone and ask for their prayers is something completely different. If you ask a living brother pray for me, why wouldn't you ask a saint, who is even more alive, because to God all are alive (Luke 20:38)? The fervent prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much (James 5:16). By venerating them, we actually glorify God who made them so beautiful: the light of the moon steals nothing from the sun, it merely reflects it.
And the Mother of God has a special place, not because she is a god, but because she carried in her womb God made man. As early as the Gospel, she says prophetically, behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed (Luke 1:48). When we venerate her, we do not put her above Christ, but we confess who Christ is, true God, truly born of a woman. Honoring her is, ultimately, still about Him.
Sources
- Luke 20:38 (the God of the living)
- James 5:16 (the prayer of a righteous person)
- Luke 1:48 (all generations will call me blessed)
- Revelation 5:8 (the prayers of the saints before God)