Devotions and Superstition

[PbloPicasso]

Devotions and Superstition
I often wonder about Catholic devotions and their root i pagan practices. Some take certain devotions to an extreme level that approaches superstition. I’ve seen it, heard it and get angry about it. It was the cause of many of my doubts about Catholicism growing up. Rosary, scapular, not just praying to the saints but embellishing them with praises that approached worship from my perspective.

So, I often wonder just how far is too far and how much of what we do today as Catholics/Christians actually appears as idolatry to outsiders. I recall praying the rosary worried that I’d insult God by praying to Mary, but I understood that it was asking, not worshiping. However, as a means to prevent others from falling into the wrong way of praying in these devotions it seemed more prudent to abandon them altogether. But isn’t that just the opposite? I wonder if anybody out there has similar feelings and why. I see nothing wrong in praying to saints for intercession. But I do have a problem with people adopting ideas like burying a statue in the front yard as a devotion to St. Joseph as a means to sell a house.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

Devotions and Superstition
I often wonder about Catholic devotions and their root i pagan practices. Some take certain devotions to an extreme level that approaches superstition. I’ve seen it, heard it and get angry about it. It was the cause of many of my doubts about Catholicism growing up. Rosary, scapular, not just praying to the saints but embellishing them with praises that approached worship from my perspective.

So, I often wonder just how far is too far and how much of what we do today as Catholics/Christians actually appears as idolatry to outsiders. I recall praying the rosary worried that I’d insult God by praying to Mary, but I understood that it was asking, not worshiping. However, as a means to prevent others from falling into the wrong way of praying in these devotions it seemed more prudent to abandon them altogether. But isn’t that just the opposite? I wonder if anybody out there has similar feelings and why. I see nothing wrong in praying to saints for intercession. But I do have a problem with people adopting ideas like burying a statue in the front yard as a devotion to St. Joseph as a means to sell a house.

That is great, the St. Joseph burial, never heard of it but it is utterly funny. I was saw a priest blessing ca car and the fellow was opning all the doors of the car, even the motor and bagage so that the blessing would go deep inside the interior of the car. I laughed to death.

Catholics are people. People do irrational things. Catholics do irrational religious things. Not everyone is the Pope. People has got their every devotions. and in the end the important thing is to praise dth Lord.

You know that the Cahtedral of Cologne is still been built in Germany and that is is in honor of the relics of the (how do you call the fellas who came from the Orientto worship Baby Jesus?). That’s it. Those guys’ relics, they said, were in Germany and they are still building the Cathedra.

Prasi the Lord !!!

 

[Crumpy]

I recoil from some of the things I see in Catholicism. I don’t care anymore what anybody outside of the Church thinks, except if it turns them off to the truth of Catholicism. But, I can’t control everything and don’t even try to.

I am very cool about even Marian devotion. the Church says its OK and even does it in its official prayers, which I take as the general limit for me.

mary never prayed to herself, probably never wore blue and white as she is depicted, never said the rosary, and probably didn’t look Italian (also as she is portrayed).

I don’t often take stock of my spirituality by comparing it to others spirituality. If they do such-and-such, maybe that’s OK for them. Maybe I’ll get to that point where they are, and maybe I won’t. I am 62, and I thought by now I might like Lawrence Welk programs, but I can’t say that I’ve grown into them, either. Follow me?

I think the St. Joseph statue burying is ridiculous. Sorry, don’t mean to offend, I just feel that way. I think a prayer to St. Joseph may be better than wasting money on the statue.

 

[ALotLessThumb]

I too once had this concern.

But it disappeared after some study and pray.

Our English language has been heavily reformed, so what worship means is more Calvin-inclined than Catholic. We worship the saints, but it is through an act of veneration and not adoration. Adoration is reserved to God alone.

If it looks like worship (which is etymological similar to cult) to outsiders, it is because the language and society they come rejected the apostolic reverence afforded to the saints at some point. There is little that can be done outside of dialogue and setting an example yourself. It is important not to conform to the world in this regard because the saints are there as assistance and an affirmation of role-models and are still live as faithful through the span of Catholic history. It is for our benefit, we as Catholics have not severed our ties with an active tradition being passed down.

When people carry it too far, it is often a sign of poor catechism and not an actual violation of worship. There is good even in the silliest things, like the burying of a statue, is still a sign of the Faith and that should be treated as charitably as possible or as an invitation to help strengthen the faith. When I was most lost in the world, it was the signs like the scapular that kept me from complete apostasy. It wasn’t until I approached the saints (in this case Saint Joseph with help from Saint Anthony and Saint Therese and a whole bunch of saints [yes I have to be dragged through things, I’m horrible] ) that I’ve restarted my journey to God. So be careful about judging the beliefs of others.

One of the problems with superstition is that is was a pejorative invented to cudgel the less-educated into conforming to what was the upper-class Protestant standards of the 18th and 19th centuries. How much poverty has the Church suffered because she stopped encouraging the silly folk-devotions that you used to read about but no longer see? Not everything has to be some sort of theologically trained preposition; not everyone is meant to handle that. So celebrate devotions and gently rebuke when necessary is my motto. Life is too short to do otherwise.

 

[Dorothy]

I recoil from some of the things I see in Catholicism. I don’t care anymore what anybody outside of the Church thinks, except if it turns them off to the truth of Catholicism. But, I can’t control everything and don’t even try to.

I am very cool about even Marian devotion. the Church says its OK and even does it in its official prayers, which I take as the general limit for me.

mary never prayed to herself, probably never wore blue and white as she is depicted, never said the rosary, and probably didn’t look Italian (also as she is portrayed).

I don’t often take stock of my spirituality by comparing it to others spirituality. If they do such-and-such, maybe that’s OK for them. Maybe I’ll get to that point where they are, and maybe I won’t. I am 62, and I thought by now I might like Lawrence Welk programs, but I can’t say that I’ve grown into them, either. Follow me?

I think the St. Joseph statue burying is ridiculous. Sorry, don’t mean to offend, I just feel that way. I think a prayer to St. Joseph may be better than wasting money on the statue.

I agree that we cannot let ourselves be upset by the practices of Catholics who have not yet matured in their faith in certain instances. But we can lovingly correct them, for instance, to things like sending chain letters and then telling people to send the letter (requesting prayers of a particular saint), to 9 other people so that their prayer will be answered.

A priest who was a retreat master touched upon the burying of St. Joseph statues upside down in order to sell a house. (there is also a prayer in that packet, and the prayer is really all that is required.) The priest pointed out the superstition in having to do something such as burying the little plastic statue upside down. He was sad about the fact that these things have found their way into Catholic gift shops, and then people automatically think it is okay with the Church. We do have to be vigilant about such things. I hope more priests instruct about this.

 

[PbloPicasso]

So far, everybody seems to understand the spirit of which I intended this topic.

I love the Blessed Mother, my guardian angel, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Benedict, St. Therese of Liseaux, St. Therese of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Faustina, St. Bosco, St. Joseph of Cupertino, and many more. I ask for prayers from them every night with my children. I always make sure to educate them as to what we are doing. Even my daughter asked the other night “we have a mother in heaven?” I said yes. And she immediately turned to heaven and waved “hi mommy in heaven”. I teach them about the New Eve in Mary and the New Adam in Christ. It’s beginning to sync.

Now, I even wear a scapular, carry a rosary, and sign the cross as I pass parish churches. Once i a while I’ll make the sign of the cross passing i front of Protestant churches with a prayer for the congregants - Church Unity.

Relics are interesting. What I didn’t understand until I read right out of the pages of scripture characters in the bible venerating angels and bones. That seemed to be overlooked in my scripture study, including preaching from my Protestant days. This is a fact and was not rooted in Roman paganism as many try to say. The Jews did this rightfully. Even the temple had statues in spite all the comments we hear about images. Anybody that worships an object is sinning. And interesting enough, if the Eucharist is truly the Lord’s Body and Blood as he said and the ancient fathers say, then worshiping the Eucharist must have felt really odd for Jews and eventually Protestants that Joined Jesus’ disciples in John 6.

I agree, I don’t worry about this, but I found it to be an interesting misunderstanding from many who do not really know the history of Judaism and Christianity. They only know of a sanitized version of the faith taught to them, which is further sanitized, eventually approaching what we see today in Protestant and Jewish circles.