- Then why do I see Catholics (some on here even) say “Pray to [saint]”. I’m confused…
Language changes over time. For example, Latin used to be the language of the Roman Empire. However, when the empire collapsed, people in different regions of Europe became isolated. Much like today, different regions developed their own slang and dialects. Eventually, over hundreds of years, these regional variations became SO different that they evolved into completely new languages. These languages based on Latin are called the “Romance” languages, not because they are romantic (although some are quite lovely), but because they originated from the language of “Rome” - ROMEantic languages! These include languages like Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, and Catalan.
As another example of this, English evolved from a completely different language group, the Germanic language group. Think about how hard it is to read Shakespeare today. We sometimes think that this was simply how the elite spoke back then; it was just difficult and for the educated. However, Shakespeare wrote for COMMON people. This is how EVERYONE spoke. That’s how much our language has changed in just 500 years. And if you go back another 500 years, to around 1000 AD, English is so different that it becomes just about impossible to read our own language! As an example, here’s the first few lines of Beowulf in “Old” English:
HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,
oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!
Ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone God sende
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat,
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
lange hwile; him þæs Liffrea,
wuldres Wealdend woroldare forgeaf,
Beowulf wæs breme — blæd wide sprang—
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.
So, did you get any of that? (Maybe a few words, like under, him, and God…) That’s our OWN LANGUAGE 1000 years ago!
Now, why did I go into all of this,
pray tell…?
Have you heard that expression before - “pray tell”?
This was a common expression in Shakespeare’s time, about 500 years ago. You see, the meaning of the word “pray” used to be much more general. The word “pray” actually simply means “to ask”. When I say, “pray tell”, I’m obviously not praying to you, I’m just ASKING you something. Even today, you may still hear a lawyer “pray” that a jury find the right conclusion in a court case. But today, the usage has evolved and changed in many parts of the world. Many people, especially Protestants, reserve the word as something ONLY directed toward God, when in fact, they simply misunderstand other, older usages of the term. So, when a Catholic “prays to a saint”, they are “asking” for their intercession. They are “asking” them to join them in communicating their intentions to God, in the Shakespearean definition of the term.
- Doesn’t that show that our faith and spirit are weak?
Was the spirit of God weak when he commanded that statues of angels be placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant? The use of images IS allowed in the Bible.
Further, we are not bowing to the statues. Catholics do genuflect in front of the tabernacle, since this is where the Precious Body and Blood of God is kept (Communion, which we actually, TRULY believe is God in the flesh). They also bow to the altar, just as the Jews did, since it is the place of sacrifice. In other parts of the church, we kneel to pray.
