worship, what is it, what it is not?

[Texan_in_DC]

I pulled this information from Webster the dictionary.

Protestants claim that we commit idolatry because they claim we worship Mary and other statues. But we do not give definition 2 to a statue, likewise protestants use definition 2 when they adress a judge in a court hearing, or go to DC and take pictures of a Monument.

Worship from Websters Dictionary

1 chiefly British : a person of importance – used as a title for various officials (as magistrates and some mayors)
2 : reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence
3 : a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual
4 : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem

ancestor worship

: the custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living

hero worship

1 : veneration of a hero
2 : foolish or excessive adulation for an individual

I am hoping for some open dialog between us Catholics and all of our Protestant friends as well as other religions outside of Christianity.

 

[Faith101]

Texan in DC:

I pulled this information from Webster the dictionary.

Protestants claim that we commit idolatry because they claim we worship Mary and other statues. But we do not give definition 2 to a statue, likewise protestants use definition 2 when they adress a judge in a court hearing, or go to DC and take pictures of a Monument.

Worship from Websters Dictionary

1 chiefly British : a person of importance – used as a title for various officials (as magistrates and some mayors)
2 : reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence
3 : a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual
4 : extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem

ancestor worship

: the custom of venerating deceased ancestors who are considered still a part of the family and whose spirits are believed to have the power to intervene in the affairs of the living

hero worship

1 : veneration of a hero
2 : foolish or excessive adulation for an individual

I am hoping for some open dialog between us Catholics and all of our Protestant friends as well as other religions outside of Christianity.

I think the biggest type of worship is prayer or supplication. When you ask something of someone, especially when u know that only this particular being is capable of giving you what you ask for.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

As Catholics our worship is focused on God and demonstratively, on Jesus in the Eucharist. The Mass is our worship.

I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say we worship when we adore Jesus exposed in a monstrance or hidden in a tabernacle, but I believe so.

For Catholics songs or prayers are not worship so it is not considered worship of Mary when we pray or sing about her.

 

[Della]

Proper worship is to offer sacrifice. In the OT there were several types of sacrifices in the Temple worship. For Catholics the proper sacrifice, and therefore the proper worship, is the sacrifice of the Mass.

When a Catholic kneels before a statue to ask the intercession and help of Mary or a saint, he is not worshiping since he is not offering the sacrifice of the altar but is merely praying. For a Catholic prayer and worship are not synonymous words but have quite different meanings.

So, to our Protestant brethren (of the kind who believe that all prayer is worship), it appears that we Catholics are worshiping when we are doing nothing like that at all, but merely venerating/honoring Mary or a saint and/or asking for their intercession, guidance and help based in the Church’s teaching regarding The Communion of Saints.

 

[cheddarsox]

Worship sure is tricky to define, there are so many varieties and levels of it. And, as if oft pointed out, it is impossible to know what is in the heart and mind of another at any given point.

To acknowledge something/someone as divine, to me, would be considered worship. To name, label or treat something as divine is a type of worship.

But is worship in the heart, or the form? I mean, if someone goes through the motion with an empty heart, has worship been performed? Or if one acknowledges divinity silently, within the heart but performs no outward act or sacrafice…is that worship?

Personally I believe that all true worship must involve a worshipful heart, one that acknowledges that which is worshipped to be awe inspiring, mighty, worthy of praise and honor, and to be imitated.

I perform worship both internally and outwardly.

I do not think love alone is worship, or that worship must necessarily involve love. I think one can worship something while feeling no special sense of love, but perhaps out of fear or mere recognition of greatness.

I am part of a non Christian faith.

cheddar

 

[Malachi4U]

Catholics use many words one way and the Protestants another. Words also change in common meaning over time. Protestants often use this to confuse Catholics ignorent of their Faith.:tsktsk:

Before talking to other groups, learn what words are keywords and make sure you use them the same way. Catholics DO NOT worship Mary like Protestants worship God. Protestant DO NOT worship God like Catholics worship Mary.

By the common use of the word worship today in our Protestant nation Catholics are replacing the word worship with venerate which solves the confusion. ALL Christians venerate Mary and adore God and adore God alone.

Change the word to fit the common meaning both groups use. No more issue. No more tricking Catholics out of the Catholic Church.