4. Do Catholics worship Mary and the saints?
You asked also if we worship Mary, the Mother of Jesus. No, we do
not worship Mary. We worship God alone. We do honor Mary and the
Saints, just as other people honor great leaders. We have statues
and pictures of the saints, but most towns have statues of
prominent citizens and most people have pictures of relatives and
friends in their homes. The Bible teaches us to honor our father
and mother. Surely, Jesus honors his Mother in heaven, and surely he
wants us to honor her too.
The Catholic Church points out that true devotion to Mary differs from
the unique worship paid to her Son, and should help people to know,
love, and serve Christ better. You'll find this explained in chapter Chapter 7
of We Believe by Rev. Oscar J. Lukefahr, C.M. (Ligouri Publications,
Ligouri, MO 63057, 1990, 1995, $7.95). It is also available from the
Catholic Home Study Service.
If you read the chapter, you'll find that there are many Bible passages that
teach us to honor the saints and pray with them.
We invite your questions on Mary. Send them to Father
at the Association.
The questions and responses 1-20 come from Catholic Home Study Service,
Rev. Oscar Lukefahr, C.M., Director. If you would like to enroll in a
free course of instruction in the Catholic faith, check out the
Catholic Home Study Service.
|
