Worship

 The word "worship," is bizarre.  I'm sensitive to it because as a Catholic, I have often been accused of worshiping statues. We Catholics are taken aback by this accusation.  Of course not, we worship God and how we think of the saints and Mary is not on the same level.  Catholics honor and reverence Mary and the saints, but we don't worship them.  Worship is for God alone.

It is not so simple.  Once while teaching RCIA, I was teaching worshipping God and honoring the divinities, when Francisco walked into the room.  Francisco teaches the same class in Spanish.  I asked him, "Francisco, do Catholics worship Mary?"  His answer, "Oh, Si!"  

My jaw hit the floor.

When Francisco saw the look on my face, he immediately backpedaled.   He explained that the worship is different.  God is a higher level of worship.

A discussion ensured on the word "worship."  Francisco said that "worship" in Spanish is a catch-all word for honor, reverence, and worship.  There is no differentiation.

So, that is why so many people say that Catholics worship Mary.  

Yesterday, that event was brought to mind in a TV show I was flipping channels through.  I can't tell you the name of the show because I really didn't watch it.  It was too gruesome.  But it was one of the mystery/crime shows.  A man was murdered and he was on the autopsy table. The medical examiners found that the victim had no visible signs of trauma.  He died from asphyxiation.  The deceased mouth was open and jammed full of ash.  The doctors in extracting the ashes found a gold tooth and bone fragments. Hence, they concluded that cremains were poured down the deceased throat.  That's when I turned the channel.

But while the coroners were doing their examining, they were talking.  One of them asked, "Why would anyone want to be cremated?"  The other doctor said, "That's what I want to do.  It's the fastest and cheapest."  The other doctor said, "Not me.  I think my family needs the ceremony to help them in the bereavement process.  And a headstone to visit, to worship me."

To worship him??????

So even some TV scriptwriters don't differentiate between "worship and honor the memory of someone."

No wonder some people think Catholics worship statues.