We actually do "worship Mary" -- but not with the sort of worship that is due to God alone (latria) which has become the modern Protestant sense of the word (this is why many Catholics, using this modern definition, insist we don't "worship Mary"; we most definitely don't believe she is God! We do not "worship Mary" in any sense that Protestants accuse us of, we don't "worship Mary" in the modern, Protestant sense of the word!). "To worship" does not necessarily mean treating someone or something as God. The British call their magistrates and mayors "Your Worship," and I don't think any of them mistakenly consider Mayor So-and-So to be the Father Almighty. The point for Protestants reading this is this: if you come across a traditional Catholic text referring to "Mary worship" in a good light, don't freak out.
Yes, we actually pray TO Saints. Some conservative Catholics are afraid to say this, mistakenly thinking that "to pray" means "to worship as God or a god" (or are afraid that Protestants think that). All they need is a dictionary to find that "to pray" means "to ask."
Now, pray tell, was that so hard to figure out?
2007-09-26
11:39:19
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21 answers
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asked by
cashelmara
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Religion & Spirituality