Veneration of Saints and Imitation of Holy Persons
Does St. Paul teach us to imitate him?
Philippians 4:8-9 (RSV): “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.”
Doesn’t this detract from worship of God, by competing with it?
1 Corinthians 11:1: “Be imitators [KJV, followers] of me, as I am of Christ.”
So St. Paul sees no contradiction between imitating Him and imitating Jesus?
1 Thessalonians 1:6-7: “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedo’nia and in Acha’ia.
Are we taught to venerate and imitate saints of the past?
Hebrews 6:12: “… so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”
Is there any example of honoring or venerating a person after his or her death?
2 Chronicles 32:33: “And Hezeki’ah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did him honor at his death. And Manas’seh his son reigned in his stead.”
Do we ever observe the permissible veneration of a living person?
1 Chronicles 29:20: “Then David said to all the assembly, ‘Bless the LORD your God.’ And all the assembly blessed the LORD, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads, and worshiped [shachah] the LORD, and did obeisance [shachah] to the king” [KJV: “worshipped the LORD, and the king”].
Daniel 2:46-48: “Then King Nebuchadnez’zar fell upon his face, and did homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts …”
Veneration of Angels and Men as God’s Representatives
Do we ever see God allowing men to venerate and even bow before a created angel?
Joshua 5:13-15: “When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood before him with his drawn sword in his hand; and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’ And he said, ‘No; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped [shachah], and said to him, ‘What does my lord bid his servant?’ And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, ‘Put off your shoes from your feet; for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.”
Is the “angel of the Lord” venerated?
Numbers 22:31: “Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face.”
Dave ArmstrongIt’s always good to verify doctrine by the Bible, since it is God’s inspired revelation to mankind. We see that Catholic teaching is always in harmony with the Bible. But when we follow non-biblical traditions of men, we go astray.
Dave Armstrong has been a published Catholic apologist since 1993. Dave has written or edited 48 books on apologetics, including several bestsellers. If you’d like to help keep his influential teaching apostolate going as a much-needed monthly supporter, write to Dave at [email protected].
