Saints LightDo Catholics Worship Mary?
Catholics adore God alone and honor Mary as the greatest of creatures, because God himself honored her first.
What this lesson teaches
- Latria is adoration, owed to God alone; the Mass is offered only to God.
- Dulia is the honor given to saints and angels; hyperdulia is the highest honor, given to Mary.
- Mary is a creature, and the difference between her honor and God's adoration is infinite.
- Honoring Mary is a way of honoring Christ, and Scripture itself calls her blessed.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 487
- CCC 971
- CCC 2096-2097
- CCC 2131-2132
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Luke 1:48; Matthew 4:10.
A sample question from this lesson
What is latria?
- The honor given to all saints
- The special honor given to Mary
- Adoration, which is owed to God alone
- A prayer said before a statue
Show the answer
Adoration, which is owed to God alone. The lesson defines latria as adoration, the total gift of self due only to God (CCC 2096-2097).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Latria
- Adoration: the worship owed to God alone.
- Dulia
- Veneration: the honor given to saints and angels.
- Hyperdulia
- The special, highest veneration given to Mary, still entirely different from adoration.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"Do Catholics Worship Mary?" is lesson 1 of Mary and the Saints. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- The First Commandment: God Comes First (The Commandments)
- Mary and the Saints: The Family of God (Start Here, free)
- Do Catholics Worship Mary and Statues? (Hard Questions)
- How Do You Pray the Rosary? (Learning to Pray)