Segment Video is from the Fire Branded Post-Show Smackdown
I’m tired of being told “Catholic? You’re a Mary worshipper!” Aren’t you? Doesn’t it get old after you’ve heard it 10,000 times? Most Catholics know the deal—they know we don’t worship Mary or the saints but they may not understand why the protestants are flat-out wrong for saying that we do. Well step into the classroom, my friends, because it’s time to learn why that indictment is ridiculous. These five points will not only educate you on the depths of Catholic theology regarding worship, but it’ll inform your responses the next time someone accuses you of being an idol or Mary worshiper.
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Okay, let’s get into to it. Put on those thinking caps, my people, because we’re going a little deep here.
Most Catholics know that worship belongs to God alone. But why? And what actually counts as worship in the technical, theological sense? We throw the word around easily—“worship music,” “worship night,” “worship leaders”—yet Scripture and the Church give “worship” a very specific meaning.
If we don’t understand that meaning, we end up confused about the Mass, confused about Mary, confused about prayer, and confused about what Catholics really do when they honor the saints.
So here’s a simple breakdown: five points that explain what worship truly is, why the Mass is the center of it, and why devotion to saints never crosses the line into worship.
1. Worship (Latria) Belongs to God Alone Because Worship Means Sacrifice
In Catholic theology, worship isn’t defined by strong feelings, music that moves us, or spiritual experiences. Worship—latria—is the adoration owed to God alone. And at the heart of latria is sacrifice.
That’s the biblical pattern from Genesis to Revelation. The highest act the creature offers the Creator is sacrifice: offering Him what is most precious, in recognition of His absolute sovereignty. This is why the Church teaches that the most perfect act of worship ever offered to the Father is Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, and why the Mass—where that sacrifice is made present—is the Church’s supreme act of worship.
References:
CCC 2096–2097; CCC 1367; Council of Trent, Session 22.
2. The Mass Is the Supreme Act of Worship Because It Is the Sacrifice of Christ Made Present
The Mass is not a symbolic gesture. It is not a spiritual “memorial service” or a reenactment. It is the real sacrificial self-offering of Christ—the same sacrifice as Calvary, made present sacramentally.
Christ is the High Priest who offers Himself to the Father once for all (Hebrews 9–10). In the Mass, we do not repeat His sacrifice—we are drawn into it. We participate in His perfect offering. This is why the Eucharistic Prayer is the heart of the liturgy: that is the moment of offering.
If worship at its core is sacrifice, then the Mass isn’t just part of Catholic worship. It is worship in its fullest and most perfect form.
References:
Hebrews 9–10; CCC 1322–1324; CCC 1354; Sacrosanctum Concilium 7 & 10.
3. Prayer Is Connected to Worship, but Prayer Alone Is Not Worship in the Strict Sense
This is a place where many Catholics get tripped up. We often say “I worship God by praying,” and while that’s true in a loose sense, prayer alone—by itself—is not “worship” in the technical theological meaning of latria.
Prayer expresses devotion. It expresses adoration. But it does not, by itself, constitute sacrifice, and therefore it does not become the highest act of worship.
Instead, prayer participates in worship when it is united to the liturgy. The Church teaches that Christian prayer draws its power and meaning from the liturgical life, and it flows back into it. Prayer is sanctified by the Mass, shaped by the Mass, and ordered toward the Mass. It leans into worship, but it is not identical with worship.
So prayer is holy, necessary, powerful, and transformative—but its deepest meaning comes from its relationship to the liturgy.
References:
CCC 2565; CCC 2626–2643; Sacrosanctum Concilium 10.
4. Dulia: Why Honoring the Saints Is Not Worship
When Catholics honor a saint, we are not worshiping a creature. We honor the saints because they manifest the glory of God and remain alive in Him, interceding for the Church.
This honor is called dulia, and it is fundamentally different from latria in three ways:
It is directed to a creature, not the Creator.
It never involves sacrifice.
It asks for intercession, not divine power.
The Church has insisted on this distinction for centuries—explicitly—to make sure nothing we do in devotion can ever be confused with worship.
References:
CCC 957–958; Second Council of Nicaea (787); CCC 2131–2132.
5. Hyperdulia: Why Mary’s Honor Is Higher Than the Saints’ but Still Not Worship
Mary receives hyperdulia, the highest honor the Church gives to any creature. She is the Mother of God, full of grace, the new Eve, and the perfect model of discipleship. Because of her singular role in salvation history, her veneration is unique.
But even hyperdulia is not worship. It remains honor, not sacrifice; veneration, not adoration; intercession, not salvation. Worship is always, only, and completely directed to the Holy Trinity.
References:
Second Council of Nicaea; CCC 971.
Why This Matters
A lot of misunderstandings about Catholicism come down to this simple truth: Worship is about sacrifice.
Once you grasp that, everything snaps into place:
The Mass becomes the center of life.
Prayer finds its meaning in the liturgy.
Marian devotion makes sense.
Honoring saints becomes biblical and reasonable.
And the charge that Catholics “worship Mary” collapses instantly.
We worship God alone because only God is the Author of our existence and the Redeemer of our souls. And we worship Him the way He calls us to: in the one perfect sacrifice of Christ, made present in every Mass.
Ave Maria, Virgo Fidelis!
(“Hail Mary, Faithful Virgin” for the newbies out there)