Idol worship: Is Eucharistic adoration akin to worshiping an idol?
Is Eucharistic adoration akin to worshiping an idol? Depending on
which side of the isle you sit, it may almost appear that way! Of
course, there is a world of difference between the idol worship
forbidden in the Old and New Testament, and the kind of adoration
that many believers lavish on the relics and other items of the
faith, or is there? Read on to find out more.
In the sunny state of Florida, there is a monastic order called the
Community of the Monks of Adoration. Being wholly consecrated to God
and to one another, these monks seek to put into practice the
immortal words of Father Jose Guadalupe Trevino who stated
that"fortunate, indeed, are the souls called by God to a life of
Perpetual Adoration!"Yet some believers hold that the Monks of
Adoration are actually worshiping an idol. Are they correct?
During the course of Perpetual or Eucharistic Adoration, Catholics
the world over worship the host of bread and the cup of wine - this
is believed to hold the very spirit of Christ Jesus himself.
Generally speaking, at the moment the priest consecrates the bread
and wine, it is transformed into the flesh and blood of Christ. Thus,
Jesus Christ is no longer simply present spiritually, but is actually
present physically. Very often a consecrated host and cup of wine is
placed in a monstrance, an artfully crafted containing vessel which
showcases its content while it is displayed on the altar. At times,
the host and wine may also be shut up in a tabernacle, which is a
less elaborate containment that may hold the Eucharist as well. These
tabernacles are incorporated into a church's design to give the
faithful the opportunity to come and pray to Christ, who is present
in the guise of host and wine, when they are willing to do so. A
concerted effort at worshiping the Eucharist is now rarely made in
the scope of everyday Catholic life, and is much more left to the
monks and nuns who devote their lives to the perpetual adoration.
Of course, there are those who believe that the importance paid to
such visible signs of the faith as hosts, monstrances and tabernacles
is akin to worshipping an idol. Quoting the words of God as they are
recorded by Moses in the book of Exodus, detractors from the practice
of Perpetual Adoration claim that it is against God's directives to
make any image for the sake of adoration. Bowing down to such an
image is considered idol worship.
Of course, the Catholic Church is quick to point out that written in
the canons and decrees of the Council of Trent it was held and
affirmed that the host and wine were indeed the places in which Jesus
Christ himself dwelt upon consecration. Thus it would stand to reason
that Catholics and other believers bow to the elements of the
Eucharist and pray to it, yet in direct opposition the Lord God
stated that the"Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands"
as it is written in the book of Acts.
So, are the monks worshiping an idol? Do you commit idol worship if
you bow down to the host and cup? Looking at the evidence, it appears
that the Bible is very clear in stating the extent of such idol
worship, and also what constitutes such inappropriate worship to
begin with. On the other hand, the commands to worship the host and
cup are recorded not in the Bible but in the writings of the greats
of the faith. It appears that the question comes down simply to this:
are you following the Bible or the sayings of men?
Worshiping an Idol?
www.articles.syl.com/worshipinganidol.html
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