Idol worship: Is Eucharistic adoration akin to worshiping an idol?

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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