WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “WORSHIP,” “ADORATION” AND “VENERATION”?

Often times, we are accused of idolatry. Many non-Catholics say we worship idols, images, saints, most especially Mama Mary, but we answer back that we venerate them and not worship nor adore them. So, what is the difference between “worship,” "adoration" and “veneration”?

According to Catholic Encyclopedia (The New Advent), the word “worship” in a most general sense means homage paid to a person or thing like hero-worship, worship of emperors, or of devils, of angels, of relics. In the sense of Christian worship, it is homage paid to God and His saints, or even to objects which have a special relation to God.

In the book “Devotion to Mary,” the author, Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology specializing in Mariology, said that the English word “worship” is equivocal or has two or more significations. He says that in some schools of theology, this word is used to introduce both adoration and veneration in the same way that the theological term “cult” is traditionally used, that’s why in this context, the word “worship” is used to as “worship of adoration” and “worship of veneration,” also worship  here was not synonymous with adoration. 

In the Bible, the term “worship” had the same broad meaning. In order to clarify confusions regarding which is due to God and which is not, theologians of the early Christian centuries began to differentiate between different types of honor.

The Greek term latria came to be used to refer to honor due only to God alone. It is recognition and acceptance of His excellence and perfection and that He was not created and He is the Creator Himself. 

On the other hand, the Greek term dulia came to be used to refer to honor due to created human beings because of the excellence they exhibited. This secondary kind of honor is especially given to the saints as they lived and died in friendship with God. 

Another term is the hyperdulia (huper [more than]+ dulia = "beyond dulia") which is used to refer to honor due to the Virgin Mary as she bore Jesus in her womb, making her the Mother of Christ. This hyperdulia is of greater degree than the dulia given to other saints but it is still of the same kind and since she is a created being, the honor given to her different from the latria which is due only to the Creator.

To help further clarify confusions between honor due to God alone and honor due to human beings, other terms were used. The words adore and adoration were used to refer to full reverence to God or to an interior act of the mind and will to worship God in spirit and truth. The words venerate and veneration were used to refer to the respect given to saintly men and women who reflects God’s goodness because of their participation and association with Him. By honoring them in a proper way, we give tribute to God the Source of their goodness.

And so we can say, “We adore God, the Almighty, and we venerate or honor His saints because of His goodness reflected in them and in their lives.”

Sources:  

- Catholic Encyclopedia (Worship: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15710a.htm) 

- Catholic Answers, The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (Adoration: http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Adoration)

- Catholic Answers: Saints Worship http://www.catholic.com/tracts/saint-worship

- Wikipedia (Worship: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worship)

For additional insights:

-  Catholic Answers, The Original Catholic Encyclopedia (Adoration: http://oce.catholic.com/index.php?title=Adoration)

- Catholic Answers: Saints Worship http://www.catholic.com/tracts/saint-worship