Wounded in the House of Friends

As some of you may know, I grew up Roman Catholic. I went through 12 years of Roman Catholic indoctrination education. But now I am a recovering former Roman Catholic.

I’m being flippant. Forgive me.

One of my Facebook friends is my high school alma mater. The other day, the school posted a story about how the remains of Saint Don Bosco will be on tour making a pilgrimage to 130 countries around the world. The website–”Don Bosco Among Us“– has the the full schedule of tour dates and maps of where the wax replica will be. One of those stops will actually be at my old high school.

As a Bible-believing Christian–just like Roman Catholics should all be, right?–I had some issues with the “veneration” of the remains.  According to Merriam-Webster, the word “veneration” has the following meanings:

1. respect or awe inspired by the dignity, wisdom, dedication, or talent of a person
2. the act of venerating
3. the condition of one that is venerated

The verb “venerating” is defined as: “to honor (as an icon or a relic) with a ritual act of devotion.”

Don Bosco’s Tour website explains:

The Church honors God through the relics of the bodies of the saints, the things they used, and the lives they touched. The relic of Don Bosco is being brought to the world so Christians may honor him as a Servant of God, as well as view him as a source of inspiration for those still living.

That all sounds really nice. But it reminds me of the Bronze Serpent from Numbers 21. God commanded Moses to create this serpent on a pole to heal those who were bitten by serpents so they might live. What happened to this–if I might use the term–relic 700 years later? The people turned it into an idol! King Hezekiah destroyed it as a result!

He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nahushtan. –2 Kings 18:4.

Someone else will have to confirm it for me, but I’ll be willing to bet that Don Bosco’s “relic” will have incense burned to it at each stop.

In any event, I posted a comment to the Facebook news article. It went something like this:

Brothers & Sisters, do you not see the danger of idol worship here? Don Bosco is absent from his body and is with the Lord. Flesh is flesh. We need to get our eyes off idols and back on the Lord Jesus, the Creator of us all. God shares His glory and worship with no one and nothing.

I spoke the truth of the Word. I was not in attack mode, necessarily, but I felt compelled and lead to share what I felt God’s Word says about this sort of thing.

Soon after, the attacks came.

• “Keep your opinions to yourself. No one likes a Bible Thumper.”
• “I heard Looney Toon music play in my head as soon as I read Joe’s comment.”

Part of me was surprised because, though Roman Catholics and Protestants disagree on a number of items, we both believe in the same God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We both believe in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and His Second Coming. Then it made me sad and Zechariah’s words came to me:

“And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will say, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’” –Zechariah 13:6.

These words are prophetic of Jesus’ wounds on the cross. And yet, He shows us over and over again how He experienced our pain of rejection. He reminds us that those who would persecute us are really persecuting Him!

And I suppose that is what makes me so angry. So many well-meaning Roman Catholics are deceived by false doctrines and out-right lies from Satan! I cannot understand how my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ could actually insult me by calling me a “Bible Thumper.” We read the same Bible!

Should I have stayed out of it? Should I have kept my opinion to myself? These are questions that haunt me a little as I think about this situation. But maybe my comments will actually drive someone to the Bible to see what God has to say about idols and relics. Don’t take my word for it. Take God’s Word for it. Seek out the truth of what God has to say.

Have you run into a similar situation where you kept quiet or spoke out? What was the result?

May He Increase!