Why do Catholics have statues?

Catholics use statues as a way to visibly honor and remember Jesus, Mary, and the saints. We do not worship statues; rather, we lean on them as physical reminders that help us connect more deeply with God in our spiritual lives.

Looking at a beautiful sacred image or statue can help us focus more intently during prayer. When kneeling before a crucifix or praying before an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our minds may be less likely to wander into worldly thoughts. These visual images remind us of the person they represent.

We are not praying to a piece of wood or stone. Rather, the image directs our attention to the person it represents and, ultimately, to God. A crucifix, for example, reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Sacred art points beyond itself to the reality it depicts. In this way, art can reveal something of its creator, while all creation ultimately points back to God, its Creator.

Catholics are often deeply inspired by the lives of the saints. Statues and shrines may be created in honor of people who lived holy lives, but this does not mean that Catholics worship them. Rather, we look to the saints as role models who show us what it can look like to faithfully follow God.

Statues and other physical reminders honor the saints and help us remember their examples of faith, courage, sacrifice, and devotion. They serve as lasting reminders of the kind of life all Christians are called to pursue: a life centered on God.

The Church teaches that the veneration of sacred images is permitted on the basis that Christ himself instituted the idea: through the Incarnation, Jesus became the visible image of the invisible God. He says this himself in John 14:9, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”; his physical presence reveals God the Father. Today, we look to sacred images and statues as a way to see, love, and know Jesus, who is the first and primary physical manifestation of the invisible God.

In conclusion, Catholics can rest assured that when they kiss the feet of Jesus on a crucifix or pray before a statue of Mary, they are not breaking the first commandment. The faithful do not believe that a statue or image has any power in of itself; all sacred objects point to God and are simply ways in which we can come to better understand him.