Pillars of Fire In My Soul

Notes on the Translation of Essential Features of the Devotion to The Divine Mercy Robert Stackpole, S.T.D. 1. Emphases added. The Polish word here is “niewlasciwy” which literally means “improper.” Given the pejorative connotations of this word in modern English, however, we have used the word “relative” instead, which is the traditional opposite of “proper” in Scholastic Theology, and which seems to preserve Fr. Rozycki’s intended meaning. In Catholic theology, there are two basic types of honor: (1) “proper” which is given to a person, and (2) “relative” which is given to a thing associated with a person (e.g. to a picture of a loved one). 2. The Polish word here is “samoistna” which translates literally as “autonomous” religious worship. But such a phrase in English could easily cause confusion. An additional problem is that in the English-speaking world, “worship” has usually been considered appropriate only for God, whereas in Polish the same word “worship” can have several connota- tions, depending upon its context. Fr. Rozycki here divides “worship” into two types: “autonomous” religious worship directed to God alone, and acts of religious worship “directed to some created being.” These two types correspond to two forms of “honor” discussed in traditional Scholastic Theology: (1) “latria” (English: worship or adoration) which is proper only to the uncreated God, and (2) “dulia” (English: veneration) which is proper to created excellence (man or angel). In order to avoid confusion for the reader we have used the word “supreme” or “supreme act” in place of “autonomous;” the student of Theology in the English speaking Essential Features of the Devotion to The Divine Mercy 125