Adoration vs Emulation
Jesus never seemed to ask to be "adored" simply "emulated."
Why does institutional church leadership (hierarchy) try to focus the laity so much on the adoration while not themselves emulating Jesus?
I don't know if this answers
I don't know if this answers to your question, but... actually the obsession for adoration is not a "Christian" attribute, but a Pagan one. The Catholics may have imported it with the peoples they conquered. Those were the Pagans who adored objects and articles, planets and natural phenomena. Christ was not an object of adoration until some Popes trademarked the idea and converted it in the religion that was passed on to us. The sole contradiction between the splendid attire of the Pope and the simplicity of the Jesus lifestyle are proof of the original intention of the Christ. The splendor and the luxury, the tiaras and the excesses... those may seem very Catholic and perhaps emulating the higher elite of Rome to from its original fanfares, but such attributes were not really originated in Jesus, the Christ.
Poetman: If you will review
Poetman:
If you will review the new testament scriptures that describe the scribes and pharisees of Jesus time, you will find an incredible parallel with the bishopric of the Catholic Church today.
If you further review Jesus' comments about them, you may find the answer to your question.
Jesus indeed did not worry
Jesus indeed did not worry about being adored. Instead, Jesus taught with authority. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. And then, Jesus demonstrated how this teaching (found in the Scriptures) was to be lived. He spent his life in a close familiar relationship with his God, and he worked tirelessly to bring about the reign of God in his world, by loving and serving others.
When members of the institutional church leadership DO emulate Jesus---their presence in our world gives forth so much light, that is cannot be ignored. In the words of his last homily, Bishop Oscar Romero reflected the heart of one who had learned well to follow Christ's lead. He stated:
"You have heard in Christ's gospel that one must not love
oneself so much as to avoid getting involved in the risks of
life that history demands of us, and that those who try to
fend off the danger will lose their lives, while those, who out
of love for Christ, give themselves to the service of others
will live, like the grain of wheat that dies, but only apparently.
If it did not die, it would remain alone. The harvest comes about
only because it dies, allowing itself to be sacrificed in the earth
and destroyed. Only by undoing itself does it produce the harvest...
This holy Mass, now, this Eucharist, is just such an act of faith...
May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humans nourish us
also, so that we may give our body and our blood to suffering
and to pain---like Christ, not for self, but to bring about justice and
peace for our people."
When Church leaders are centered in God, emulate Christ, without counting the cost; they love like Jesus.
And when they are more worried about the "legalities" around worship, life, love,
etc. we have Church leaders who are unable to lead anyone to the doorstep of the Trinity.