Paschal Candle Liturgy Research Paper

Water baptism accomplishes what the root Greek word baptizo describes, in that we are washed. The waters wash away the taint of sin from not only our bodies but from our soul as well. This physical act has spiritual implications however the visual representation of being “washed clean” is a powerful one.

Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the

Here we begin to get a real sense of what it means to receive new life in the Spirit; for as Fitzmyer argues, "The Spirit is the dynamic principle of new life received in baptism." For while bondage to the law meant that it was impossible to please God and eventually led to destruction, serving in the "new condition created by the Spirit, [is] a condition that brings life and fruit pleasing to God." For as Moo notes, "Written on stone tablets, the law of God cannot change the human heart; only God's Spirit can do that." Hence the new life received by the believer through the power of the

Many of them, such as latreuo, emphasize the religious rites performed to pay homage to or venerate God (Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, pg 531-34). Others, such as proskuneo, means to literally “to kiss toward” or “to bow down,” which focus on the expression, by attitude or gesture that hold immense regard for God (Greek-English Lexicon, pg 540-541). They convey a profound sense of humility, respect, and deep love for the God they worship. Other words highlight bringing offerings, which has become a central component of our liturgy. Within the Lutheran understanding as well as the early Christian church insists that every act of worship should be understood as part of the Church’s offering to God. All the music, from prelude to postlude, offers to God instrumentalists’ talents, “producing sounds that please God and serve the purpose of helping people to worship God” (The Gift of Worship, pg 39). The prayers of thanksgiving, confession, and intercession, whether silent or spoken corporately aloud, are presented to God as a gift. When one preaches a sermon is not just the gift of the one preaching, nor are choral and instrumental gifts simply the contribution of the choir or band, all involve the offering of themselves by all members of the congregation. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind all those present when one plans a worship service so that all persons may

As one is baptised, they are said to be ‘reborn’ when they emerge from the water (Lawrence, 2006), and the ‘stain’ of original sin is washed away (Saunders, 1998). In a purely physical sense, only the body has been washed from physical filth, but when looked at through the lens of symbolic spiritualism, it shows that the body and mind has been cleaned away of all previous sin to allow a closer relationship with God. This is the initiation process into the Catholic Church, however it is only one of many before one can obtain the title of a true Christian (Abrams, 2003). Once baptised, it is said that the person is part of a community that seeks out the coming of the Lord (Water Baptism, 2016). Divergently, it is clear that when one is submerged, they are symbolically dying alongside Jesus on the cross, taking the place of the thief. They are said to have had their old body killed, died alongside Jesus, only to be remerged from the water as a new person, spiritually clean, much like Jesus’ resurrection. The participant takes place as the thief next to Jesus, who did not have time to be baptised on the cross, however still pledged himself to Jesus, who said ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me’ in (Luke 23:42). Another vital use of water in the Catholic faith is the use of holy water throughout the places of worship (Johns, 1997). Holy water fonts are placed at the entrances of these places of worships and Churches in accordance to the Jewish practice of purification in the Old testament. Holy water is described in the book of Leviticus to ‘remove uncleanliness’ associated with many everyday aspects of life. According to priests, holy water also acts as a way to show a symbolic removal of sin (Oestigaard, 2013), protection of evil and a way to remember our Baptism into the faith (Saunders, 2016). When looked at in relation to Baptism, it is evident

from the bible and sometime near the end of the service, everyone says the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, and

The symbols of the celebration help us to understand the value of the sacramental celebration for us to take it more serious; also to help us to remember at every moment the concept of been Christians and why we are calling for. For each day of our existences there are stuffs we do at the similar period, at the identical place and in the equal direction. These particular activities turn out to be ceremonies when we deliberately give them a greater significance and resolution. Sacraments aid us comprehend ways of existence and ways of performance in a certain beliefs and environment. Rituals support us to connect in and provide us a logic of personality and fitting. They support us to appreciate extraordinary periods and events and they tell

Lament or Complaint Psalms: Prayers for help of individual, individual who is in serious trouble cries out to the Lord for Salvation. Prayers offer up to God when we are hurting, upset, when people betrayed you. Abandoned by God. For example, 3, 13, 22,77. These include songs that express sadness to God or complaints against God’s enemies. For example, Psalm 3 is a Lament Psalm that begins, “Lord, how many are my foes! / How many revolt against me!” (verse 1). Some complaint psalms sound quite negative, though they are set within a context of God responding in love or power. Psalm 44:23–24. For example, says, “Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?

Wesley pictures baptism as essential for the Church and baptism is a holy observance for

By virtue of Baptism we are not only delivered from the greatest of all evils, but are also enriched with invaluable goods and blessings

to talk to God. Through prayer we manifest our dependence on God, and we express our

Jesus sacrificed himself by dying a terrible death to save us from our own sins. Only human being capable of doing. Most people would argue whether he was man or God, but I argue that sacrificing himself on the cross proves to us that he is both, giving us a perfect sacrifice. Everybody is living their lives how they want to because of what he did.

“What is a church?” Now that seems like a easy question, the sort of question one might answer in an simple sentence or two. “A church is a building in which Christians meet for worship,” is one obvious possibility. “A church is a group of Christians who gather for religious purposes” is another. A critic might says, “A church is a club for insiders and hypocrites.” These quick answers don’t take us very far if we want to understand truly what a church ought to be.

The Paschal Candle reminds us of the resurrection of Christ, the light a symbol of life, Christ as the light of the world that comes to illuminate our lives with his Resurrection. This was followed by the procession, the congregation followed the priests and ministers, a deacon carried the Paschal Candle. I would say that at this point, the catechumens had the most important role in the celebration because they were about to be welcomed into the life of the Church.

For what do we pray? Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God.