The Catholic Religion

Having very traditional beliefs, the Catholic Church uses numerous different terms and practices that are not familiar with non-Catholics. Inside of the Discourse community, Catholics have set terms that are used widely to discuss different matters. For instances, the term “priest” is used to describe what others would typically call a “pastor.” In addition to the terms used, there are also rituals that are based on their traditional beliefs. The most drastic of them would be the Eucharist. This tradition is referred to by Catholics as “Holy Communion” and is referred to by protestants as “The Lord’s Supper.” Meg Kane described the differences by saying, “Catholics actually believe that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ. It has much more meaning behind it than other communion services.” (Kane). Drastically differing from other religions, Catholics believe that their priest was granted the ability by God to turn the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley, serves as an Archbishop in Boston, he expresses his thoughts about a book published by the French hierarchy “God has become more accessible that we fail to grasp the true meaning of the Eucharist.” This is how Cardinal O’Malley starts his talk about the importance of the Eucharist as how it plays a major role in our formation as believers of the Catholic Church. Cardinal O’Malley also talks about the three gifts that Jesus gives us in the Eucharist. Lastly, Cardinal O’Malley explains how preparation is useful to fully understand the Eucharist. These are the steps that forms us as a community of faith reflecting on Jesus mission.

Sacramentality, mediation, and communion – three properties of Catholicism that are central to its understanding. Like Catholicism, these three properties are universal and can be found in the writings of Catholic authors dating back thousands of years ago. From the first written Scriptures found in the Bible to the modern day works of writers like Flannery O’Connor, these three properties can be found portrayed in works of both fiction and nonfiction. However, these properties are not always easy to find for the untrained mind or even to differentiate for those who do have a better understanding. Sacramentality is the notion that all of creation potentially bears the presence of God. Essentially, one experiences the invisible God through the visible world. Mediation goes hand in hand with sacramentality. It occurs when God is not only present in creation but also works through it. Instead of something symbolizing or reminding you of God, it actually speaks to you and brings you closer to Him. The last property of the Catholic Church is communion. Communion is God’s way of reaching us through the communities in which we live. All three of these properties have close ties to each other. Flannery O’Connor portrays all three – sacramentality, mediation, and communion – in her book Mystery and Manners.

The roles of people in the church were redefined, as the Pope established himself clearly as a man of action, and not unreachable ‘God like’ figure. He did not submit to his power and instead worked together and worked for the people to make worshipping Christ more meaningful. The sacraments were developed to involve the congregation and improve the expression of Christian beliefs as the church was modernized and clericalism was removed.

Furthermore, The Protestant Reformation saw a major European movement that challenged the religious practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. With the rise of religion attracting many individuals, intellectuals began to challenge religious teachings and expose the corruption of the Church. Rather than offering salvation, the Church became corrupt and stingy for control, power, and money, in which German theologian Martin Luther, highlighted. Luther argued that people only achieve salvation by God through faith alone and criticized the use of indulgences, wealth, corruption, and other religious practices within the Catholic Church in his 95 Theses. For example, one of Luther’s theses says, “Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.” Luther believed papal authorities utilized the people to their own advantage in gaining wealth by fostering beliefs that indulgences relinquished sins. The immorality surrounding the Church made it unfair to people of all social groups who “devoted an enormous amount of their time and income to religious causes and foundations” – only finding themselves fooled into bribery (A History of Western Society 402). Luther’s arguments served a pivotal role in influencing others to fight for their own beliefs and redefine the meaning of religion. The common good of the people and their opinions mattered as Protestant thought grew. In the “big picture” of European

Catholics go through a cycle of events in their spiritual lives known as the seven sacraments. Although all Catholics can not partake in each sacrament, the majority receive the Holy Eucharist and are baptized as children. The sacraments are the rites of passage in the Catholic faith. Some of the sacraments require proper preparation and knowledge of the one’s faith. The seven sacraments include Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and the Holy Orders. Faith ties the people of God together. We are united through our belief in faith. I see the sacraments as the acceptance of faith in God and of our faith. With all the diversity that exists among God’s people,

John Wesley wrote in his Sermon 16 that the means of grace are understood as “outward signs, words, or actions ordained by God… to be the ordinary channels whereby (God) might convey to men preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” Means are what happen outside of oneself and the grace is what does the work inside of ourselves or another way to say this is to say the ways we receive and experience grace. When we speak of the sacraments we refer to them as outward signs of an inward and spiritual grace. The means of grace in the sacraments, means are the bread and cup of communion and the water of the baptism and the liturgy spoken. These act in an outward and physical way, but the real work is that of the invisible grace we receive.

The point of entry into the world of Catholic ritual is the Mass, the main worship ceremony of the Church. Rituals such as Mass generally include singing, prayer and sermon. The seven sacraments are very important in the Catholic Church. They are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Catholics. They consist of three different categories, which are: the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist), the sacraments of healing (Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick), and the sacraments of vocation (Marriage, Holy

Rituals and Holy Places. Most Catholic sacraments are performed by priests in churches. Baptism rite is the sacramental entry into the life of Christianity (Advameg,

Contents 1 Description 2 Western Church 3 Age 4 Imagery 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Description The Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Baptist Religion began in 1609 in Amsterdam. The founder of the religion was English separatist John Smyth. The practice of Baptist spread to England where they believed that Christ atonement was to extend to all people. Then in 1638 Roger Williams founded the first Baptist Church in the North American colonies.

The concept of sacramentality is unlike most things you learn about in religion class. It is not your typical Bible story turned into a lesson. However, it is simply God doing his work in our everyday lives. Everything we

When considering the topic of Mystagogy and the Church’s understanding of the subject it is important to recognize the complete picture, the scope of what is covered. Looking quite literally at Mystagogy, and perhaps a common view held by most, it is very simply the final of four stages in the RCIA process of bringing believers into the Church. However, the context of this paper will focus at a more in depth look at the nature of Mystagogy and its essential relationship to the liturgical life of the Church. In doing this I will also show the relationship between Mystagogy and exegesis, the sacraments as mysteries and the vital place of narrationes in Mystagogy. Before an attempt to delve

The meaning of the word Catholic is universal. The church is catholic in two senses. The first is that Christ is present in her so she possesses the fullness of Christ and has received from him the fullness of the means of salvation. The second is Christ sent her on a mission to gather all people into the people of God. The church feels connected to all people because all are made in the image and likeness of God. Despite this, the perfect union with God and all people will not take place till the end of time. Churches are completely and fully Catholic when they are in communion with the Church of Rome, meaning they recognize the Pope’s authority as the visible foundation for the unity of all members of the church and church leaders. The Seven Sacraments are also a huge part of what makes the church Catholic as they touch the totality of a persons life and Catholic journey from Baptism in the beginning as a sacrament of initiation to Annointing of the Sick at the

There are seven official sacraments in the Catholic Church, but actually, there are an unlimited number of sacraments in the universe. The love of God is not limited to the seven official sacraments. The love of God is infinite, and He can show it to us anyway he chooses. Over the course of my life, God has revealed himself to me during my travels. During the summer of 2016, I had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with my mother, and my grandmother was able to join us as well. We went on a tour, with about two dozen strangers. A few native Costa Ricans guided us through the country. We were able to interact with new people, see the wildlife, and explore the country. This is what life is about, traveling to new places, meeting new people, exploring other cultures. We could not have gone on such an amazing trip if God had not allowed us to do so. It was truly a blessing. God was present in all of the trees, the animals, the rivers and oceans, and all of the people. I remember going ziplining on that trip. It was the longest zipline in the country, one line was over half a mile long. It was high in the mountains, you could go very fast, and you could see for miles. You could even see the ocean, even though we weren’t near the coast. I was very high up, and the wind in my face was