Growing up in a Catholic household my family has always felt that it was very important to be tied to God and the Catholic religion. The bible was something that was always something that was brought up and taught in school and preached on a weekly basis when I attended Polish school once a week for almost ten years of my life. Both my mother and my father grew up and were raised by a strict catholic household, both my grandparents instilled the word of God and the appropriate morals that lead them to trying to make me a “good catholic”, although I was raised as a catholic girl I today do not feel tied nor close to the religion they pressed on me as a child. Growing up in a country that is 98% Catholic is essence and one of the most Catholic …show more content…
While learning all these important steps to understanding our faith we had to prove we had the knowledge of the critical parts of the religion to function properly in the Church. As we learned the processes we had to show the nun that was teaching our Saturday class our knowledge by reciting the prayers we were assigned to learn and what was appropriate in the church by taking quizzes and exams. I remember having a more difficult time passing the classes because I found internal conflict with if I truly wanted to be a catholic or was I just doing this to be accepted in the community of people like my family and peers that were influenced heavily by the religion. Although I endured some struggles with trying to pass these quizzes and exams I was able to complete everything a month before my communion in …show more content…
The day I was going to have my communion I remember the white dress I had to wear, it was long and have bell sleeves. On the center of my dress there was a cross with the background illuminated representing the spirit of god. We also received the rosary for our communion; to a catholic this necklace has a deep embedded meaning to our faith and culture. The beads all represent a prayer we had to learn such as Hail Mary, Mystery & Our Father, Glory Be, O My Jesus and so forth. The meaning behind the rosary is a reminder of the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins to permit us to be better people to make our way into the Gates of Heaven. The white dress symbolized the purity in us as Catholics, we as the children of god were making a commitment to the faith to be as humble, respectful and caring to humans; we were to treat other as we would treat a brother or sister and care for others with respect. The next part of the communion was the ceremony; in the Catholic Church there is a lot of kneeling, standing and then making peace with those around you and then moments of silence to have a moment to have a prayer with yourself. About 45 minutes into the ceremony in the Catholic Church it is time for you as a catholic to accept the body and blood of god. A plain wafer represents the body of god, during
...e symbol of the male tradition as pastors and the symbol of women giving the Eucharist. It is the symbol of Lutheranism in the middle of a conservative and liberal world.
Communion begins with the presentation of the bread and the wine. The bread represents the body of Jesus, broken and put on a cross to forgive us for our sins. The wine represents the blood of Jesus, spilt while he was on the cross to once again forgive us of our sins on this Earth. The priest sets the bread on the table along with an empty, gold-colored chalice. The priest then washes his hands by pouring water from a small clay pitcher over his hands in to a small clay bowl. The pitcher and bowl are held by two altar servers. Altar servers are aids to the priest. The servers will hold the prayer book up to the priest while he prays ...
The bread represents Christ's body and the wine represents his blood. When they take this bread and wine, Catholics believe that they are becoming one with Christ and are renewing their faith. According to the Gospels, Christ shared bread and wine with his disciples to symbolise them becoming one body. The final section of the Mass, the Concluding Rite, consists of a final prayer ( postcommunion ), the blessing ( benediction ) and the dismissal. A hymn may be sung as the clergy leave the church.
Catholics believe that at the exact moment when the Body and Blood are referenced is when the miracle of transubstantiation is performed. Members of the church form a line and receive an individual wafer/host from their priest. They are then handed a chalice and take a drink of wine. This chalice is shared with the entire congregation. A major event in a young Catholic’s life is when they are able to attend their First Holy Communion. It is the second among three initiation rites of the Catholic
...t is the center of the Catholic faith. When we receive the Eucharist, we eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for us. Eucharist is considered a meal and a sacrifice and this is a sacrament that is performed at every Catholic Mass during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is also called Holy Communion.
refugees, and the second generation who were born here in the states. Finally, I feel now that I have the vision to work on myself to know more about my attitude, my future therapeutic values in the field practices. At the same time, I am planning to work more with my personal therapist on the values, beliefs, and emotions and I will be happy to know about myself more.
not an option. In my mind, it was never whether there was a greater power, but how that
Growing up in a traditional catholic family I attended catholic school and church just like everyone else in my family. Every Sunday and Tuesday growing up I spent time at church. Going to church taught all about religion and forgiveness. I learned from the bible that god knows we are all sinners and that if we ask for forgiveness he forgives us. I was told that to church is a safe place for someone to go if they need help and that everyone has their arms open to people in need. The catholic religion says that god loves all his children even when they sin.
... is to remember Christ, once again we are just confirming what has already bee said here. “The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they do represent something that is very holy… recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross” (Laurie 2008:nn). Laurie above sums it up well, the wine and the bread are only symbols of what really happened on the cross 2000 years ago, we must not revere the symbols or the elements but Christ and His work on the cross
Every year, on the day before Easter, one of the biggest and most important masses of the year happens on that night. The mass is called the Easter Vigil. The Vigil brings out the true and full nature of the Catholic Church and all of its people. It celebrates Jesus Christ, as he rises from the dead and ascends into heaven. Since this mass is so large, it is split into four parts. The first, the Service of Light, and is the most solemn part of the mass the Church celebrates. The second part is the Liturgy of the Word, in which you listen to a reader who reads from the books of the Bible such as Genesis and Exodus. The third part of the celebration is known as the Celebration of the Rites of Initiation. At this point people become part of the Church and receive such sacraments as Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation. The fourth part of the vigil is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the climax of the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the biggest mass in the Church and it requires four parts in the Service of Light, The Liturgy of the Word, the Celebration of the Rights of Initiation, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but also requires much more faith and concentration to fully appreciate it.
For us Catholics, it is the connection between humans and God through the Grace of his salvation, provided for mankind through the continued practice of the rites of the sacraments. The Catholic Church today discerns seven sacraments as significant for believers; these are Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. These seven signs are a major part of the connection between mankind and God that integrates us into the whole of God's grace. The scholarly professor Doris Donnelly does a great job of explaining that the sacraments are "baffling to nonbelievers unable to decipher them, misrepresented by those who misread can often reduce symbols to mere signs, sacramental symbols are sources of joy, solace, confrontation, peace, healing, strength, and life-giving sustenance to the initiated" (Donnelly 2014, viii). It is in this that we Christians take from the sacraments and go out into the world as the instruments of Christ to evangelize and
Every Sunday. Stares and disappointment. I sat with my grandmother at this big church. People would stare when they realized I didn't know the prayers or songs. I was trying to learn more about religion why did I feel so scared? Am I going to find where I belong? Will I have enough time? These are questions I sometimes have to ask myself. When I was little I explored many religions but now that i'm older I am frightened about faith.
From my personal experience I have found it difficult to accept the strict doctrines of the Catholic Church due to a social lifestyle that takes precedent. Secondly, I have appreciation for other religions, particularly Hinduism and sects within Christianity. My attitude does not necessarily correspond with that of the Catholic Church. Specifically, the Catholic Church perceives itself as the only divine route to Heaven. From my perspective, having been born and raised Catholic, I feel that Catholicism strongly disfavors any exploration of other religions or even tolerance of additional religions. I feel that this intolerance is subtly communicated to worshipers. Even if this intolerance it not communicated, there are not measures taken to inform worshipers about other religious practices. This stance is probably ...
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a service that I got to attend that was different from my own religious tradition. I decided to go with my chosen topic because to be honest I had never experienced or thought to experience a different type of church service other than the one I grew up in. I grew up in a Christian home and attended a non-denominational Christian church on a regular basis. I just never felt the need to experience something that was different. So I decided to attend a mass at a Catholic church. I had been to weddings in a Catholic church and even funerals with a Catholic involvement but not an actual mass.
I attended Mass at my local parish, the Parish of St. Francis de Sales, on Sunday, October 9th, in order to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This also happens to be the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time because the priest of the parish, Father Phan, wore green in order to symbolize life, anticipation for the coming of Christ, and hope. The liturgical season of Ordinary Time is also significant because it focuses on the fruits of Jesus’s three-year public ministry, his educational parables, and his extraordinary miracles. The season of Ordinary Time also serves as a reminder that the Church’s mission, our mission, is to not only share the life and hope of Jesus