The Mass
The Mass consists of two principal parts, namely the liturgy of the
Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist during which Holy Communion is
distributed. Within this set structure considerable variation is
possible in the use of music, pageantry, and other devices to render
the service appropriate for a given occasion.
The Mass is first of all a sacrifice-the perfect sacrifice, created by
Jesus. Through the priest we offer Jesus, Body and Blood, to the
Father, just as Jesus offered Himself to the Father on the Cross. In
an unbloody way, we repeat-make present-Christ's death and
Resurrection. Through this memorial of Jesus, we offer God our praise,
sorrow for our sins, and deepest thanks.
The Mass is also a meal. At the Consecration, the bread and wine,
through the power of the Holy Spirit, become the Body and Blood of
Christ. Not a mere symbol, but Jesus' real flesh and real blood, under
the appearance of bread and wine. When we receive Holy Communion, we
receive Jesus Himself. He is real food for our soul.
As we take Holy Communion it strengthens our union with Jesus; He
lives within us in a special way. It cleanses us from mortal sins that
require forgiveness in Confession. It gives us grace to avoid sin in
the future. It increases our love of God and our neighbours.
The greatest of the seven sacraments is the Holy Eucharist. The
Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
true God and true man, is really present under the appearances of
bread and wine. Our Lord is not merely symbolized by the bread and
wine; nor is he present only through the faith of those present.
Rather, the two mat...
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...the Church teaches, is a
serious sin.
Also many people may gather together to pray for a lost one to be
accepted into heaven or injured ones to recover and come home safely.
When people pray in private they are just getting to talk to God in
there own way which they may be more comfortable, or some people may
be house bound and a priest brings a recording of the mass to there
house with some communion bread and wine and they replay the mass at
there home, but on the other hand people may say that you aren't
getting close to god at home and may be against the people who pray in
private but my own opinion is that God is every where and inside all
of us and praying in church is just as the same as praying in private
and all church means is community so I believe people should pray
where ever they feel comfortable.
The Meaning of the Word "Mass" The word Mass comes from the words ‘Ist Missa Est’ which is Latin and
Religion used to be the separation of the sacred from the profane. The sacred refers to that which is set apart from society, and mundane life. The profane, on the other hand, is everything else, all those mundane things like jobs, bills, and chores. Through religion, the practice of maintaining the distance between the two realms of the sacred and profane world is in tact. By attending church,
...ins are the closest things to God. Whenever I need to be close to and speak to God, that is where I go." She is familiar with the mountains in Utah, but says that any mountains will do.
Recognizing God is a part of our vocation within community can be confusing for us, how can we serve God in the different venues of our life when the world teaches such differing views? We are encouraged to share our witness, testimony, and service within our families, workplace, and our social settings. Family includes the household within our life touching upon each role parent, child, and spouse. It becomes acceptable to compartmentalize the areas of our life and serve in comfortable areas. Consumerism and societal pressures challenge us to withdraw from the Spirit when we feel intimidated, out of place, or even unworthy of God’s involvement in our life. We are called to be “the salt of the earth”, accepting the challenge to unite God’s calling upon our whole-life. According to Migliore, “United in Christ by the power of the Spirit we are one community; we are members of one body and mutually dependent on one another. Recognizing God works with all areas of community unites families, workplace, and social settings together.
Christianity is one of the largest religions in world with believers spreading across barriers of language and culture. Christianity can come in many forms with beliefs on different subjects varying wildly, but there is one practice that remains relatively the same: church attendance. The ritual of getting up every Sunday morning and attending a church service including a sermon by a pastor and sometimes a smaller, more focused lesson given during what is called “Sunday School”, is something that is practiced by many faithful Christians across the world and the United States, in particular. Attending church is a practice that is integral to the Christian faith as it is shown in the Bible. It informs and impacts the lives of many believers of
Typically, a church is to be a very safe and sacred place where no-one would
I come from a small family whose members include my immediate family. Like most Haitian-American living in my region, religion is a fundamental part of my upbringing. I was practically raised in a church and attended church three times a week as a child. Members of my church acted as parents to me and my sister and disciplined me with my mother consent. They played an active role in my upbringing and shaped my norms and taught me was considered appropriate and inappropriate. For example, I was taught to kiss adults and elders on the cheek when saying hello. I was told that I couldn’t address adults by their first name, and most importantly I was taught to always bite my tongue and always respect my
The human relationship perspective shows it is clear that nonbelievers that are together will do things that are immoral and ungodly. This is something that is likely to occur with someone that has a secular worldview. Paul writes about the dangers of turning away from God with the sins that include unnatural sex acts, perversion, depraved minds and in Romans 1:29, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are filled with envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.” Christians following the biblical worldview must develop relationships together that reinforce their faith in God and that Jesus Christ is the redeemer. Romans 5: 1-2, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into his grace in which we now stand. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” I see the importance of developing relationships with people that have the same worldview. Developing relationships and working with others that hold the same ethic, values, and morals within the Christian community is important. Practicing my faith in Jesus with others in the Church is a practice that will enhance my relationship with
The human relationship perspective shows it is clear that nonbelievers that are together will do things that are immoral and ungodly. This is something that is likely to occur with someone that has a secular worldview. Paul writes about the dangers of turning away from God with the sins that are stated in Romans that include unnatural sex acts, perversion, depraved minds and in Romans 1:29, “They have become filled with every kid of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are filled with envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice.” Christians following the biblical worldview must develop relationships together that reinforce their faith in God and that Jesus Christ is the redeemer. Romans 5: 1-2, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into his grace in which we now stand. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” I see the importance of developing relationships with people that have the same worldview. Developing relationships and working with others that hold the same ethic, values, and morals within the Christian community is important. Practicing my faith in Jesus with others in the Church is a practice that will enhance my relationship with
...taught, and only people of more sound faith still regularly attend church services. According to a poll, only forty percent of the American people attend church, compared to ninety nine percent of people who would back in the Middle Ages (Startling Facts).
In the “Model Prayer”, Jesus taught that prayer is to be directed to the Father, showing His role in prayer: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9). Prayer, being directed to the Father, goes through Jesus (the Word), as He is the “one Mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5). Finally, the Holy Spirit’s role in prayer (though less clear than that of the other two) is to help us in our weakness (Romans 8:26). It is in this area, more than almost any other, that many attempt to change the assigned roles of each member of the Godhead. While the Father’s role in prayer is for it to be directed to Him, many attempt to direct prayer to the other two members of Deity. Because each member of the Godhead has such a clearly defined role in prayer as revealed in Scripture, to attempt to change of modify those roles seems to be quite presumptuous, unauthorized, and dangerous. Instead, let us hold fast to the Divine pattern for prayer as laid out in the
Christian prays for a many reasons and for different purposes one reason they pray is because they are doing a form of serving God and obeying Him. Another reason to w...
also states petitionary prayer is, at its worse, an insult to God because it implies the human
Unfortunately, sometimes it can be challenging to understand what God means by the word ‘holy.’ Christians are not called to be like those around them, but instead, they are called to be holy like God. At times, people have trouble deciphering right from wrong. However, with God’s help, knowing the right thing to do is uncomplicated. Frequently, when hard times come, people blame God and begin to believe that he is not holy. Obviously, God is always holy, and he has a reason behind everything he does. Bridges also explains that unholy acts and thoughts do not go unseen and are not ignored by God. Therefore, it is important for Christians to be holy in all they
The Church is the body of Christ where God brings his people together. St. Paul the apostle himself calls the Church the Body of Christ where all those who believe in God join in as its members (New American Bible, 1 Cor. 12; 27). Jesus also refers to the Church as the House of the Father where God should be worshiped and served, although not in the physical sense of the word (NAB, Matt. 21.13). As the House of God, the Church serves as an instrument of salvation for the people of God. God continues to call all His children to come under one roof and dine at His table. There has always been this concern about sharing the Good News and baptizing all the nations in order to bring people under one roof and one belief in order to unify their faith and thus, form one family and one ecumanical Church. The Church still strives to fulfill Jesus’ desire so that all may be one (Ut unum sint 7).