BeliefsCatholics tend to take beliefs quite seriously. GOD The main belief that catholics have is that they belief in one God, the creator of all living things on earth, the universe, and everything seen and unseen, which is based in many Bible passages, they also consider the existence of their God to be an obvious truth. JESUS CHRIST Catholic believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he was sent to earth for our salvation. Christians also beliefs that Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” Matthew 1:18. As well as believing that he was conceived of the Holy Spirit they also belief that Jesus suffered for us and was crucified, he died and was buried, Jesus resurrected and was ascended into Heaven. According to the bible Jesus will return to earth and will judge the living and the dead. THE CHURCH Catholics believe that the church was established by Jesus and its a Catholic belief because it contains the fullness of the Deposit of Faith and also they attend to church every Sunday because it honors the Lord’s Day. THE SACRAMENTS The seven sacraments give the grace to point what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions to experience God’s presence and they are actions that are performed usually by a priest. The 7 sacraments are: BAPTISM For Catholics this Sacrament is the first step in a lifelong journey. EUCHARIST This Sacrament is a sacrifice and a meal, as Catholics receive the Eucharist on Sunday Mass they belief that are brought closer to God. RECONCILIATION The Sacrament of Reconciliation has three elements; conversion, confession and celebration. CONFIRMATION Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament of mature Christian commitment. MARRIAGE The Sacrament of Marriage is a sacrament that unites a Christian man and women, that one gives oneself totally to another person. HOLY ORDERS In the Sacrament of Holy Orders the priest is ordained and receive the power of God to perform their sacred duties. ANOINTING THE SICK For Catholics is the sacrament which through the prayer of the priest gives health and strength to the soul when there is people in danger of death from sickness. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD. The Ten Commandment are presented in eighth different versions of the Bible
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Sacred TextsThe sacred text of Christianity is known as the Bible from the Greek phrase ta biblia meaning the books. It is a library of books written by different people and collected in two large grouping consisting of the Old Testament a collection of Jewish Torah, Prophets and Writings, Psalms, Histories, Wisdom literature and the New Testament which are the Christian Scriptures. Christianity has a unique relationship with Judaism because the Hebrew scriptures make up most of the Old Testament even though the stories are read and interpreted differently.
There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament: The four Gospels which tell of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. -Matthew - Mark -Luke -John There is also Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 3 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, 1 Jude and the book of Revelation which is what could be described as Apocalyptic literature about the end times. |
Sacred Stories"All human beings have an innate need to hear and tell stories and to have a story to live by. Religion, whatever else it has done, has provided one of the main ways of meeting this abiding need".
Harvey Cox.~ "The lost Son" Luke 15: 11-32 The lost son is one of many parables said to have been told by Jesus to his followers, which many people call this story ‘The Prodigal Son’ but this title was never written in the gospel. ‘This parable is the most famous of the three ‘lost parables’ in Luke’s Gospel. This parables repeats the teaching of the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable. This parable shows what joy there is n heaven when straying souls repent. The more we learn about the attitude of God, the more we are able to demonstrate it. The Parable of the Lost Son is an example of how much God values the return of the lost and different that is from humanity selfishness and conceit. A parable is an illustrative story, by which a familiar idea is cast beside an unfamiliar idea in a way that the comparison helps people to have a better understanding. Jesus was an artist in the telling of parables and he told these in such a way that they were easy to visualise and remember. Its important to understand that in a parable there is certain features that carry the moral or point and in which the reared or listener has to work to extract the moral message. 
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EthicsThe Ethics are the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, is the second member of the divine Trinity, he is the messiah of all humankind. Jesus taught us as people how to live our live our godly lives. When Jesus travelled around Israel, he taught with sermonds and parables. His famous sermon was on a mountain and he told his listeniers to:
- Love your enemies - Do not judge others -Trust God -Don't be anxious about tomorrow -Do unto others as you would have them do unto you -These words are known as the 'golden rule' Jesus sometimes taught with parables. A parable is a short story with a spiritual meaning behind it. A parable that Jesus taught was about two builders. "One was wise, and built his house upon a rock. The other was foolish, and built his house on sand. When a storm came, the wise man's house stood, but the foolish man's house fell. Whoever obeys Jesus is like the wise man. Whoever disobeys his words is alike a foolish man. 
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RitualsMany Catholic rituals vary between denomination, individual church and individual Christian, but some practices are common to virtually all forms of Christianity. Catholics attend worship services at church on Sundays, which generally include singing, prayer and a sermon.
General Christian Practices BAPTISM Baptism is one of the two most important sacrament in Christianity. CONFIRMATION Confirmation often includes a prayer and a ritual recitation on beliefs and commitments. THE EUCHARIST Also named Communion is a sacrament that is carried out as an act of obedience to Christ’s instruction about commemorating his death. THE SIGN OF THE CROSS The sign of the cross is a hand motion, many christian make that signifies the Trinity and reflects their profession of faith in God. SUNDAY SERVICES Every Sunday Catholics worldwide attend Sunday mass at a parish to remember God and is day to remember him. PRAYER There are many Catholic prayers and is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God. Catholics prayer is the personal and living relationship of the children with God. BIBLE STUDY Is the study of the bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS Evangelism relates to the evangel,latin evangelism and a mission is the authority and command send someone into a mission. ORDINATION Is the process by which individuals are consecrated. MARRIAGE Is a covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partneship of the whole life. |
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Social StructureThe social Structure for Christianity is as follows:
A POPE A pope is the supreme head of the Catholic Church. The two most important jobs of a pope is that He’s the bishop of Rome, which mean he has supreme jurisdiction all over the world. The Pope is also the head of the entire Catholic Church which means he directs the faithful around the world and he also elevates bishops who oversee the administrative territories knows as dioceses. His words are to be morally infallible. Any change in the theology of Catholicism must first be verified by the pope. The last three Popes where: John Paul II (October 1978-April 2005) which his personal name was Karol Jozef Wojtyla. He was the first Polish Pope he used to travel extensively and he was the third longest known reign after Plus IX and St Peter. Benedict XVI (April 2005- February 2013) whose personal name was Joseph Alois Ratzinger. He was the oldest to become pope since Pope Clement XII. Benedict XVI was the first pope to renounce the Papacy on his own initiative. Francis (March 2013- present) which personal name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Francis is the present pope and the first one born outside Europe. In total there was 265 popes 266 with Francis now and 35 popes that have been member of religious orders. BISHOPS Bishops are the Apostles of today, who hold the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine,sanctifying the world and for representing the Church. Each leads a diocese and special types of bishop are: A CARDINAL A cardinal have a extremely delicate responsibility because they are the Pope’s main advisers and they are also the ones who choose a new Pope. who is a member of the clergy appointed by the Pope to serve in the College of Cardinals. Cardinals also serve as papal advisors and hold positions of authority within the structure of the Catholic Church. A ARCHBISHOP A Archbishop is a bishop of higher rank and he also presides at the same time over the bishops of a district composed of simple diocese. MONSIGNORS A Monsignor has a higher rank than an ordinary priest, but his function and authority do not change. There are three types of Monsignors. -Protonotary Apostolic -Prelate of honor to his holiness -Chaplain to his holiness. PARISH BISHOPS Parish Bishops have three main responsibilities: -To teach people about the World of God. -To govern the needs of the local community as well as ensuring that church laws are observed. These laws generally relate to worship, preaching, administration of the sacraments, safeguarding the faith and morals of the faithful and religious instruction. -To sanctify, the bishop is responsible for ensuring that the sacraments are administered and has the special authority to ordain priests to confirm. |
SymbolsTHE CROSS
The most famous and widespread Christian symbol is the Cross. The Cross was seen as an instrument of torture and public humiliation in Roman times. In fact, for Christians today the Cross is a symbol not only for Jesus death but also of his Resurrection. CRUCIFIX The Crucifix is a Cross with the figure of the body of Jesus Christ attached to it. Is a very common Catholic symbol. It is placed on or above the altar where the Eucharist is celebrated. A Crucifix is a symbol of sacrifice. THE SACRET HEART The Sacret Heart is symbol of the love of Jesus for all of humanity. The heart is a symbol of love. This shows the depth of Jesus love and to remember that he was prepared to suffer and die for all people. His love is eternal. ALPHA AND OMEGA There are the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. Christ refers himself as the Alpha and the Omega, that is the first and the last as is in the book of revelation 22:13. These symbols are used at various times in the Church liturgical year. THE FISH One of the oldest Christian symbols was the fish. It was used by Christians to identify themselves, often in time of persecution. This symbol is the meaning of the acronym. THE DOVE The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. When Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, a dove descended on him. It symbolizes God’s grace THE LAMB One of the most important symbols of Christ is the Lamb. Christ as the Lamb of God is mentioned in the words of Mass. The whiteness of the Lamb symbolises innocence and purity. Lambs are often associated with sacrifice in the Old Testament. BREAD AND WINE/WHEAT AND GRAPES The symbols of wheat and grapes are often used to designate the Eucharist. Bread is the basic food of every culture and of every age. This is the sign Jesus used to describe Himself as the “Bread of Life”. Wine is associated with banquets, joy and celebration a give of God to gladden our hearts. The grapes, like the grains of wheat used for bread. This sign which Jesus used for His Blood, speaks to Catholics of give and of sacrifice. IHS AND CHI-RHO The letters IHS often appear on liturgy terms, is a shortened form of the Greek word of Jesus. Its also known as the Chi-Rho cross, the letters are usually inscribed one over to other. FLEUR DE LIS This is one example of a symbol of Mary. The whiteness and beauty of the lily is a symbol of the purity of Mary Immaculate. THE TRINITY its the union of three persons, God the Father, God the Son andGod the Holy Spirit in one Godhead, the doctrine of the Trinity does not appear in the bible, but it was developed by early church councils. |
Religious Experience
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