Eucharist

clarifies the third Commandment to “Keep holy the Lord’s Day.” Weekly attendance at Mass on Sundays is a requirement to being a Catholic. The second and third Precepts invite us to grow closer to the risen Lord through the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. The fourth Precept helps us to redirect our attention from earthly distractions back to our God. The last Precept supports the growth of local and missionary efforts of the church. The precepts teach us how to act as members of the…

The theme/text that I found enriching and challenging is Iconoclasm. Before this class, I had only heard a little-bit about icons, and I was ignorant and ambivalent about the controversy. I discovered through this class that icons are central to Eastern Christian theology and identity. For Eastern Christians, icons are used in religious contexts and also venerated by touching, kissing, bowing in front of them, and lighting candles—these Christians are iconophiles (icon lovers). Icons were…

tangible yet also call us deeper into the mystery of God, that mystery which ignites a desire for more. I have come to rely so deeply on the grace of the sacraments and have seen myself grow tremdously through frequent reception of Confession, and the Eucharist. Also, a greater understanding of the graces of Baptism and Confirmation have enabled to to take confidence in call to live joyfully and with purpose. I believe that for all Catholics, a sacramental life enables the encounter that is…

excitement. If I could do all of my favorite things in the limited amount of time you have during 24-hours, I would be bubbling with merry smiles and cheer. To start off the day I would first be going to Mass. I cannot yet receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but it is so exciting to at least be able to visit him. Even if he is in the tabernacle, and even if I cannot take communion, there is something special about visiting the presence of Jesus, truly and wholly. Preferably, I would attend a…

Prior to the Great Schism and the separation of Christians worldwide, there were many things that unified those that faithfully believed in Jesus Christ and His teachings. They were unified in belief and deed, save for some minor disagreements. Because of this, it is practically impossible that the results of the Great Schism, two disputing churches, are as distant from each other as they claim to be. Though highly controversial among modern-day Christians, the Western Catholic and Eastern…

Being Consumed helps Christians to understanding and criticising the globalised consumer economic situation of the present. It show cases how humanities economic structures of our present day are inadequate and faulty, and we as Christians need to question these systems and re-line ourselves to The Scripture and its principle. The author, William Cavanaugh, makes use of strong references to Christian resources, such as St. Augustine of Hippo and Hans Urs von Balthasar, to complete his augments…

It is though provoking to learn that many of the traditional beliefs that have implanted since I began learning about religion are inaccurate. Everyday, I have the opportunity to explore and broaden my perspective on the Catholic Bible. The information I have acquired still continues to question faith and facts. My knowledge of the Bible, continues to be altered every class. The traditional Christmas story that most of us have been brought up with is the one with Jesus being born…

such as abortion, homosexuality, and divorce. I think that the church needs to add doctrines and writings to help deal with modern problems. It is a weird belief for me to think that the Eucharist is not Jesus, just a symbol. But I think that if I was a peasant in the late sixteenth century, thinking that the Eucharist was just a symbol not actually Jesus would probably be easier to understand. It would be the same way that many heresies, like Arianism, gained followers because the Trinity is a…

The men and women I saw at St. Brendan Catholic church were from a diverse race. I saw a mixture of White, Black, Asian and Hispanic. The majority of the members seemed Asian. This made me realized that it was likely for an English church to have a diverse population than a non-English church because the English Language was common. In my Church, the services are in Spanish only which attracts mostly Hispanic people from central America, and Mexico. In St. Brendan church I saw how well the…

Luther also wrote On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church that denied transubstantiation during Eucharist and denied penance as a sacrament. I believe that Martin Luther greatly influenced the church with the Ninety-Five Theses but he fell short of influencing the church past that point. Partly due to his excommunication from the Church, I think that…