Eucharist

1.4. The ‘Theology of Encounter’ according to Pope Francis Christians should develop a ‘theology of encounter’. They can encounter God in the world specifically in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, and in other sacraments, in scripture, in the created universe, and in the community in which they live. My focus here is to encounter God in the sacrament of Matrimony. The word ‘encounter’ is a favorite word of Pope Francis. He used 32 times in his apostolic exhortation, “the Joy of the…

During the mid-1900s, Christian faith inspired both oppressors and supporters of the African-American struggle to attain equal rights. Christians almost universally support natural law, which deems all people created equally under God, but many Christians inconsistently espouse racism as well. Yet, those fighting for rights identified with Biblical figures, their conviction invigorated by faith. The black poet Gwendolyn Brooks did not believe in Christianity. Yet, in her works My Dreams, My…

He often challenges the strict rules of the Church which does not please other church leaders and devout Catholics. Very recently, a group of conservatives accused him of “...supporting ‘heretical positions’ on ‘marriage, the moral life and the Eucharist’”(Gallagher and Burke 1). The Pope is too progressive according to many of these conservatives. They do not believe he is leading the Church correctly. Pope Francis has persevered and is sticking to his own beliefs. Pope Francis is also unique…

Tradition is very important in the Catholic Church, its practices have not much changed since its origin. This religious body is the largest non-government provider of education and medical services in the world because its teachings emphasize support for the poor and the sick (Agnew, 2010). Despite these teachings, the Catholic Church has been criticized for its antiquated ways; including the way it perceives women. Some of the issues in the church regarding women include its doctrines on…

Young women prayed to saints’ shrines for the blessing of blonde hair (Saint Urbane) or a baby boy (Saint Felicitas) in the same manner that sorcerers employed spells. A common belief was that if churchgoers left the Eucharist in their mouths until they left the church premises, they would have magical powers. Church attendees also believed in the practicality of touching priest’s robes and ringing consecrated bells during thunderstorms to create fortunate circumstances…

parodies its commercialization, while Burgess attacks the mob mentality of religious people and Vonnegut explores the meaninglessness of religious practice. In Survivor, ‘the good people of Tender Branson Enterprises’ take the shameless commercialization of religion to hilarious extremes. This is illustrated by the tacky merchandizing of Tender’s religious fame such as ‘the Bible Diet…the book Money-Making Secrets of the Bible…The Tender Branson Dashboard Statuette.’ Tender himself is acutely…

The first group consists of hierarchy’s of priests and the rest consist of monks and believers. The highest order is not occupied by human being, but by the heaven and earth that are united. The order of Eucharist, Baptism and Anointing. These two hierarchy’s according to Pseudo-Dionysius, is where God enables humans to become purified, illuminated and perfected according to his will. In his will, it is in his plan for us to forever innocent. (New dictionary…

One of the strongest human drives is a desire for power. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Abraham Van Helsing is a classic example of this behavior. Throughout the novel, Van Helsing seeks to gain power over others believing that he is to carry out God’s message by ridding the world of evil. This is exemplified in his killing of Lucy Westenra, leading the other men to destroy vampires alongside him, and in introducing Catholicism into the lives of the English. By integrating himself into the circle of…

the country speaking, teaching, performing miracles and healing, which happened in the late 20’s AD. The second stage is about the post-resurrectional teachings by the apostles, and the Church's practices that grew out of preaching, such as the Eucharist. During these two stages of gospel formation, the gospels were orally transmitted through preaching. Stage three of the formation started when the disciples began to realise that Jesus may not come back in their lifetime, so they needed to…

Saint John Paul the second can be considered a hero because of his accomplishments, his five loves, and his life style. Saint John Paul the second was also a pope. He was also recently ordained a saint. Saint John Paul's real name was Karol Józef. When his mother was in labor, she heard the the sounds of people singing hymns in honor of the Virgin Mary across the street at the Church of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, and she said " open the window so the songs could be heard."All of…