Sacraments of the Catholic Church

The Council of Trent spanned a lengthy 18 years (1545-1563) and proved to be one of the most significant of the 21 ecumenical councils convened in Church history. Despite the import of an historical event which influenced Catholic teaching for years to come, little work has been written on this particular council. However, Fr. John O’Malley, S.J., has presented a detailed recounting of this remarkable event in his book, Trent: What Happened at the Council, published by the Belknap Press of…

the Catholic Church was the subject to ample criticism and displeasure especially among low income families. The Great Schism or separation of the Roman Catholic Chruch into east and west, brought about feelings of distrust to a climatic level. Citizens all across Europe were began to lose their faith in the church's leadership especially with the Pope. A man Martin Luther who had spent his life dedicated to the monastery lifestyle ignited a collection of people who whispered that the Church had…

Luther's new insight into the New Testament did not immediately lead him to protest against Church doctrine, according to Gonzalez, he also indicates that Luther did not appear to realize that his discovery was a "radical contradiction" that went against the "entire penitential system." After receiving revelation from Romans 1:17 and his conversion, his heart revealed the truth in how the idea of the Catholic Church was selling indulgences or reprieves from penance; evidently, this was…

Throughout the history of Christianity, the use of birth control has been a very controversial subject. Pope Paul IV decided to appoint a special commission to reevaluate the prohibition on birth control the Catholic Church had for a very long time. When Pope Paul IV spoke in 1968, he did not say what people wanted to hear and what people expected. His views on birth control were very different from what was considered the status quo. In the encyclical, Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul IV strongly…

authority over them. Luther believes this to be a lie, where in fact it is the exact opposite, the temporal state has authority over the spiritual. He supports this by claiming all Christians are spiritually equal, destroying the hierarchy within the Catholic church. He also uses scripture, specifically Romans 13:1-4 which states, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, … for so is the will of God.” Because God wishes for us to abide by the laws of man, the temporal…

writing to you today to request to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. I want to be confirmed because I want to deepen my relationship with Jesus. I want my Catholic Faith to always be a big part of my life, and I know that Confirmation will give me the grace that I need to keep it like that.I have done a lot of work in preparation for Confirmation. I began my preparation in 7th grade, reviewing important information about Jesus, the Bible and the Church. I have finally chosen my Confirmation…

the 16th century transformed Christianity forever. Provoked for change by the exploitation and abuses they saw in the Roman Catholic Church, leaders and pastors such as Martin Luther and John Calvin organized an effort that would soon alter Christianity and ultimately lead to the emergence of the Protestant denominations that exist today. These leaders believed that the church had drifted away from the crucial original teachings of Christianity, most importantly the understanding of salvation,…

press, including the Bible and the writings of early church philosopher Augustine. Martin Luther, a monk and a theology professor at Wittenberg University, shared Augustine’s two central beliefs that the Bible has ultimate religious authority and that humans cannot reach salvation by their own acts. These beliefs would later become the basis of Protestantism. On October 31, 1517, Luther posted a paper of 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This small task became a kickoff…

priest. Because of his knowledge of the scriptures, he recognized the way the church misled the people. Typical of the Middle Ages, the church often used their knowledge to misrepresent scripture. They collected money for both the church and their own pockets. They interpreted scripture to best support their own causes. Because common people didn’t read, they had no way to verify what scripture said. These were men of the church; they should have integrity. Luther recognized…

The Council of Trent was meeting of bishops of the Catholic Church held between the ages 1545-1563.The founder of the Council of Trent was Pope Paul III, The council of Trent only lasted eighteen years the first meeting was held in December of 1545. All together seven hundred Bishops could have attended the council at the start but only thirty one showed up along with fifty Theologians (An expert or a person who engages in Theology).Near the final sessions of the Council about two hundred and…