Essays on Eucharist

In the ancient years, prior A.D 1054, there existed a single monolithic Christian church. During A.D 1054, there was an excommunication on the idea of the trinity between the patriarch of Constantinople and the pope; this resulted in a great schism (Lynch &Adamo, 2014). The Catholics emphasized on Trinity unity whereas the Orthodox claimed the personhood distinction of the Trinity. The great schism denotes a period in which the single Christian church separated into two core groups: the West Catholic Church and the East Orthodox Church. The two denominations share a significant number of beliefs and practices but also ...

Catholicism

Catholicism is a religious denomination that intrigues me by claiming to be a continuation of the early Christian ministry established by Jesus Christ and for the fact that it is far much the oldest Christian group today. It is a combination of several Catholic churches who share common doctrines, theology, and spirituality with the belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God. From my research, I was able to observe clearly all the rituals and rites performed at the Cathedral of Christ the Light Church in Oakland. Most importantly I shared this information with three priests Mark, James, ...

The ritual of marriage is a very important milestone in the life of an individual and, more so, in the life of an individual who is also a devout Christian. The Scripture often mentions the sanctity of marriage as well as the permanency of it in one’s life. Such descriptions have resulted in a dilemma for particular individuals who, for some unfortunate reason, have had to divorce and remarry. At present, Catholicism does not permit divorced individuals to remarry unless and until they have had their marriage annulled by the Church. While the Orthodox Catholic views on remarriage ...

http://www.euratlas.com/Atlas/northern_italy/ravenna_san_vitale.html San Vitale is an Early Byzantine centrally planned, octagonal church, used initially as a martyrium for the local martyr Vitalis. It is the most elaborate interlinking of the strands of politics, church, and art in Ravenna in Italy. Ravenna was the seat of Byzantine Italy until the 8th century. The basilica of San Vitale was built as part of the Justinian project to reform the Empire. Justinian’s major aim was the restoration of the former Empire. He inaugurated new programs in the fields of administration, army, justice, and architecture. His ambition was to fill the Empire with ...

Marriage in the Catholic Church has for a long time been considered a holy and sacred covenant that is made between two people in the presence of the Lord. This covenant establishes a partnership between a man and a woman, which is supposed to last for a lifetime. To mark the covenant, a sacrament of matrimony is given to the married couple to indicate their engagement and to seal their partnership in matrimonial living (Lawler 245). The couple will then together continue receiving the holy sacraments of the catholic community while in marriage. According to the bishops’ council, marriage ...

RESPONSE ENTRY

Arianism is typically considered as a form of Unitarian theology because it puts much stress on the unity of God from the Holy Trinity point of view. The explanation of how three different persons are united in one Godhead is a mystery to most individuals. Arius proclaims that God is unique and self-existence, hence He cannot be compared with God the Son. On the contrary, Nicene Creed teaches about the Trinity with equal existence. Furthermore, gnostic entails seeking a stronger relationship with God that makes every Christian to seek God continuously through a spiritual interaction, for example, prayers (Argyle ...

There are different rules and regulations in the Catholic religion to receive the Eucharist at a Catholic mass. The rules and regulations are strict, and only a few people fall in this category who can actually take the Eucharist. There is a question that needs further clarifications that can divorce and civilly remarried Catholics, whose first marriage has not been annulled, be able to receive the Eucharist at Catholic mass? Several critics and authors have discussed this point few have supported the point whereas few does not support this point. Therefore, the paper will present the argumentative discussion on ...

Last year I had an exciting experience of attending a Catholic church on the day of Maundy Thursday. It was the evening service. Everything was quiet and mysterious. The crucifix and the altar were decorated with the violet cloth and there were not any flowers in the church. People were kneeling and praying, touching their bids, whispering their prayers and some Latin words could be heard. The Holy Mass started. From the very beginning, it was quite ordinary. The people were singing and the priest with his ministers started the mass with the incense that was burned in the ...

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Abstract

According to a website called Adherents, there are approximately 4,200 religions in the world as of January 21, 2015 (Satterfield, 2016). Religion has been defined from the context of cultural systems, world views and beliefs which are represented by symbolisms that relate humanity to the spiritual aspect of their existence, and oftentimes may also include moral values (Bowker, 2006). Despite having the same overall nature, religions are distinguished based on their respective principles, practices, rituals and beliefs. This paper would like to focus on establishing the similarities and differences between two of the world’s biggest ...

We begin by reading a tragic denouement ending of Mark’s story. Jesus is arrested by the authorities and leads to desertion. Jesus second sermon speaks of powers that are toppled by Human. When Mark narrates the moment, disciples were caught off guard. The passion narrative is filled with execution. We cannot understand this message and the hope it bears unless we come to terms with terrible realism. Mark begins the Passion narrative with two stories where Jesus is the King and the other one a Banquet. Each prepares the reader for the tragic turn. The plot is about to take ...

Introduction

Catholic liturgy The liturgist Catholic liturgy: Mass. Role of the deacon in the liturgy Liturgy of the Eucharist In the absence of the priest Other forms of mass Other liturgical roles of the deacon. Discussion prompts 1: Liturgy Liturgy refers to public worship that conforms to a given religious group’s traditions, beliefs and customs. The term liturgy originally referred to “public work” or “service in the name of or on behalf of the people” (Vatican 1069). Often in Christianity, the liturgy refers to the standardized order of events in a religious ...

Introduction:

Eucharistic adoration The Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction Role of the Eucharistic adoration Introduction: Qurbono. Parts of the Maronite liturgy: Service of the word The Anaphora Role of Qurbono. Discussion prompts 2: Liturgy Adoration is man’s way of acknowledging that he is God’s creation (CCC, no.2628). Man pays his homage to the ‘King of Glory’ through adoration. Adoration comes with humility and shows our supplication (CCC, no.2628). Eucharistic adoration refers to honoring or doting Christ’s Eucharistic presence (Catholic church.org 1). Catholics are able to truly contemplate ...

Sacraments in St. Thomas Aquinas’ Major Summa (q 60/61/62/63/64/65) - What I Found That Is or Is Not Useful for Understanding Sacraments Today St. Thomas Aquinas is considered one of the Doctors of the Catholic Church because of his great theological contributions, and his philosophy has been so influential in Western civilization that he is also studied by seculars. One of his most important contributions was incorporating reason in the form of Aristotelian logic into the discussion of faith and religious tenants. In Summa Theologica, one of his most important works, he lists six major questions: “Of ...

Introduction

Eucharist is one of the rituals in the Roman Catholic Church. It denotes a celebration of the Eucharist liturgy of as commonly referred to, the mass. The start of this ritual can be traced back to the Last Supper. This is the night before Jesus was betrayed. Together with his disciples, Jesus instituted this ritual that entailed the Eucharistic Sacrifice. In this ritual, the Body and Blood of Jesus were sacrificed according to Catholic Catechism (Catholic Church 1323). The presence of Christ in the sacrament that was used in the altar, the Eucharistic ritual honors Christ through the worship of ...

Catholic theology views the sacraments as a Divinely appointed vehicle through which Christ’s grace is bestowed upon believers who reach out in faith. Based on its traditions and teachings, the Catholic Church regards the sacraments as more than mere symbols because Christ himself is the author of this system of dispensing grace. According to Kennedy (1912), sacraments, properly understood, “do not merely signify Divine grace, but in virtue of their Divine institution, they cause that grace in the souls of men.” In order to be valid, all seven sacraments must contain three vital elements, those being “the outward sign; ...

The Eucharist is considered the central and most important event for the Catholic community life ever since its inception. The event is celebrated in commemoration of the Christ’s sacrifice of his own life for the salvation of humanity, and it has been uniting believers in the communion since the Last Supper, during which Jesus Christ shared bread and wine with his disciples after saying thanks to God and proclaiming, “Take and eat; this is my body. Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many ...

The Eucharist had been surrounded by controversies and unresolved disputes between the representatives of different churches for over a thousand years. The priests, schoolmen and bishops disagreed on the connection between the bread and wine and the flesh and blood of the Christ; their disputes revolved around the procedural issues, and the impossibility of finding the common ground eventually led to the formation of different approaches toward the Eucharist and its elements. During the history of the Eucharistic liturgy, the number of people participating in it was gradually rising, while the level of the participation was falling down. Finally, the ...

Abstract

Modern science and medicine have influenced the healthcare industry in many ways. Modern science believes in the intervention rather than focusing on the spiritual factors that are associated with the disease or illness. It is important that the modern medicine realizes the importance of spiritual healing. With advancements in spiritual healing over the last 3 decades, spirituality has been introduced in modern intervention. General physicians and healthcare professionals are seeking more focusing on the spiritual needs of patients. Clinical studies have found that spirituality when combined with modern medicine improves the quality of life and increases the survival rate ...

Introduction

The most significant period in the history of Christianity was witnessed during the time of Jesus. After his triumphant ministry, Christianity later, with the support of leaders like Augustus Caesar, became a dominant religion in the larger Roman Empire. However, it later spread to different corners of the world mainly as a result of the early apostles. Today, Christianity is one of the major classical religions in the world (Crouch, J.E., 2000). However, it has had to deal with schisms which have divided into numerous denominations, sects and cults. Mostly, these have resulted from the different doctrinal positions held by each ...

PART I

Question 1 Christianity is the world’s most popular and largest religion with approximately 2 billion followers across the world. Christians follow the footsteps and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most Christians perceive Jesus Christ as the savior of humankind from their sins. The Christian religion is founded on the ecumenical creed from which Christian followers adhere and believe in one faith. Buddhism, on the other hand, has an approximate 370 million followers across the world. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha provided the teachings that formed the basis of Buddhism. The religion is believed to have various beliefs, and traditions ...

General outline of lessons:

Lesson 1: introduction of the general concept of sacraments. What they entail, and the general belief attributed to them.

Lesson 2: the sacrament of baptism and its relevance in the church

Lesson 3: the sacrament of Eucharist. The general concept of this sacrament and its associated ceremonial practices and its relevance Lesson 4: the sacrament of reconciliation. The meaning of this sacrament. The understanding of its symbolism and its relevance Lesson 5: the sacrament of confirmation. The relevance of this sacrament to the church, its associated ceremonial practices and its general meaning and value to the church Lesson 6: the sacrament of marriage. The implications of this sacrament ...

Introduction

The word Catholic Church was established in the year 110. However, opinions differ on the exact time that the church came to be established. The church was established on the doctrine of serving one God unlike other religious societies that had a number of gods such as the Greeks. It was organized under five patriarchs including the bishops of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. The Bishop in Rome was usually consulted in times of disputes. There were claims in Rome that Rome had connections with Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The Catholic Church at the time came to a unanimously ...

Introduction

There are many Christians that actually mark vital events that go on in the natural development of a human life in various ceremonies. Baptism is an important event in the bible. “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him”. (Matthew 3:13-17)These ceremonies are what normally provide an answer to the questions that people are asking in regards to life. Baptism is supposed give a reply to the questions and “what am I here for? and “who am I?”. (Senn 2001)Baptism is the ceremonial of starting into the Christian faith. A Greek word ‘baptizo’ ...

A Comparison of Updike’s Dog’s Death and Dubus’s A Father’s Story A Comparison of Updike’s Dog’s Death and Dubus’s A Father’s Story Upon first read, John Updike’s poem, Dog’s Death, and Andre Dubus’s short story, A Father’s Story, appear to have few similarities. In form, genre, disciplinary conventions, style, syntax, and mechanics, it would be easy to claim that the two pieces have nothing in common. Despite having many differences on the surface, after reading the two pieces, it is apparent that the subjects the ...

Introduction

Christianity has several denominations but in order to understand it well I would like to focus on the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is one or if not the oldest denominations of Christianity and also the most popular denomination. Due to its long historical background on Christianity it is an appropriate case study.so I visited St.Peters basilica church at around may this year and it was summer in the place with a friend of mine.at our time of visit the congregation was composed of generally everybody from the youth to the elderly.so we came across one of the altar boys ...

1. Discuss the Lay Investiture struggle and give its effects.

Lay investiture was a system in Europe where the kings and the noble lords used to appoint the church leaders such as bishops. The aim of these kings was to ensure that they would easily get any advice they required from the clergy. The people in the church usually accepted any religious leader who was appointed to them by these kings (Sherman, 123). These leaders also usually accepted their appointment by the kings. During the period, pope was given an authority that was not very clear to the people. The ...