Showing posts with label Catholic Teachings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic Teachings. Show all posts

Sacraments of the Catholic Church

by getBC on A Better Catholic 0 comments Posted in:

I have come across this blog, American Catholic and have read this article about the Seven Holy Sacraments.  Though I am a pure Catholic, I am not very much aware of this Catholic teachings.  Check out the post and let's have another learning for a better Catholic understanding.
 


The Latin word sacramentum means "a sign of the sacred." The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence. That's what theologians mean when they say that sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God's grace.

Baptism
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God.

  
 
Eucharist
Catholics believe the Eucharist, or Communion, is both a sacrifice and a meal. We believe in the real presence of Jesus, who died for our sins. As we receive Christ's Body and Blood, we also are nourished spiritually and brought closer to God.

   
 
Reconciliation

The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Penance, or Penance and Reconciliation) has three elements: conversion, confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a result we are called to forgive others.

 
 
Confirmation
Confirmation is a Catholic Sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. It is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation for Catholics. It is most often associated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 
 
Marriage
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values.

 
 
Holy Orders
In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, or Ordination, the priest being ordained vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), by proclaiming the Gospel, and by providing other means to holiness.

 
 
Anointing of the Sick
The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Last Rites or Extreme Unction, is a ritual of healing appropriate not only for physical but also for mental and spiritual sickness.
 
 
 
On my next posts I will try to find more easy to understand articles so we can learn more about these individual sacraments. 

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The Catholic Church

by getBC on A Better Catholic 0 comments Posted in:

 From Wikepedia, the term "Catholic" was derived from the Greek word καθολικός (katholikos), which means "universal" or "general", was first used to describe the Church in the early 2nd century.[12] The term katholikos is equivalent to καθόλου (katholou), a contraction of the phrase κατὰ ὅλου (kata holou) meaning "according to the whole."[13] Thus the full name Catholic Church roughly means "universal" or "whole" church.

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, reporting more than a billion members.[1] Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ,  administering the sacraments and exercising charity.

The Catholic Church is among the oldest institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilisation.[5] It teaches that it is the one true Church founded by Jesus Christ, that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles and that the Pope is the successor to Saint Peter.

Catholic doctrine maintains that the Church is infallible when it dogmatically teaches a doctrine of faith or morals.  Catholic worship is centred on the Eucharist in which the Church teaches bread and wine are supernaturally transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ.

The Church holds the Blessed Virgin Mary in special regard. Catholic beliefs concerning Mary include her Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption at the end of her earthly life.

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