Catholicism: Practices Flashcards
What is meant by the sacramental nature of reality ?
finding the Grace of God in the physical world
What is a sacrament (quote from CCC) ?
“an outside sign of an inward gift… give grace”
What are the three sacraments of initiation ?
- baptism
- confirmation
- the Eucharist
What does Baptism do, and what symbolism is used ?
- gives sanctifying grace
- cleanses of original sin
- a sign of God’s forgiveness and love
- water to wash away sin
- chrism oil as sign of being chosen by God
- candle for Jesus’ light
What does Confirmation do, and what symbolism is used ?
- increases sanctifying grace
- strengthens faith
- signals that one is a mature, active Christian
- in it, recite baptismal promises and choose a new name to show that one is taking responsibility for their own faith in God
- oil used to echo baptism
- outpouring of the Holy Spirit (7 fruits of the HS given (courage, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fear of God, piety)
What does the Eucharist do, and what symbolism is used ?
- unites one w/Christ via transubstantiation of wine and bread to become his actual body and blood
- gives spiritual strength
- is described as the “sacrament of sacraments” (CCC)
What does Reconciliation do, and what symbolism is used ?
- removes sin and allows someone to be closer to God and re-establish the relationship
- in sacrament: confession, contrition (prayer expressing sorrow for sins), resolution to avoid sin, absolution of sins in the name of the Trinity, given acts of penance to do
What does Anointing of the Sick do, and what symbolism is used ?
- gives strength, comfort and preparation for death
- lay hands on the sick, pray over and anoint (reminds of baptism/being chosen by God)
What does Matrimony do, and what symbolism is used ?
- joins a couple under God
- gives grace, strength and familial foundations
- binding vows, no divorce
- rings symbolise eternal nature of the couple’s involvement with God
What does Holy Orders do, and what symbolism is used ?
- technically also a sacrament of initiation, but not required by every Catholic
- gives responsibility for the souls of others as well as increasing sanctifying grace
- laying of hands, prayer for consecration, Holy Spirit present, anointing of hands, ring (eternal), stole (reminder of role as shepherds of the faithful, as well as the Church hierarchy and being a rep. of Christ)
Give 3 opinions of different Christian groups on sacraments.
- Catholic: eucharist, baptism and confirmation are essential, others are still important
- Orthodox: same as Catholics
- Protestant: baptism and eucharist are important, others are less important and sometimes are not recognised as sacraments, rather as ‘ordinance’
What is liturgical worship ?
Liturgical worship is structured, public worship such as Mass.
What is the structure of the Mass ?
- Entrance procession
- Gathering (the sign of the cross)
- Greeting (priest greets the congregation in Christ’s name and wears vestments to act in persona Christi (in the place of Christ))
- Penitential Rite (invites all to think of their sins for forgiveness from God)
- Opening prayer
- the Liturgy of the Word
- the Gloria (on Sundays and feast days (praising God))
- the Liturgy of the Eucharist
- Concluding Rites (the Collect (concluding prayer) and Dismissal + Blessing)
Why is the liturgy important (CCC quote) ?
“It is in the liturgy, especially in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, that the work of our redemption is accomplished.”
What two things almost always happen in the Mass ?
- the Eucharist
- the Liturgy of the Word
What does the Liturgy of the Word entail ?
- readings from the Old and New Testaments as well as the Gospels linked to the time in the liturgical calendar
- the Homily (explanation of readings and how they apply to daily life)
- recitation of the Creed on Sundays and feast days
- Prayers of the Faithful
What does the Liturgy of the Eucharist entail ?
- Preparation (hosts + wine brought to the altar by altar servers)
- Eucharistic prayer in the name of the Trinity (transubstantiation takes place here)
- Communion Rite (Eucharist given to congregation)
Why is the Eucharist the most important sacrament (CCC quote) ?
“the source and summit of Christian life”
Why are other Christian denominations less structured in their worship ?
- believe structure can inhibit connection to God
- more focus on the Bible than the sacraments etc.
Why is there a funeral rite in Catholicism ?
- reminder of belief that death is not the end of life and that earthly life is a ‘pilgrimage’
- it is a liturgical sign of love and respect for the deceased
- brings comfort to the bereaved (more for the alive than the deceased as the deceased are judged immediately after death)
- communion with the deceased
What happens in the funeral rite ?
- vigil kept at home or in Church the day before the funeral (the deceased in a coffin for visits, and often there are services of prayer, songs and the homily)
- funeral liturgy (of the Word) in the Church OR a Requiem Mass (encouraged by the Church because of the Eucharist being a reminder of Christ’s death and sacrifice etc.)
- Rite of committal and commendation at the cemetery or crematorium (prayer of commendation and goodbyes are said)
What is prayer ?
communication with God (privately, publicly, silently, actively, receptively; however)
What are the 5 types of prayer ?
- adoration (glorifying God)
- intercession (praying for someone else)
- thanksgiving (giving thanks to God)
- repentance (asking for forgiveness for sins)
- petition (asking for something)
What does the CCC regard as the most important prayer (quote) ?
“The Lord’s prayer is the most perfect of prayers.”
Why is the Lord’s prayer the most important for Catholics and other Christians ?
- Jesus used it to teach the disciples how to pray
- a prayer of petition
- formal prayer
What are the two overarching types of prayer ?
- formal
- informal (spontaneous)
Why do people pray ?
- to build a relationship with God
- to meditate on difficult decisions/days/times
- to repent
- to give thanks to God
- to ask God for grace or strength etc.
What is popular piety ?
non-liturgical worship
What does Vatican II say about the importance of popular piety (quote) ?
“spiritual life… is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy.”
What are 8 examples of popular piety ?
- monthly novenas (9 days of public prayer)
- group prayer
- Biblical prayer
- pilgrimage
- veneration of sacred items/relics
- the Rosary
- the Stations of the Cross
- Eucharistic adoration
What is the Rosary ?
- a set of formal prayers done with the accompaniment of rosary beads as a focus (differently sized beads represent the different prayers on some rosaries)
- 1 Lord’s prayer
- 10 Hail Mary prayers
- 1 Glory Be
it is described as a “way of going to Christ through Mary”
What are the Stations of the Cross and how many are there ?
- 14 of them
- describe the stages in Jesus’ journey to be crucified
- honours the passion of Christ
- at each station, Catholics reflect on Christ’s suffering
- Anglicans, Methodists and Lutherans also have the SotC in their churches
What is Eucharistic adoration ?
- consecrated host placed in a monstrance and prayed to/worshipped/adored
- genuflection on one knee before doing so
- some Lutherans and Anglo-Catholics do this too
What is a pilgrimage ?
a journey to a religiously significant place
Why do people go on pilgrimages ?
- to set aside time for God
- to meet and feel a part of the global Christian community and thus strengthen their faith in that way
- in hopes of healing miracles
- to travel and see more of God’s Creation
What are some downsides of pilgrimages ?
- the areas of pilgrimage sites are often very commercialised and materialistic
- lots of tourists and noise can make it difficult to focus on God
- can be very expensive for some people
- can be very inconvenient in terms of work and their own daily life back at home
Is pilgrimage mandatory in Catholicism/Christianity ?
No
What are some popular pilgrimage sites and why ?
- Walsingham (a vision of the Virgin Mary, nicknamed Our Lady of Walsingham here, showed Mary’s house in the vision)
- Lourdes (vision of the Virgin Mary to St. Bernadette (young girl); led to a grotto with flowing water that possessed healing qualities)
- Rome (the place where Jesus died and where his Church began)
- St Peter’s Basilica (burial place of St. Peter, the first Pope)
- Guadalupe (vision of the Virgin Mary here)
- Bethlehem (birthplace of Jesus)
- Jerusalem (where Jesus spent most of his life)
- Nazareth (Jesus’ childhood home)
Who should be a “whole human family” and where is this quote from ?
- Catholics
- CCC
What are the 7 key Catholic Social Teachings ?
- there should be a preferential option for the poor
- everyone is entitled to human dignity
- there should be dignity for workers
- call to family/community participation
- human rights + their protection
- solidarity with all people (referred to as being ‘Catholic’)
- Stewardship
What is CST ?
rules for how Catholics should strive to create a society that provides justice, peace and reconciliation, inspired by Jesus’ two Great Commandments
What is peace defined as in Gaudium et Spes (quote) ?
“peace is not merely the absence of war… it is rightly and appropriately called an enterprise of justice”
What are the 7 corporal works of mercy that fulfill CST ?
[] feed the hungry
[] give drink to the thirsty
[] bury the dead
[] visit the sick
[] clothe the naked
[] shelter the homeless
[] visit the imprisoned
What are the 7 spiritual works of mercy that fulfill CST ?
[] instruct the ignorant
[] counsel the doubtful
[] pray for the living and the dead
[] admonish sinners and correct those who err
[] comfort the afflicted
[] forgive offences willingly
[] bear wrongs patiently
What are the individual actions Catholics can take to fulfill CST ?
- 7 works of corporal mercy
- 7 works of spiritual mercy
- almsgiving
What is CAFOD ?
- Catholic Agency For Overseas Development
- Catholic charity that carries out CST
What is CAFOD’s mission statement (quote) ?
“Inspired by Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching and the experiences and hopes of people living in poverty, CAFOD works for a safe, sustainable and peaceful world.”
What are the two ways in which CAFOD describes the nature of its work ?
- rooted in the Catholic community (though aids all)
- being global neighbours through battling injustice, poverty, famine etc.
What work does CAFOD do ?
- helps disadvantaged communities to help and sustain themselves long-term
- provides immediate aid in times of crisis, war, famine, disease and so on
- works against climate change
- raises awareness for those in need and Catholicism
- works for social justice
What is the CCC’s definition of Catholic mission and evangelism’s purpose ?
“The ultimate purpose of mission is none other than to make men share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love.”
What was the mission of the Son and the Spirit ?
- Jesus’ mission = to save humanity/the world
- Spirit’s mission = to build the Church and the Kingdom of God
What was the commission of Jesus (quote from Bible) ?
“make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
How is the commission of Jesus continued in modern day ?
- evangelism
- missionaries travel globally to spread the Word of God to communities who have less chance of hearing it naturally
- new evangelism (evangelism of the secular world who have heard the Word but have lost interest)
What is evangelism ?
- spreading the Word of God
- NOT forced conversion to Christianity
How does the whole Church carry out mission locally ?
- celebration of Mass and other services
- parishes engage with other Christians for justice, social cohesion and the common good (CST)
- local diocesan newspapers
How does the whole Church carry out mission nationally ?
- national bishops’ conferences to promote sharing of evangelical knowledge
- national initiatives like building missionary parishes to encourage parish evangelisation
- national Catholic publications like the Tablet
How does the whole Church carry out mission globally ?
- Gospel proclaimed by the Pope and media
- international charities like CAFOD
How do individual Catholics carry out mission locally ?
- choice of career shows love of Christ for the world in a certain way
- oral/written communication
- being a Catechist, charity worker or missionary
- heeding the vocation of marriage and family life
How do individual Catholics carry out mission nationally ?
- attend national Catholic events
- speak at national Catholic events that link vocation (career) with faith
- attend national workshops on Catechesis (teaching classes for confirmation and holy communion)
How do individual Catholics carry out mission globally ?
- vocations that involve sharing the Gospel etc. globally
- attending global Catholic events to share in and learn about faith
- writing, creating, using and engaging in global Catholic and Christian media
