The Worldview of Catholic Faith - Essay Example

Catholic Mass: A Reflection During the Liturgy of the word, God speaks to his people through the proclamation of the scriptures. There is a call from God for holiness in his children. God speaks to his people, as a community, to embrace the faith puts upon them. The explanation of the readings to the community takes place during the liturgy of the word. In essence, the readings from the scriptures explore the belief that the word of God is a living word. The believers accept to follow the rightful ways of God as per their faith. Through God’s word to his people, he nourishes their spirit. The communication of the word of God is through the readings from the scriptures. According to the word, Christ Jesus is present and continues to provide for those who abide by the word of God as communicated through the scriptures readings. When believers in faith make professions, they confirm their acceptance of God and consent to the beliefs. Silence prevails during the liturgy of the word. This enable the word of God descend into the hearts of the believer in faith for a comprehensive understanding. The process of proclamation of the readings from the scripture also requires silence, and so does the preaching of the homily require silence. During the liturgy of the word, the assembly gives an ear to the word during the proclamation through the reading from the scripture. It is notable that this task needs a comprehensive mastery, through practice. The assembly needs to master the proceedings and show keenness in the proceedings, articulating the sayings throughout the process. This is because the liturgy involves very important stages, only mastered through intense practice. The greatest point during the liturgy of the word comes during the reading of the gospel. All proceedings prepare the assembly for this peak. These include the time during proclamation and the time during the previous readings. The gospel readings and the other readings from the bible communicate the desires and sayings of God, through the living words of God. The homily plays a role in nurturing the understanding of faith in the believers. It also helps to nurture the believers’ understanding and view of the world. Homily, therefore, is a vital part of the liturgy of the word. The liturgy of the Eucharist emphasize on the altar, contrary to the liturgy of the word that emphasize on the lectern. During the liturgy of the Eucharist, here are three themes that dominate. Sacrifice, thanksgiving, and meal are dominant themes. The process starts with the giving of the gifts of bread and wine. The church provides their monetary offerings for purposes of providing support to the church. The offerings help the community as well as supporting other activities of the church. It shows the church’s expression of support for the activities. Believers bring offering forward after procession. These include bread and wine. The priest receives the offering from the people. This is a celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The beginning of Eucharistic actions is the taking. There is bread taking and blessing. Breaking and sharing follow, thereafter. Other early communities in the church referred to this the liturgy of Eucharistic as bread breaking. After receiving the gifts, the there is a request of prayer from the priest. The priest assumes the mandate to prepare the gifts. The priest says a prayer tuned in the format of the prayer made during the Passover meal. A drop of water added to the wine by the priest is symbolic of the ancient church’s beliefs. It shows togetherness between the humanity in Christ and the divinity. The hand washing of the priest symbolizes conformity with the Jewish leaders’ deeds prior to taking the ritual meal. The priest conducts prayer after that. He asks God for the washing away of iniquities. There is the Eucharistic prayer conducted by the priest. The prayer is symbolic and has an aspect of antedates Christianity. It emanates from the blessing prayer. In the prayer, there are thanks giving to God. This is for the marvelous gifts offered by God to the believers. The community recites the holy chorus. There is a longer prayer of thanksgiving that follows thereafter. The epiclesis occurs during this time. The priest says a prayer asking God to send his blessings. He reiterates the symbolic nature of the bread and wine as the blood of body and blood of Christ. He gives thanks, on behalf of the community. There is a link between the process and that of the last supper. The process involves the participation of the people. They need a perfect mastery of the proceedings. The people are part of the celebration. The anamnesis follows thereafter. In this section, there is the recollection of Jesus’ actions. Recollection brings a stronger sense of the present celebrating the past. This, therefore, presents a celebration of the command of Jesus for remembrance. The people, through the liturgy of the Eucharist, are able to reflect the, resurrection and ascension. During the memorial, the church forms part. The faithful receive the encouragement to offer spotless offerings, as well as offer themselves. This ensures that the union between God and the believers is ever strong. It is notable that in giving the offering, there is consideration of both the dead and the living christens. The celebration is both in heaven and on earth. The saints are part of the remembrance. The mass is in line with the theological ideals expressed by Cunningham (1987). According to Cunningham (1987), the traditional understanding of Christ plays a significant role in the in shaping the catholic understanding of the nature of humans. The taking of bread and wine as sacraments during the mass service is in line with this theological ideal by Cunningham (1987). Besides being a depiction of the traditional understanding of Christ, it is also a way through which believers show their understanding of human nature through its link to the blood and body of Christ. According to Cunningham (1987), there are diverse manifestations of the term community in catholic belief. It may imply the catholic society as a whole or, as well, may be a portion of the Great Church. The mass, therefore, is a depiction of the theological ideal of the community according to Cunningham (1987). There is a further theological ideal identified by Cunningham (1987) that considers the togetherness in church as a form of community. The mass, therefore, conforms to this theological ideal because the believers gather for the Sunday morning mass. Finally, in according to the view of Cunningham (as cited in Naugle, 2002), God is acts for the reference point for all finality. The readings during the mass take keen observation of this theological ideal. References Cunningham, L. (1987).The Catholic Faith: An Introduction. New York/ Mahwah. N.J.: Paulist Press. Naugle, D. (2002). Worldview: The History of a Concept. Michigan, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Read More