The Eucharist and Transubstantiation

The Eucharist is the Catholic version of Communion; although it is very similar to other Christian communions, it has one key belief that changes the complexity of it: transubstantiation. Transustantiation is the belief that the Priest literally changes the bread into the body of Jesus disguised as bread, the wine turns into the blood of Jesus. Other Christians make the bread and wine symbols of Jesus' body and blood, not believing it is literally his. It makes the Eucharist seem much more real and important in the Catholic faith.

"'The Eucharist Christ." Contender Ministries. 27 Oct 2005. Contender Ministries. 21 Oct 2007 .http://www.contenderministries.org/Catholicism/eucharist.php

Tree Map

Purgatory

Another belief that separates Catholics from other Christian religions is their belief in Purgatory. Purgatory is an in-between stage of physical death and entering Heaven where the soul is torchured and rid of all sins gained. Catholics say that Purgatory is different for each person depending on how much sin they have in their life. Catholics also believe that people can shorten the time a soul is in Purgatory by simply praying for it. They also believe that souls in Purgatory can talk to people in an "intercession." Other Christian religions believe that Purgatory is unbiblical, stating that there is no real scriptural proof to say its real. However it does not change the fact that Purgatory separates Catholicism from other Christian religions.

"Catholicism-Purgatory." Contender Ministries. 27 Oct 2005. Contender Ministries. 21 Oct 2007 .
http://www.contenderministries.org/Catholicism/purgatory.php

Holidays

Ash Wenesday- First Day of Lent
Good Friday- Death of Jesus
Lent- 40 Days and 40 nights Jesus spent in the Dessert
Easter- Ressurection of Jesus
Christmas- Birth of Jesus

Information from www.mqp.org/masses/CatholicHolidays

The First Pope

After Jesus assigned Paul the responsibility to establish the Christian church, Paul traveled to Rome, where he became the first Pope. After Paul’s death, he passed on the role as Pope to the next generation, which was St. Peter (30 to 67 CE), who passed it on to Linus (67 to 76), and then Clement of Rome (88 to 97) etc.. With Peter as the Pope, Jesus’ Apostles became ordained bishops, and when they died, they ordained new bishops. This line of succession created the Roman Catholic Church as a functioning operation.
Even though this system was put into play, it took many years for the church to be taken seriously and establish common teachings. For instance Pope Leo I (400 to 461 CE) was the fist to say that the bishop of Rome was the highest ranking of the bishops of the church. Before that the Pope could not solely speak for the church, all of the bishops had to settle issues together. This form of hierarchy explains a lot about the building of the church systems, but also it demonstrates the traditions and politics of the Roman Catholic Church.

Information provided by: http://www.religioustolerance.org/rcc.htm

The Virgin Mary

Roman Catholicism has a unique belief in Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. Most Christian religions believe that Mary was a virgin and gave birth to the One who would be the Son of God. Catholicism takes this a step further. One example is that she was visited nightly by angels as a child in the temple, showing the early interest God had in her. Another example is that Catholics believe that she was born and lived without sin. Because of this, she never really physically died and was raised straight into heaven. The last example is that she never had children before and after Jesus was born. Most Christian religions believe in this first part; Catholics are the only ones to believe the latter. Because of this, Catholics believe Mary is almost as much of a God-like figure as Jesus is, however is not truly in the ranks of a God.

"Catholicism-Mariology." Contender Ministries. 27 Oct 2005. Contender Ministries. 21 Oct 2007 .
http://www.contenderministries.org/Catholicism/mariology.php

The Founding of Catholicism

The apostles of Jesus Christ formed the Christian Church. They helped spread God’s word and provided structure for the new religion. It is hard to differentiate between the Roman Catholic Church and the early Christian church. The church became the Roman Empire’s official religion in 380, and remained this way until 1054 when Eastern Orthodox separated itself and became a new religion. At that time Catholicism was officially created, as was Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In past and present day, Roman Catholicism was believed by its followers to be the only true Christianity, and all branches of Christianity that have formed since then are imperfect versions of this universal religion, the religion created through the disciples by God.

Source: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/roman_catholicism.html

Image from: http://www.catholic.net/RCC/Image_Bank/Basilica.gif

Jesus' Teachings

Jesus’ parables, found in the New Testament, also called the Synoptic Gospels, embody much of Jesus’ teachings. A parable is a brief, concise story that illustrates a moral message using human actions to educate. Jesus preached frequently, and told parables to coax his listeners to pay attention and involve them in interpretation. An example of a very well known parable is found in Luke 15: 11-32, The Prodigal Son. This is the story of a man who has two sons. The younger son takes his inheritance while his father is alive and spends all of his inheritance with rebellious living. Finally, after working as a lowly swine herder, the younger son returns to his father and begs for mercy. His father greets him with open arms and forgives him without question. The father even arranges a celebration and uses the fatted calf to show his joy at his son’s return. The older brother is jealous and angry at his father’s easy forgiveness, and chastises him for his favoritism. His father responds by saying that he is thankful that his eldest son remained by his side, but he cannot help but celebrate the homecoming of his youngest son because “thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.” This parable can be interpreted many ways; one meaning however, is that you must forgive easily and quickly because no one is without sin.

Information from: http://www.jesusteachings.com/

Image from: http://www.bibletimelines.org/Jesus_preaching.jpg

Establishment of some traditions

These are some important Catholic traditions and when they were established.

431- Infant baptism renews the soul established

593- Sins need to be purged established by Pope Gregory I

600- All prayers must be directed towards Mary, dead saints, and angels

786- The cross and other images and relics now need to be worshiped

1000- Attending mass was now mandatory with punishment being mortal sin

1079- Priests must now be celibate as instituted by Pope Gregory VII

1090- Rosary invented by Peter the Hermit

1184- Inquisition begins

1190- The sale of indulgences begins

1215-Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III

1545- Traditions became just as important as bible due to the Council of Trent

1854- Mary's conception proclaimed immaculate by Pope Pius IV

1870- Pope proclaimed infallible by Vatican council



Information from http://www.pro-gospel.org/01/ea-013.php

The Early Church

After Jesus' resurrection, Peter took it upon himself to travel the world to spread the teaching of Jesus. As Peter traveled he told people of the miracles Jesus performed, such as turning water into wine, and walking on water. Peter not only told people of what Jesus did, but of his unconditional love he had for everyone. Peter taught people how to live the word of Jesus and if they did this, they would have a life of eternity with God and Jesus by their side. At this time Jesus' followers were seen by the Romans as a rebellious cult, and dangerous. Because of this early Christians were forced to have secret, underground meetings to discuss and share the teachings of Jesus Christ, those first meetings became the first church.

Information from: http://www.earlychurch.com/index.php

Photo from: http://www.ldicn.org.uk/upload/public/docimages/Image/f/h/m/Jesus-dies-on-cross-prose.jpeg

7 Sacraments

There exist seven catholic sacraments. “Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification” according to http://www.gotquestions.org/seven-Catholic-sacraments.html. The seven sacraments go as follows:



Baptism- People are purified through the means of water
Penance- Individuals are freed of sins committed after Baptism
Eucharist- The celebration of bread and wine being turned into the body and blood of Christ as well as the celebration of mass.
Confirmation- Strengthens bond between one’s soul and God.
Matrimony- Unification of man and woman.
Holy Orders- Vows to lead other Catholics by bringing them the sacraments.
Anointing of the Sick- Spiritual and physical strength during an illness





Information was taken from
http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/YU/ay0404.asp

In The Beginning

Throughout Jesus' life his identity as God's son was challenged because of his kindness to outcasts in society. Because of his overwhelmingly kind nature, he acquired many followers, twelve of them being his disciples. These twelve disciples for the most part stayed by his side to the cross. The night before his crucifixion they broke bread and shared wine, thus creating the Holy Communion. After Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples, mainly Peter, took it upon themselves to spread the word of Christ.

Information from: Bible Study at Christ Presbyterian Church
http://jesusteaching.swami-center.org/

The Twelve Disciples

The twelve disciples were Jesus’ closest followers. They were commissioned by Christ himself to spread his word and the miracle of his resurrection. The twelve men were:
Simon (called Peter) - Simon - Judas Iscariot - Andrew - James - John - Philip
Bartholomew - Thomas - Matthew - James - Thaddaeus

Information from: http://www.gotquestions.org/twelve-apostles-disciples-12.html

Image from: http://www.cicsworld.org/blogs/jngant/909-Last-Supper-Large.jpg