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An introduction to the Easter holidays
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Date On 20th April 2014, I attended Easter Sunday celebrations in the Roman Catholic Church. This is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the most important celebration in the Catholic Church; it can’t even be compared to the day Christ was born. Easter Sunday happens after forty days of fasting, this represents the suffering Jesus went through because of our sins at the cross. Good Friday comes prior to thanksgiving on Sunday; on this day we die spiritually with Christ on the cross and share on with his pain then rise up on Sunday and celebrate him.
I observed that on this Thanksgiving Day many people were in attendance you couldn’t compare with the normal mass. The celebrations are always lively as it marks a new change in our lives as Jesus died for our sins at the cross. The huge crowd sang praises songs, prayed and worshipped with a joyful mood. A survey that was taken a year ago showed that there is a decline in church attendance by 20% on regular mass by people unless on important occasions like Easter Sunday.
This can be explained by the recent survey that says that many Americans born Catholics have changed their denomination. It further says that one in ten American citizens in orthodox churches were once Catholics, this shows how the church membership is declining. Most of these Americans have moved to mega churches that have a high attendance rate as they believe the Catholic Church is still held up in the old era.
One could not fail to observe the joyful mood that was witnessed in the congregation. The congregation sang praise songs with an obvious happy mood, I was inspired with the mood and I joined the congregation in praising and worshipping God. Such days are rare to
Also, pre-1962, a Catholic Mass was very different. In a catholic mass prior to 1962, a priest would speak to the congregation in Ecclesiastical Latin and it was not practiced in the local languages. The people were not encouraged to participate. Practices such as Benediction, Novenas, and Rosary were practiced by the family as a whole. Benediction was on Friday nights where the whole family would attend. The novenas would be attended by children prior to important schooling events (held by the school itself) and the rosary was a family ac...
“Sharp decrease in number of Austrians leaving Catholic Church.” NCTimes. North County Times, Escondido, CA, 2011.Web. 18 December 2011.
I am a nondenominational Christian and I decided to attend a catholic mass. I attended mass at the Conversion of St Paul Parish on April 6, 2014. The preside was Father Senan Glass and the starting time was 10am. The Conversion of St Paul Parish’s location is 4120 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44103. The church was very big and the stain glass windows were beautiful. At first, I felt uncomfortable because I did not know where to sit or what to do. I really did not have an idea of what to expect. Everything seemed very formal and the service was easy to follow because of the bulletin I was given, which had the order of service on it. The service was concise and it only lasted about an hour.
While attending the Annunciation Orthodox cathedral’s high Mass, I think the church is beautiful, the architectures of the Church is fill with icons. The celebration is proper and formal. The singing and chanting are nonstop throughout the entire Mass including the constantly present of incense. The solemn procession that invited the faithful to participate in the celebration more
In 2000, Christians made up the majority of the population in America. Shown by the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS)...
... preparation of the celebration of Jesus’ birth and his second coming. This leads all the way up to Christmas Eve, and ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Then, Lent occurs: the preparation time that the believer takes to reflect upon their religious practices and values. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, and ends on Holy Thursday. Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the Easter Triduum. The Easter Triduum includes: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. The significance of the Easter Triduum is honoring: The Last Supper, death, burial, and resurrection. After the Triduum, Pentecost follows; during this time we honor the descent of the Holy Spirit, which is known as the Ascension of Jesus. After the Ascension of Jesus, we enter Ordinary Time. This Liturgical Season is followed closely by Catholics, this is a prime example of living out their faith.
...re more open to debate and discussion. Yet they are not open to changing their religion. Being Catholic is like some indelible mark that they have accepted and have no desire to change. It is a coat they have always worn and feel comfortable in; they do not look for any other, because, in their eyes, no other coat would fit or suit their needs. Cultural Catholics appear happy to bring up their children as Catholics and to send them to Catholic schools. They may have lost some confidence in the Church because of the scandals concerning the sexual abuse of children by priests and brothers, but they like the rituals and celebrations that surround baptisms, First Holy Communions, Confirmations, weddings, and funerals. Even those who rarely give much time or thought to the Church would find it difficult to forego these events or to celebrate them in a Protestant church.
The religious fanfare in America is overwhelmingly Christian. There appears to be a major increase of interest in spirituality. However, there is a vast difference in the devoutness of churchgoers in frequency of church attendance. The manner in which these individuals attend church is influenced by their ages and also whether or not they have endured difficult life situations. After attending a few church services, one becomes very aware of the various types of attendees. There are three types of churchgoer categories: the Never- Miss-a-Service Churchgoers, the Show-Up for Sunday Morning Service Churchgoers, and lastly, but certainly not the least, Holiday Churchgoers.
Americans, specifically, have ventured away from just Christianity and into new horizons. I believe that people have stopped following in their family 's footsteps of conforming to what is “acceptable” to their close family and friends. Realizing what they want to do with their lives and what religion is the best for them
Easter is a religious holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion about 2,000 years ago. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. In many churches, Easter comes after a season of prayer, abstinence, and fasting called Lent. This is observed in memory of the 40 days fast of Christ in the desert. In Eastern Orthodox churches, Lent is 50 days.
I think one of the main reasons people attend mass is to deepen their relationship with God and God. People look to God as a role model and they do their best to follow in his footsteps, even through hard times. Some Catholics feel that the closer they are with God the more he will understand and help them in their everyday lives. In a time of need help is always the answer to the problem. Some people believe that God's help is the best you can get, as he is the Almighty and can.
As I was attending mass, I noticed, it was very organized. There was a lot of sitting and standing, where I found myself struggling to understand. I noticed that they read some passages from the bible and sang a lot of psalms and hymns. The only thing that was familiar to me was the Eucharist.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a service that I got to attend that was different from my own religious tradition. I decided to go with my chosen topic because to be honest I had never experienced or thought to experience a different type of church service other than the one I grew up in. I grew up in a Christian home and attended a non-denominational Christian church on a regular basis. I just never felt the need to experience something that was different. So I decided to attend a mass at a Catholic church. I had been to weddings in a Catholic church and even funerals with a Catholic involvement but not an actual mass.
Each of these has tremendous significance, however Wright brings out the truth that Easter has lost much of its importance. Easter is a wonderful holiday in which many families come together and celebrate. Candy, easter eggs, rabbits, gifts, are all a part of common Easter celebrations. This is certainly not a bad thing whatsoever. However, what is really celebrated during this holiday? I believe many people know the basic story of the resurrection of Jesus, and know that is why Easter exists, yet it has lost its significance due to the over publicity and retailer corruption. By this I mean that the news has spread the celebration of Easter to all people, non-Christians and Christians. This would not be bad, however, by doing so non-believers are not aware of the importance and significance of Easter. The sole purpose for the news spreading this holiday is for pure commercialism, to provide retailers with more ways to gain profit. This is very corrupt. With all this happening the direct effect is loss of Easter’s meaning. In Wright’s book he brings this truth out. He explains how we need to be “Easter people”. To me this means that we need to give back the meaning of Easter. Easter is the story of the resurrection of Christ. If this did not happen, Christianity would not exist. The resurrection is important for several reasons. It shows the magnificent power of God, it foreshadows the resurrection of human beings, and shows us that God has defeated Satan. Just briefly we can see how important it is. We must live as Easter people and celebrate it in a deeper and more significant manner. By doing so we strengthen our own faith and we also are a testimony to others. Talking about resurrection can be a very uplifting topic, conversely death is not usually thought about in that same
I attended Mass at my local parish, the Parish of St. Francis de Sales, on Sunday, October 9th, in order to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This also happens to be the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time because the priest of the parish, Father Phan, wore green in order to symbolize life, anticipation for the coming of Christ, and hope. The liturgical season of Ordinary Time is also significant because it focuses on the fruits of Jesus’s three-year public ministry, his educational parables, and his extraordinary miracles. The season of Ordinary Time also serves as a reminder that the Church’s mission, our mission, is to not only share the life and hope of Jesus