Growth
In this section we talk about the Church, the Sacraments and how both help us to grow in faith, keep us on the right path through the ups and downs of life, and strengthen us on the journey.
The Church
Do I need to go to church?
The thing is, the Church does tell us we need to attend Mass in Church. Like God with our first parents, they don't tell us this to stop us having fun on Sundays, they instruct us because they know it is what we NEED in order to stay the course toward heaven!
Life is tough, and there are a lot of obstacles and trials on the way, there is also a lot of temptation in things that seem to us harmless, but ultimately aren't great for us. I'm back to chocolate ... its good to enjoy in small quantities, but taken out of proportion, its going to reek havoc on my health.
The church is a little bit like our Spiritual health coach, but far more important. Our physical bodies will fade one day, no doubt! But our souls will have eternal life in one form or another.
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Jesus didn't leave us a Bible, he left us a Church, and He left His authority with His Church and Jesus is still the head of that same Church!
Jesus gave the keys of His Kingdom to St Peter, our first pope
(Matthew 16 :17-19)
The Pope and the clergy all have what we call unbroken apostolic succession, which means that their authority can be traced all the way to Jesus. As Jesus gave authority to His Apostles, the Apostles each passed that authority down to their own successors, and this line continues unbroken right up to our current clergy! Isn't that incredible?!
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As Jesus taught, so the church teaches us to ensure that we have all the tools, information and graces necessary to make it one day to our heavenly home.
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So the church is made up of clergy, the pope, the cardinals, the bishops, the priests, deacons, religious and lay people (that's you and me), all make up The Church, and like any family, we all have our own special roles within it. The pope and bishops and their various offices are charged with preserving the faith that Jesus left us. That's why often the church can not change certain teachings, because they do not have the authority to 'change' what Jesus left, only preserve it.
The lay people like you and I have the 'commission' to share Gods love, Gospel and message of salvation with everyone, so that everyone has the opportunity to hear the saving message of Jesus.
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The Sacraments
Outward signs and symbols of Gods grace
When Jesus handed His authority onto His church, He also left the church with 7 very important Sacraments to help us on our journey toward Sainthood.
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A Sacrament is a physical sign and symbol, that confers an actual supernatural gift what we call 'grace'.
So like our earthly bodies would start to breakdown without food or water, so our souls struggle without these special graces which are our spiritual sustenance.
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Let me explain! Lets take Baptism for instance, this is one of the Sacraments. The water and action of pouring the water whilst saying certain prescribed words is the 'outward symbol' or action. However the supernatural grace, is that we become through this Sacrament, sons and daughters of God where we are marked by the Holy Spirit.
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Think of it like this. I could put on some gym clothes and running shoes, but unless I actually exercise, I will not get the benefit of getting fitter. The Clothes and shoes are the required 'items (the water)', the action of exercising is the 'prescribed action (the words said and by who)', and improved fitness is the 'result or gift your body grants you' (grace). Its a really imperfect analogy, but I wanted to try and explain in terms you might be familiar with.
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There are 7 of these special Sacraments
Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation
Sacraments of Healing - Reconciliation & Anointing of the Sick
Sacraments of Christian Vocation - Marriage & Holy Orders
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We have sessions on all of these, where they originated, the symbols and signs for each, and the grace conferred through each.
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Worship
Does God really care how we worship?
So do we need to worship at Mass or in a prescribed way? Well let me tell you why the answer is yes!
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In the old testament God revealed an entire book of the Bible 'Leviticus' on every detail of how the people of God were to Worship. When, how, using what ingredients, instruments, and who should do what, down to the exact sizes of everything. A whole book!!! This shows us, that it matters to God how and when we worship Him.
Whats more, in the new testament, Jesus Himself, both God and man, expanded on the teaching and showed them how He wanted them to worship going forward at the last supper. He makes it clear that we should continue to do worship in this way.
So in both the old testament and new, God Himself reveals how we should worship.
Not to mention the early Christians and apostles record that they also worship the same way in the Acts of the Apostles.
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This form of worship is still what the Catholic Mass is today.
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There are other ways to worship, that we can practice to 'compliment' the Mass, but it can not replace it.
It is so important that the church imposes on Catholics an 'obligation' to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy days of obligation, and not to do so -without good reason (illness etc) is a mortal sin.
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The in person courses we will have several sessions on the Mass which are absolutely amazing! They explain in depth why we do things, why the priest wears what he wears, why everything is positioned where it is and what it all means. It is a revelation!
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Church Buildings
Why are they so ornate?
Catholic churches are sacred places. Everything inside the building has a deeper symbolic significance than it first seems.
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Everything is there to point to the divine. They guide us to lift our minds and hearts to God and heaven, and they are full of theological meaning,
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Traditionally churches were built in the shape of a cross, and used light and geometry to create not only beautiful buildings, but places that feel sacred, peaceful and different from normal architecture.
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They use art, paintings, icons, statues, stained glass and even design acoustics to enhance our understanding, appreciation and senses, and elevate our worship.
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The ceiling or roof of the building is traditionally shaped like the inside of a bow of a ship called the ark of Peter and reminds us also of the ark that saved Noah and his family.
They are also representative of the firmament of heaven.
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The stained glass reminds us of significant biblical stories. which was a particularly important way of sharing the Gospel when people could not read.
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All the items inside the church too have sacred theological meaning and roots.
The candles, the baptismal font, the crucifix, canopy, tabernacle. altar it all means something.
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The in person session is the place to really learn more about this, as we take a look inside the church and get the feel of being there.
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Mary
Why do Catholics think so much of Mary?
So Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ. Jesus is God, so we call her the Mother of God.
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No human on earth has ever known or pleased Jesus as much as His mother did and still does!
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She consented without reservation to cooperating with Gods plan by agreeing to carry Jesus. It might not sound like such a big deal to us in this day and age, but when Mary conceived, she was risking her very life by saying yes to carrying Jesus. I mean I wonder what she must have thought about after the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. She maybe wondered what she was going to tell her parents, what would she say to Joseph her betrothed, and what would the whole town think or say? No, it was a pretty big deal for her to say Yes, but she said it anyway, completely trusting in God, and not weighing up the consequences of what she was saying.
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So that yes started her journey with Jesus. She brought Him into the world, she raised Him, fed Him, comforted Him, and when he started His ministry as an adult, she was right there with Him every step of the way. In fact she kick started His ministry at the wedding feast of Cana, where she interceded with Him on behalf of the bride and groom who were about to run out of wine to serve – an embarrassment that wouldn’t have been easily lived down in Israel in those days!
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Mary was there when Jesus healed the lame and the sick, when He preached, when He upset the Pharisees, and throughout his 3 year ministry. Mary was there through Jesus passion, crucifixion and death. She stood at the cross, she watched her son go through such torture and she watched Him die. She held His lifeless body as it was taken down from the cross, and she was there when they laid Him to rest in the tomb.
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Before He died, with some of His final words, Jesus gave His mother to the world to be our mother!
Mary was there after His resurrection, and stayed with the Apostles after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Mary was at the end of her earthly life, taken up to heaven, and there she lives, still walking and working beside Jesus, now not only mother to Him, but our Mother as well.
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Like any good Mother, Mary works tirelessly for the good of her children… that’s you and me. How amazing is that. And like the couple at the wedding feast at Cana, she constantly intercedes for us, her children.
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Some people worry, that Catholics can seem to give too much to Mary and not enough to Jesus. That’s simply not true. Jesus came to us through Mary, and He invites us to come to Him through the same way… through Mary. Mary is our mother and will always lead us to Jesus, she will always want the very best for us. Besides… no one could love Mary more than Jesus does!
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Mary is not God, she is not worshiped, but deeply revered, respected, and loved. Jesus would have honoured that commandment to honour His Father and mother, and we too should, just like Jesus, honour our heavenly mother.
There is some really deep theological important things to learn about Mary, and they are far too detailed to go into this short section, but I can’t wait for you to learn them. Sign up to be notified about our sessions on Mary.