catholic traditions

What is the relationship between Catholic traditions and Halloween??

Halloween, or "All Hallowed evening" is the night before All Saint's Day (formerly all Hallowed Day), the feast of all the Saints in heaven and on earth, a remembrance of the entire Catholic church, those alive in this life and those in eternal life.

It was blatantly placed on top of Samhain to Christianize the Pagan holiday and ease the transition to the new faith for those having difficulties and wanting to retain the old traditions. This happens often enough: The church sees a good thing in a pagan holiday, and rather than destroy it, takes it in, find the Christian potential in it, and explores that.

These days it's just a fun holiday for kids and adults to get dressed up, scare one another and generally enjoy the night. The day after is still an important Holy Day for the Church.

2008-10-02 16:08:15 by Valene C

The beauty of catholic tradition... / Piekno tradycji...

My Fiancee and I are planning a wedding that has both Jewish and Catholic traditions in it, however we can't think of any Catholic traditions to do. We are gonna do the Breaking of the glass, and the huppa, however we don't know what to do from the Catholic side.. Any suggestions that are traditional? Thanks!

We did communion and I placed a bouquet at Mary's feet.
Are you having a priest and a rabbi? Check to see if they will both do your wedding together.

2008-01-19 20:07:09 by Confused

Price: $14.95

Do Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays?
Other things?
I want to know everything about Catholicism!
SDC, there's no need to be a jerk about it!

Basic Catholic Beliefs and Practices
Important Catholic Doctrines, Ideas, Practices, Concepts, and Customs
An Outline of Basic Catholic Beliefs

Authority: The Bible, Tradition, Etc
Catholics have various sources of authority: The Bible, Tradition, the Creeds, the Bishops, and the Pope, among others. Ultimately, Christ is our authority, but this authority has been passed from Christ to His Apostles. The Bible and Tradition come from the same Apostolic Deposit, and we do not pit them against each other. Thus the Church understands that the Bible must be interpreted, and the Church does so using the Tradition of the Apostles. The Catholic Church (and the Orthodox Church) has retained this Apostolic authority through Apostolic Succession, which is the passing down of authority from the apostles to their successors. The pope, or bishop of Rome, has a first place among the successors to the apostles as the successor to Peter, the "Rock," and prince of the apostles, and in certain rare occasions can speak infallibly on behalf of the Church. However, this does not mean everything the pope says is error free, or that the pope is sinless. While Catholics (and the Orthodox, many Anglicans, and the early Church) do not embrace sola scriptura, the 16th century belief that the Bible alone is our final authority, Catholics hold the Bible in high regard as the word of God and cannot teach contrary to the Bible's Teachings. For information about interpreting the Bible, please see There is no Plain Meaning of Scripture.

The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
The Catholic Church is the Church that Jesus Christ established. Thus the Church subsists in the Catholic Church. However, other Christians are also in communion with the Catholic Church by virtue of their sacraments. The Orthodox Churches possess fully valid sacraments, and are true particular Churches, whereas Protestant Christians are in communion with the Catholic Church on account of their baptism; still, this communion is impaired. The Church in one, because it is unified in Christ across regions and time periods. The Church is Holy on account of the grace of Christ given to it and the holy sacraments it provides. The Church is Catholic because it contains the fullness of the Apostolic Deposit of Faith, thus is it truly "according to the whole" and "universal." Finally, the Church is Apostolic because its Teachings and Authority come from the Apostles themselves.

God: the Trinity
Catholics follow the Nicene Creed, which affirms that we believe in one God in three persons. Essentially Catholics believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God, one in substance and will, but distinct in some way, but not divided. In addition to an intellectual understanding of the Trinity, we are to develop a relationship with the Triune God through prayer and worship.

Jesus Christ: God and Man
Catholics believe Jesus is fully God and fully Man, with a human will and a divine will. He is the King of Cosmos, the Word of God, and the awaited Messiah of Israel. He was born of a Virgin, Mary, suffered, was crucified, truly died, and rose again bodily, all for our sins. He ascended into heaven and is still alive interceding on our behalf before the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Jesus was a great Teacher, and His Teachings are the very Teachings of God.

The Sacraments
The sacraments are divinely instituted signs that give the grace that they signify. Catholics and Orthodox accept seven sacraments: Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and Anointing of the Sick. Click this link to find out more about each sacrament: The Sacraments: Meeting God in our own World.

Salvation and Grace
Catholics believe we are saved only by God's grace working in us. Thus we are justified, transformed from the state of unrighteousness into a state of holiness and the sonship of God, on account of Christ. Justification is the merciful and freely given act of God which takes away our sins and makes us just and holy in our whole being. This justification is given to us in the sacrament of baptism. Justification is the beginning of our free response to God, that is our faith in Christ and our cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thus Catholics believe in salvation by grace alone, solely on account of the work of Christ. However, neither Catholics nor Orthodox accept the reformation concept of forensic justification or "justification by faith alone."

Yes, the Catholic Church does believe a person must be born again to be saved. However, Catholics believe that one is born again at Baptism. In fact, when Christians for the first 1500 years of Christianity, including Martin Luther, used the phrase "born again," they were referring to baptism. Please check out, Are Catholics Born Again?: Reclaiming the New Birth for more information.

The Virgin Mary
Mary is the mother of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, thus she is called theotokos (God-Bearer) and "mother of God." Catholics, like Protestants, believe that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. However, Catholics and Orthodox believe that Mary remained a Virgin her entire life. Catholics believe that Mary was conceived without original sin in order to be a sinless bearer of God incarnate: Jesus Christ. This is known as the immaculate conception. This sinlessness was accomplished only on account of God's grace, and not on Mary's merits. The Orthodox too believe that Mary was sinless when bearing Jesus, but the moment at which she became sinless is debated. Catholics and Orthodox both believe that after Mary completed the course of her earthly life, she was assumed into heaven, similar to the way the great saint Elijah was. Mary is the Mother of us and the mother of the Church, and just as Christ is the new Adam, Mary is the new Eve, who obeyed God where Eve disobeyed.

Creation
Catholics believe that creation is good, that God uses it for His purposes, but that it is marred by Original Sin, the result of the sin of the first human beings. Catholic theologians (and Orthodox ones as well) have never agreed on one particular interpretation of the creation stories in the Book of Genesis. A few early Christians read them literally, others allegorically, and others in light of the science of the day. Some read them all three ways at the same time. All three ways were seen as acceptable, so long as Christ was at the center of creation. So Catholics are free to understand Genesis completely literally, but also to read Genesis in light of modern science, so long as certain conditions are met; reading Genesis in light of modern science doesn't mean that one is free to read Genesis without God, Jesus, and so forth. This view may shock some evangelical Christians whose churches were founded during the modernist controversies of the 19th and 20th centuries. Surprisingly, insisting on an entirely literal understanding of Genesis is actually a quite modern concept.

2007-05-21 18:23:45 by Lyra Silvertongue

Price: $24.95

I am a Australian girl, who will be marrying my Czech Fiance in August of next year.

He was raised quite traditionally by his Mum. I was interested to hear of any Czech / Catholic traditions in relation to weddings?

Thanks!

Some fun ones:

After the bride and groom exit the church, friends and family should toss rice, peas, or lentils at them to symbolize fertility.

Before the bride and groom enter the restaurant for the wedding reception, the owner should break a plate in front of them since broken glass is supposed to ensure their happiness. The bride and groom are then expected to clean the pieces up. It shows they will work as one from now on.

During dinner, the bride and groom have one large cloth spread over both their laps. This symbolizes unity. Then they are served a bowl of soup and one spoon, which they are supposed to use to eat together (cooperation). Additionally, they're given a loaf of bread, which they must split in half and feed to each other. This is supposed to show that marriage is a matter of giving and taking equally, and that the couple will have to work together to make their marriage a successful one.

My favorite: Sometime towards the end of the party, the friends of the groom are supposed to carry off the bride. The groom then has to find his wife as soon as possible. If he fails to find her, he has to buy her back from his friends. The whole thing is supposed to symbolize the girl’s separation from her parents and a new phase of life. And that the groom should be watchful!

Finally, when the new couple enter their house, the groom is supposed to carry his wife over the threshold for good luck.

2008-10-15 06:24:08 by No Name Brand

Catholic Funerals traditions about the Way a casket sits?
During a Priest's Funeral ( Catholic) why is the head of the Casket toward the Altar.

When a priest goes in head first it's because he was a priest and he brought Jesus to us when he did his Mass. He Presided over the Mass. When a lay person is brought into the church they are brought feet first, because they are the parishioner. they are also buried this way at the cemetery. God bless you.
Remember Once a priest always a priest......................In life and in death

2008-10-25 09:33:00 by cherrywines2001