3. Prayers – Prayers that are designed to be read before and after Communion should be read so that you can be in the proper attitude for the reception of Communion.
4. Repentance – You should approach Jesus with a plea for mercy and forgiveness because it is only faith and repentance that makes you worthy of frequent communion
5. Forgiveness – You should come to communion with a willingness to forgive others.
So it is believed that the Bread and Wine of the Eucharist are not just signs or symbols reminding us of the Last Supper, but they are the actual Body and Blood of Christ, as the Savoir said, "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed," and, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him." Then bread and a cup containing wine mixed with water are brought to him who presides over the brethren (the Bishop or the Priest). He takes them and offers prayers, glorifying the Father of all things through the name of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then he utters a lengthy thanksgiving because the Father has judged them worthy of these gifts. When the prayer of thanksgiving is ended, all the people present give their assent with an "Amen!” When the president has given thanks and the people have all signified their assent, those whom are called deacons distribute the bread and the wine with water, over which the thanksgiving has been spoken, to each of those present.
The Roman Catholic Eucharist
The public worship of the Roman Catholic Church is its liturgy, principally the Eucharist, which is also called the Mass. After the recitation of prayers and readings from the Bible, the presiding priest invites the faithful to receive communion, understood as sharing in the sacramental presence of Christ. At the Sunday liturgy the priest preaches a sermon or homily, applying the day's biblical texts to the present lives of believers. The church observes a liturgical calendar similar to that of other Christians, following a cycle of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. It also follows a distinctive cycle of commemoration of the saints. A distinguishing mark of Catholic worship is prayer for the dead. Distinctively Catholic doctrines on the Eucharist include the sacrificial nature of the Mass and transubstantiation. The unbloody sacrifice of the Mass is identified with the bloody sacrifice of the cross, in that both are offered for the sins of the living and the dead. Hence Christ is the same victim and priest in the Eucharist as he was on the cross. Transubstantiation, the belief that the substance of bread and wine is changed into the body and blood of Christ, was first spoken of at the Fourth Lateran Council (1215). The Eucharist is also known as Holy Communion
The importance of Eucharist for Christians
For most Christians today the Eucharist, or Lord's Supper or communion is a very special and important occasion where they remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. For some (the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and some Anglican) the bread and wine at the Eucharist actually change into the body and blood of Jesus; for others the Eucharist is a remembrance of the last supper and the events after it. Christians believe that through the Holy Spirit Jesus is still with them and can offer those help and advice in times of difficulty and trouble. For Christians, Jesus is still alive and remains an authority. Through prayer, through the Eucharist and through the church people believe that the authority of Jesus lives on.
Prayer is communication with God. Prayer comes in 4 main forms:
-
Praise- rejoicing in creation and belief in God
-
Thanksgiving- for the good things of life and of the world
-
Supplication- asking for help in times of difficulty or trouble
-
Confession- Asking for forgiveness for things that they have done wrong.
Prayer is a chance to communicate with God and receive help with difficult problems and issues. It is really a reminder of the authority of Jesus as expressed through the bible or prayer.
Should the most important thing about worship is that it is enjoyable?
Personally I believe that yes worship should be enjoyable because then it would appeal more to people to come to church on Sundays and participate more in what the church does. But others have the view that for you to enjoy the church all you need to do is want to be there and that is enough. Some members of the new generation of kids see the churches and faith as a waste of time and so if it not seen as enjoyable there will be no church influence early in their lives. This would lead to God not being in their lives at all later in life. But I think that even though some older people like going along to the church anyway because that is enough fun for them. The church must appeal to the younger generation or risk loosing the next generation of Christians ect. However the church is doing more and more to keep up with the times for instance, the church is doing Sunday schools and family services so that more of the youth can be shown Christ’s influence at an early age. Or to appeal to the younger generation’s music like brining in electric guitars to church and this I believe is defiantly important to make kids more participant in church today.
On the other side of the story we come to pray for the very reason that is in the prayer. “We have come together in the name of Christ to offer our praise and thanksgiving to hear and receive Gods word to pray for the needs of the world and to seek the forgiveness of our sins, that by the power of the holy spirit we may give ourselves to the service of God”. In this prayer it shows that we come to prayer for the needs of others as well as ourselves. So we should be thinking of others and not worry about being bored.
