The meaning of Vocation
The meaning of Vocation This is the meaning of Vocation in the words of Pope John Paul II: I TURN ESPECIALLY to you, boys and girls, young and not so young, who find yourselves at the decisive moment of choice. I would like to meet you one by one, call you by your name, talk to you heart to heart of things extremely important not only for yourself, but for the whole of humanity. I would like to ask each one of you: What will you do with your life? What are your plans? Have you ever thought of committing your existence totally to Christ? Do you think that there can be anything greater than to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus? Our interior gaze extends to the limitless horizons of our hopes and aspirations. And in the midst of all of life's contradictions, we search for life's true meaning. We wonder and ask, Why? Why am I here? Why am I alive at all? What must I do? None of you is alone in posing these questions. Humanity as a whole feels the pressing need to give sense and purpose to a world which is increasingly complicated and difficult to be happy in. You are at the great crossroads of your lives and you must decide how your future can be lived happily, accepting the responsibilities which you hope will be placed squarely on your shoulders, playing an active role in the world around you. You ask me for encouragement and guidance, and most willingly I offer some
Examine how different writers present the theme of Christmas
Examine how different writers present the theme of Christmas I am going to look at three Christmas Poems and compare the way the poets present the theme of Christmas, looking at the similarities and differences between them. The poems I have chosen are "Ballad of the Bread Man" and "Innocent's Song", which are both by Charles Causley, and "A poem for Christmas" by Raymond Soutster. All the poems are describing a slightly different aspect of Christmas. "Ballad of the Bread Man" is describing the religious aspect of Christmas and telling the Story of both Christmas and Easter and the life of Jesus whereas "Innocent's Song" although it is still describing the religious side of Christmas, describes the Story of King Herod who ordered all the baby boys to be killed. It shows the darker side of Christmas that no one really thinks about "Why when he caws his carol does the salty snow run red". It shows that when all the rest of the world is celebrating a time of peace, there is still evil about. It is warning us to beware, by reminding us of Herod as most of us don't realise that Christmas does have a dark, evil side to it that most people forget about. "Watch where he comes walking out of the Christmas flame". This makes it quite original and surprising, as it is not what you would expect a Christmas poem to be about. "A poem for Christmas" however is all about the
Traditions and holidays of Great Britain
Traditions and holidays of Great Britain. Every nation and every country has its own traditions and customs. Traditions make a nation special. Some of them are old-fashioned and many people remember them, others are part of people's life. Some British customs and traditions are known all the world. From Scotland to Cornwall, Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have very long histories. Some are funny and some are strange. But they are all interesting. There is the long menu of traditional British food. There are many royal occasions. There are songs, saying and superstitions. They are all part of the British way of life. You cannot really imagine Britain without all its traditions, this integral feature of social and private life of the people living on the British Isles that has always been an important part of their life and work. English traditions can classified into several groups: traditions concerning the Englishmen's private life (child's birth, wedding, marriage, wedding anniversary); which are connected with families incomes; state traditions; national holidays, religious holidays, public festival, traditional ceremonies. What about royal traditions? There are numerous royal traditions in Britain, some are ancient, others are modern. The Queen is the only person in Britain with two birthdays. Her real birthday is on April 21st, but she has
I am going to write about three different poems, which have a different view about Christmas.
Christmas Poems I am going to write about three different poems, which have a different view about Christmas. The first poem I am writing about is "Journey of the Magi" by T.S. Eliot. T.S. Eliot went into great depth in philosophy. He experienced religious callings and this has made his poems more unique and hard to understand. You have to explore the poem as he did with his life. The title of this poem-"Journey of the Magi" gives a big clue about what the poem might be about. The magi were the three kings who travelled to see the baby Jesus by following the bright star. The word "magi" makes the reader think of the nativity story and the travelling of the kings to see the New born king and also the religion he brought into the world. The poet might have picked to use the word "journey" to imply that the visit was special and meaningful. The poet could have used the word 'travel' but this word sounds simple and boring. The word travel is usually used for everyday travelling to one place to another, whilst the word journey sounds more spiritual. Perhaps T.S. Eliot used the word journey to make his writing sound more spiritual. After having read the poem, we know that it is about the three kings and their hard journey to the baby Jesus. It is part of the nativity story in detail. I think the poet tried to think of himself as one of the magi and imagined how it would have
What Is a Pilgrimage?
WHAT IS A PILGRIMAGE? A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for a religious reason. Since the time of Jesus Christians have visited the places associated with his birth, life and death. In addition to these sites in Israel there are many other centres of Christian pilgrimage Lourdes in France, Walsingham, and Canterbury in England, Holywell and Saint Davids in Wales, Rome, to name but a few. The Roman Catholic Church has always taught that pilgrimage is a useful way to strengthen one's Christian faith. The Protestant Churches generally rejected the idea of pilgrimage because they believe that if it gives people the wrong idea about God. Pilgrimage was always popular in the Middle Ages, and is increasingly in popularity again, perhaps because Christians are searching for a Christian identifying in the hurly-burly of the twentieth century life. WHY I WENT ON A PILGRIMAGE I have three reasons why I went on a pilgrimage. They are: * To visit the sites of Jesus' birth, life and death in order to experience the atmosphere and gain a deeper understanding of his teaching. * To walk in his footsteps of a saint who was very special to us (Christians), especially if a miracle is connected to the site of the pilgrimage. * To thank God for a blessing he has given them. * To be with fellow Christians from all round the globe. Christianity THE HOLY LAND AND WHAT I DID I began my
Christianity - Major Divisions and Interpretations.
Paper 3 Christianity - Major Divisions and Interpretations Section B Introduction For this piece of coursework, I need to study two modern Christian groups. The two Christian groups I have chosen to study are the Roman Catholic Church and the Salvation Army. I have chosen the Roman Catholic Church because I am familiar with this denomination as I have been brought up as a Roman Catholic. I decided to study the Salvation Army as it is a denomination I am less familiar with. This will allow me to make informed comparisons of similarity and differences between the two denominations. I have already studied the origins and developments of the two groups. Next, I will look into the way the groups worship and their lifestyles. Lastly, I will discuss whether Christians should unite and overcome any differences between the denominations. Catholic Church The teachings and beliefs of the Catholic Church are portrayed in many different ways. The common theme within these different ways is the mass. The liturgy of the mass is exactly the same in each church across Britain and the Roman Catholic World. If you were to attend a mass which used this basic liturgy then it would probably last about 20 minutes. In most parishes, this form of the mass is used for morning weekday masses and early Sunday morning mass. The other masses said at any particular parish have additions to them that
The Story of Christmas and the Christ Child
The Story of Christmas and the Christ Child When Rome was a great Empire ruled by Caesar Augustus and Israel was governed by King Herod, in the village of Nazareth lived Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter and Mary was a young virgin who would become his wife. Mary told Joseph of a dream in which she was visited by an angel who told her she had been chosen to bear the Son of God and his name was to be Jesus. One day the emperor sent notice that all persons were to register for a new tax. They were instructed to return to the towns of their birth. Joseph and Mary left Nazareth for Bethlehem. Mary who was with child, and close to the birth, rode on a donkey while Joseph walked beside her. They traveled for many days and only rested at night. When they reached Bethlehem it was night. They looked for a place to rest but Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. No one knows the exact date of Christ's birth, but most Christians observe Christmas on December 25. On this day, many go to church, where they take part in special religious services. During the Christmas season, they also exchange gifts and decorate their homes with holly, mistletoe, and Christmas trees. The word Christmas comes from Cristes maesse, an early English phrase that means Mass of Christ. The story of Christmas comes chiefly from the Gospels of Saint Luke and
The genre of Parable did not originate with Jesus they already appeared in the Greco-Roman world.
The word parable comes from the Greek word, parabole 'para' meaning 'to put' and 'ballo' meaning alongside which together means 'to put something alongside something else', a comparison, or analogy. In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Jewish Bible), however the word 'parabole' is used to translate the Hebrew word masal and this word is used of many different types of literature, e.g. Proverbial sayings, riddles, allegorical parables and poems for example. 1 Parables were the main and most distinctive feature of Jesus teachings. The genre of Parable did not originate with Jesus they already appeared in the Greco-Roman world. It was already an established methodology of teaching amongst the Rabbis and phrophets of the Old Testament and other teachers throughout the Mediterranean. As a teacher Jesus adjusted the method and used it in a unique way, he made them into stories, which employed vivid imagery, evoking reaction and teased the reader into reflection or to rethink their beliefs he also used them to reval eternal truths about the kingdom of god. "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundations of the world." Matt 13:34-35, Psalm 78:2. They became the most distinctive part of Jesus teaching. Jesus used parables to teach many things for example, the themes of Obedience (The Two Sons) wisdom (The Two Builders) forgiveness (The
Religious Education- Lent Coursework
Religious Education Coursework ~ Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas A01 (i) Describe how Catholics observe Lent and celebrate Easter : Lent is considered to be the most significant festival for Christians. It is a time in which they can reflect on their lives, by remembering the sufferings and sacrifices Jesus made for them; especially during the events which happened during the time of lent. It lasts for forty days and forty nights, as this is the same amount of time that Jesus spent in the desert while he was getting prepared for his ministry. During this time Jesus was teased with many temptations by the devil, but he showed his self-control by not giving in to any of them. The temptations were; to provide food for himself and the starving poor, to use his power to prove his identity of being the son of God and lastly to use his authority to gain followers and be politically popular. But he didn't, as he wanted to be believed without having to prove his status. In the past fasting was a strict tradition, and no meat or dairy products were allowed to be eaten, but nowadays restrictions have weakened and Christians usually give up one luxury item and give money saved from buying this to charity or they only fast one day a week -on Friday's. On the Fridays Christians fast from meat, this shows some representation of self-denial. As well on Fridays of Lent, Christians
Titles of Jesus the son of God.
TITLES OF JESUS THE SON OF GOD * * Jesus is referred to as the Son of God in the opening of Mark's gospel (1:1). The phrase 'a son of God' was often used to was often used in the Old Testament to describe a good man. The Son of God is, therefore, special, meaning 'the one and only' or 'simply the best.' * * The nation of Israel was looked on by the Jews themselves as 'God's Son', but, by the time of Jesus the title referred to the Messiah. In both cases, it shows a very close bond between the Son and God. * * Jesus never called himself 'The Son of God' in Mark's gospel, although He clearly referred to himself as God's Son in the parable of the vineyard (12:1-11). In other parts of the scripture, however, (Matthew, Luke and John) Jesus does claim to be the Son of God. He is recognised many times by evil spirits as the Son of God. * * Mark uses the title twice - at the beginning and, as a kind of echo and climax, at the end. 1:1 says 'Here begins the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.' In 15:39, the army officer, no doubt hardened by witnessing many crucifixions, suddenly realises who Jesus is and says, 'Truly, this man was really the Son of God.' This statement is made even more powerful by the fact that it was said by a Gentile who, most likely, had nothing to do with the Jewish religion. * * Mark also implies the title 'the Son of