The Catholic Church: A Historical Institution
The Catholic Church has been part of the Christian religion for as long as the church has been established. "The Catholic Church that is also referred to as the Roman Catholic Church to be exact has about a billion followers around the globe" (Stanford, 2017). This number constitutes the people who have been baptised under the Catholic traditions. The Roman Catholic Church has always been considered as one of the oldest functioning institutions that are internationally renowned. "The Catholic Church has played a major role in the reshaping of the world's history as it is a major influence in the establishment of the western civilization" (Marshall, 1844). The church has placed its headquarters in the Roman city where the Bishop of Rome presides over as the chief executive of the church. The term used to define the bishop of Rome is known as The Pope. The administration itself is referred to as the Holy See and is situated within the Vatican City which is an enclave within the Roman city in Italy.
Origin of the Name Catholic
The name Catholic has been used by the church as a distinguishment from the other churches. The name was established after Theodosius the first who was the last emperor of the great Roman Empire established the state church of the Roman Empire.
The Catholic Theology and the Nicene Creed
The Catholic Church is based on the Catholic theology known as the Nicene Creed. This teaching refers to the Catholic Church as the one and only true church created by the apostles after Jesus Christ who founded the Christian faith. In respect to this analogy, the bishops are seen to be the successors of the apostles of Christ and the Pope is regarded as the successor to Saint Peter with whom the mandate was set upon by Jesus Christ Himself. The surmising of this is that the Catholic Church establishes the theory that it is one of the avid practitioners of the original Christian faith with the reservations of infallibility which is to be passed to the next generations as a sacred tradition. Being in Italy, the Latin Church is divided into about twenty-three sections spread out through as the eastern catholic churches and institutions that have such structures as mendicant orders and enclosed monastic orders. All these facilities are a reflection of the various anecdotes that the theological and spiritual emphases in the church.
Veneration of Mother Mary and Catholic Social Teachings
Mother Mary, who in the bible was the mother to Jesus Christ, is venerated as the Mother of God. The Catholic Church views the Mother as the queen of the heavens and has been honoured in several doctrines and devotional prayers. The Catholic Church includes the teaching of sanctification by faith and through this evangelism; the gospel is infused with the Catholic social teachings. Examples of this are where the Catholic priests use modern-day social issues that affect society today with the teachings of the church.
Social Services and Global Influence of the Catholic Church
The church's social teachings are about moral principles that place many emphases on helping those who are in need have helped, to care for the sick and the poor. By helping the afflicted, these actions are deemed to the holy Church as a corporal and spiritual works of mercy. This has made the Catholic Church one of the largest non-government providers of education and health-care in the global community.
The Immense Influence of the Catholic Church
When we discuss the impacts of the Catholic Church, we can estimate that the influence brought about by it in the world is enormous. Many of the western civilizations in terms of their culture, science and art are examples of the Catholic Church's impacts. The world is filled with many Catholics around the globe who are working in missions, Diasporas, and conversions that the church uses to pass their intellectual capabilities to the people in the communities.
Growth and Migration of the Catholic Church
In the twentieth century, many of the Christian Catholics migrated to the south of the European continent where they are situated now. This was because there was a mass persecution of the people inclined to this religion which spread through the Middle East. The secularisation of the middle and northern Europe also was a major influence in the migration of the Catholic Christians to other parts of the world. Because of the migrations, the evangelism of the Catholic Church thrived by growing in the areas where the Christians had gone. For example, during the colonial periods, the Africans were subjected to change from their cultural beliefs to incorporate the Catholic Church's beliefs and traditions. Today, the African continent has been placed among the highest numbers of church-going Catholics. This proves that the Catholic Church has indeed grown from the small creed of apostles to one of the largest non-profit organisations in the world.
A Brief History of the Catholic Church and Criticisms
The history of the Catholic Church is a long one. A brief description of this history is highlighted here in the paper. Before the year one thousand and fifty-four, the Catholic Church shared the communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church. The separation came about because of the West schism which happened the in the year one thousand and fifty-four. The dispute was about the power of the pope which was among the disputes. Other disputes included the use of orientation orthodox churches that had come before the Chalcedonian split. All these disputes were a culmination of the differences in the ways that each group viewed Christian theology. This separation is what led to the establishment of the Protestants who seemed to break away from the Catholics principles of worship. Since the near end of the twenty century, the Catholic Church has been at the receiving end of much criticism because of the doctrines that they pursue on such matters as sexuality and its restrictions towards the ordaining of women into the church's clergy. The church has also been accused of much sexual misconduct that has been connected to its clergy.
Distinctive Practices of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church has several practices that distinguish them from the other types of churches (Protestants and the Anglican). These practices that we see today have been in use since the time the church was started. The practices differ in functions. This paper will shed light on some of these practices. To begin with, the paper discusses the seven sacraments.
The Seven Sacraments
The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are one of the most important practices of the institution. Being divided into seven parts, we start with the most important part which is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is considered as the principal sacrament. It is always celebrated during the liturgy in the mass. The church's teachings are passed to the congregational mass through the consecration which is done by a priest. Consecration is a methodology where the sacrificial bread that represents the body of Jesus Christ and wine that represents the blood of Jesus Christ is given to the Christian Catholics. The method is only reserved for the Catholics who are baptised.
The Importance of the Sacraments
The sacraments are used as teachings that were instituted by Christ. The sacraments as stated earlier are seven in number and nature to which they apply are described by a number of ecumenical councils with the most recent council being on the council of Trent. The seven sacraments are stated in this paper. They are Baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, the anointing of the sick which was formally known as extreme unction or one of the last rites, holy orders and holy matrimony. The sacraments act as pillars or signs of God's presence when the mass congregates together. They are considered as the visible rituals that the Catholics can perceive as the effective channels towards God's grace to those of the church who receive them with the appropriate disposition. Catechisms in the Catholic church categorizes the sacraments into three groups where there is the sacrament of Christian initiation, the sacraments of healing and the sacrament that are given as a service of communion and the mission of the people with faith. These three groups are placed intricately to form a reflection of the stages that people undergo through from young lives to their adulthood. The sacraments are intended to serve as the guidelines to the young people to live a life of faith. In a submission to this, it is necessary to understand that the church centralises its mission's to encompass the seven sacraments. All the liturgies given in the Catholic Church are subject to the seven sacraments.
Proper Utilization of the Sacraments
In accordance with the Catholic Church, the sacraments have to be properly utilized as per the church's procedural requests. "The church has placed strict rules on who is to receive these sacraments" (Bokenkotter, 2004). It is noteworthy to establish the fact that the church instils the teachings of the Christ in the Eucharist. Thus it is regarded as a mortal sin to accept the sacraments unless a baptised Catholic has made his confessions. This is usually done by saying a prayer through the priest in an attempt to cleanse one's soul. This absolution is done through the sacrament of penance. Protestants or rather the non-Catholics are prohibited in the participation of these sacraments.
Last Rites, Baptism, and Confirmation
During the near-death experiences that occur in the Catholics lives, the Catholic Church does not permit the application of sacramental rites by a non-ordained preacher. The Catholics are always asked to request an ordained priest of the church to perform their last rites of passage. The same rules are applied to the ordained clergy themselves. No priest is allowed to perform the last rites of passage to any person who has not manifested themselves in the Catholic ways and teachings or is not sanctified by the Holy blood of Jesus Christ.
The initiation to become a Catholic Church attendant begins with the rite of baptism. "Baptism is considered as the first of the three sacraments that are provided by the Catholic Church" (the Vatican.va, 2015). By being baptised, this marks the absolution of all sins which are both the original sin which was committed by Adam and Eve plus the actual personal sins committed by the individual. After completion of the baptism, one can be accepted into the Catholic congregation as a member. The gift of baptism is regarded as a personal gesture of God's welcoming into His congregation. The process is deemed free because it requires no merit. This is the reason why children can be baptised as well. In the Catholic Church, baptism is marked only once making it permanent. This means that the baptised individual cannot be baptised again. In this case, the Catholics have made a few exemptions in regards to the Protestant group. The Catholic Church recognizes any baptism performed by any Christian religion as long as the faith in God is proof. The Catholic Church does not ban people baptised in other churches as long as they intend to do what the Christian rituals entail. This form of acceptance is also known as the Trinitarian baptismal formula.
After a person is baptised, the rite of confirmation is carried out. The sacrament of confirmation is deemed as a requirement of a person to pass into the grace that is provided by baptism. In adults, the rite of confirmation is done immediately after the baptism while in children, there is a grace period provided between the sacrament of baptism and the rite of confirmation. The delay in confirmation is to allow the children to understand first the devotion of Christianity before the confirmation is done. This is usually done at the discretion of the bishop in charge of the area.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Catholic Church has become a semblance of what Christianity entails as more people converge into this religion. The church itself is historical in nature as it has been a major influence in the shaping of today's modernized world.
Works Cited
.Marshall, Thomas William (1844). Notes of the Episcopal Polity of the Holy Catholic Church. London: Levey, Rossen and Franklin. ASIN 1163912190
Stanford, Peter. "Roman Catholic Church". BBC Religions. BBC. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
Bokenkotter, Thomas (2004). A Concise History of the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday. p. 7. ISBN 9780307423481.
"Catechism of the Catholic Church – IntraText – 1362–1364". Vatican.va. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015.
