4.5 Other Catholic rituals
Rituals embody and express Catholic Worldview
It was particularly powerful in its message because he chose to wash, dry and kiss the feet of twelve young offenders in a prison. To young people of different nationalities, both men and women, Catholic and Moslem, he explained that he would wash their feet with love.
Catholics have an almost instinctive appreciation of the transformative and healing power of good ritual that draws on its rich spiritual heritage of prayer, devotions and liturgy.
The Eucharist or Mass
The "source and summit" of an individual's and community's Catholic life centres of the celebration of Mass or Eucharist. As a celebration of the Paschal Mystery of Christ, the Catholic community gathers to be renewed in bonds of friendship unity with Christ and each other to be sent again on mission into the world as Christ's disciples, as Christ's body in the world. The Sacraments
The Eucharist is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. The Latin word sacramentum means "a sign of the sacred." The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and life-giving for Catholics. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence in and through the celebrating assembly and the presiding priest, the Word of God and the sacramental rituals associated with each. Sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God's grace. To learn more about the individual sacraments, please follow the links in blue below. You'll find easy-to-understand articles and a good sample of common questions and answers.
In the celebration of the Mass the Church is at prayer, public prayer. But individual prayer is also critical to the life of Catholics. There are traditional prayers through to more contemporary forms of prayer centred on the Scriptures and a review of life.
Catholic devotions
Catholic devotions to Jesus, Mary and the saints have a long tradition in the Catholic Church
Ritual gestures
There are small ritual gestures that are also rich in meaning
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