for example holy water ,saints,baptisms of babies,the priests robes,confession,first communion,that little round bread,is it not enough to just believe? what is the spiritual value of these rituals?do you think god really cares if you splash water on your face or kneel to a statue? confess to a priest so you can be forgiven?
2006-06-22 05:30:28 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No it is not simply enough to believe. Belief alone is not salvific. One must live in accord with natural law and the the teachings of Christ.
As St. Paul says, "one must work out their salvation with fear and trembling".
The spiritual value of these rituals are that they are medicine to heal the sinful person, help educate them in love, and to conform them to the will of the Father.
Let me suggest "Introduction to the Devout Life" by De Sales "The Spiritual Life" by Tanquerey as well as reading the Church Fathers as to what it means to live out a Christian life.
2006-06-22 05:57:13 · answer #1 · answered by Liet Kynes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Man is not just a spirit or soul; he also has a body. Ever since God became man in the person of Jesus Christ, He uses "matter" in order to bring us grace. The first instance of that was the Incarnation (God taking on human flesh and blood in Christ). He chose to use matter to save man's soul. Does it sound crazy? Maybe it is, if we only consider human "wisdom". But the Infinite Wisdom of God goes oh so much further!
God created a purely physical or material world (rocks, plants, animals). He also created a purely spiritual world (angels, who are pure spirits). But then He created His masterpiece: Man (and Woman, of course). Man is the masterpiece of God, and yet he is neither purely physical (material) nor purely spiritual like the angels. Man is at the crossroads between these two worlds.
This is why the Catholic Church has always used such sacramentals as holy water, etc. The Catholic Church does not shun what is material. Why? Because God did not do so. It is the false "spiritualists" who deny all that is material. They think that doing so makes them more "spiritual". Unfortunately, as the saying goes, "He who plays the angel, plays the beast". Man cannot "pretend" to be angelic. He has a body that was created by God too -- not just a soul. God uses matter to redeem man fully: body and soul. And His Church does so too. It is so beautiful, because it reveals to us how much God loves us. He loves us not as angels, nor as beasts...but as man & woman, created in His image and likeness.
2006-06-24 00:53:04 · answer #2 · answered by uiogdpm 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We're talking centuries and centuries of tradition here... That's what happens when man intervenes with Religion.
It is exactly what Yeshua Messiah/Jesus Christ told the Pharisees and the Saduccees about their THOUSANDS of [man-made] laws that even they themselves could not adhere to...
Peace be with you!
2006-06-22 12:36:13 · answer #3 · answered by Arf Bee 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They're called sacrements and they're what's beautiful and special about the church. I can't go into all the details on them all but I'll give you a source to understand why we do what we do.
2006-06-22 12:58:08 · answer #4 · answered by Swordsman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋