I'm catholic &&?

Question

And i've already had my 1st communion. the thing is, everytime i go to church I don't know what to do.

basically, i stand and sit repeatedly. I don't know the whole ritual thing, i haven't memorized what is supposed to be memorized and i don't know like anything else.

I love god and jesus christ and i believe, i just don't like going to church because i'm embarrassed about not knowing the ritual and i just stand there and watch everyone do their little hand things and say their stuff. i feel like a retard.

so are there any websites out there that will teach me what is needed to know about the catholic church??

I want to stay catholic.

And I am not lying. I got my first communion in 4th grade and i'm a freshman in high school now.

When I got my lessons, i only went every sunday for like 2 or 3 months then I got my 1st communion.

All i remember learning is how to cup my hands when recieving the body of christ and lighting a candle.

Rituals are against God and the Bible?

Rituals are against God and the Bible?

how is the catholic church the house of satan??! ya'll are confusing me!

Answer 1

I suggest you ask your parish about classes about your religion.

Here is an outline of the Mass:

+ Introductory Rites
. + Entrance (All stand)
. + Greeting
. + Act of Penitence
. + Kyrie Eleison (Latin for "Lord have mercy")
. + Gloria
. + Opening Prayer

+ Liturgy of the Word
. + First Reading - usually from the Old Testament (All sit)
. + Responsorial Psalm
. + Second Reading - usually from a New Testament Epistle
. + Gospel Reading (All stand)
. + Homily (All sit for the sermon)
. + Profession of Faith (the Nicene Creed) (All stand)
. + Prayer of the Faithful (prayers of petition)

+ Liturgy of the Eucharist
. + The Preparation of the Gifts - the bread and wine are brought forward and placed on the altar, our monetary offerings are also collected at this time (All sit)
. + The Prayer over the Offerings (All stand)
. + The Eucharistic Prayer - during this prayer the bread and wine change into the Body and Blood of Christ (Catholics kneel, visitors may kneel or sit)
. + The Lord's Prayer (All stand)
. + The Rite of Peace (We offer each other a sign of peace)
. + The Breaking of the Bread
. + Communion - non-Catholics are requested out of respect not to receive Communion, they may approach the altar with their arms crossed over their chest to receive a blessing (Stand or kneel according to local custom)

+ The Concluding Rites
. + Announcements (All sit)
. + Blessing (All stand)
. + Dismissal
. + Procession

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

You love God and Jesus and you believe! That's the important part. Don't worry about the memorization stuff - that's just icing.

Hold on a minute... I once gave an answer that outlined the Sunday liturgy... let me find it and paste it - it should help clarify things a bit.

[EDIT - found my text]

There are two main parts to the Mass - Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Liturgy of the Word:

* Opening Rites - this is the song you might sing, blessings and prayers at the very beginning of mass. Sometimes we will sing a Gloria as a speicial praise to God, sometimes we will do a penetential rite to remind us that we aren't perfect but God always love us.

* "The Readings" - Most of the year, we listen to a reading from the Old Testament, sing a psalm in response to that reading, listen to a non-Gospel reading from the New Testament, and then listen to a reading from one of the four Gospels. The readings are important as these create the foundation of our faith.

* Homily - same thing as a sermon. Some priests are very good at them, some aren't.

* Creed & General Intentions / Prayers of the Faithful - the creed sums up the most core beliefs of Catholicism. After saying it together, we pray for the needs of the world and ourselves.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

* Preparation of the Gifts - this is where they take up the collection (tithing, more or less) and bring the elements of bread and wine to the altar.

* Eucharistic Prayer - this part can get very complicated and to be honest, pretty confusing if you don't know what's going on. Long story short is that this is one very long prayer where the priest and the congregation each have their own spoken and/or sung parts. During it, we recall the Last Supper and the priest invokes the power of the Holy Spirit during the consecration to turn the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

* Lord's Prayer, Sign of Peace, Lamb of God - we stand together and say the "Our Father," wish our neighbors peace, and prepare for communion. At the Lamb of God, the priest and Eucharistic Ministers distribute the Body and Blood into separate plates and cups for communion.

* Communion Procession - the congregation comes forward to receieve communion.

* Closing Rites - we have final blessings and prayers, sometimes some announcements, and voila, we're done!


Your church probably has a little paper booklet with the readings and a whole bunch of texts in it. It's called a missalette, and it has the "script" of the mass. I'm sure your church wouldn't mind letting you have one for study.

As for websites, search "order of mass" or "Catholic liturgy" and you'll find a ton of resources, depending on exactly what you want.

(One more edit - now that I know your age, I found a site or two that might help: http://www.disciplesnow.com/ http://www.lifeteen.com/ http://www.bustedhalo.com/ )

Answer 3

You cannot receive Holy Communion without knowing why you sit and stand. And it is not repeatedly and it has rich meaning, not empty ritual. It's boring ritual if you are an observer, but it has rich meaning if you are a participant.

First Communion is reserved for those usually in Grade 2. You don't write like you are in Grade 2, or 3, or 4.

We stand for the Creed because it is the summary of our faith.

We stand for the Gospel when it is read because the Gospel "stands out" from the three other Bible readings.

We sit in order to listen and HEAR the word of God like the bible says to, it says nothing about each individual reading it.

We kneel to be humble before God, and it is only during the Consecration, it is not repeatedly. So forgive me for being suspicious of your alleged Catholicism, but you show no sign of being properly instructed to receive the sacraments. Here are some excellent web sites as a gesture of my good will.

http://www.phatmass.com/

This one explains a bit about the the Fourth Cup and the Real Presence:
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1991/9109fea1.asp

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Sacraments/Eucharist.asp

.

Answer 4

Rituals are rituals...get past that...concentrate more on your relationship with God. If you don't have one you need to get one. Remember the Catholics celebrate the Passion of Christ. His birth, his death and his Resurrection.

Each time you receive holy communion you are communicating with God the Father, that you accept the existence of Jesus Christ.

Also know, that as a Catholic or a Christian, or whatever your theology is. These are trying times. One must be devout to their higher power in order to survive the day to day problems we face as society in whole.

Lastly, prayer & fasting will help you in developing your spirituality, not rituals or some stupid website. A good source that helped me in learning more about the Catholic religion a while back "The Catholic Handbook"

Answer 5

This is not the place to come for advice on the Catholic Church. There are many here who are non Catholic and have been misinformed about the teachings of the Church. I suggest you find a Catholic in your area to mentor you. If you really want a website try this

catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/Mass.htm

It is a bit complicated though, so I suggest you talk to someone.

Hope this helps you, and try not to be mislead by those who have learned about the Catholic Church from non Catholics.

God bless,
Stanbo

Answer 6

I'm a highschool freshman too. Don't listen to any of the people that tell you the Catholic Church is wrong. It is the only Church founded by Jesus Christ, and the only church that claims that.
Don't give up on your faith. I'll pray for you. It's great that you are seeking the truth.

God Bless you!

Answer 7

You asked for websites that will help you with the whats and whys of what the Catholic Church believes and practices. Here are just a few. I hope they help.

Answer 8

Doesn't matter what church you go to, there will be some ritual involved. Luckily, in my church (presbyterian), the bulletin actually says "please stand", which helps a lot. You'll get use to it, just try to pay attention to what's going on before and after the standing and sitting stuff, and pretty soon you'll have it all down and wonder what it was that confused you.

Answer 9

You're lying.

You would never have received First Communion without having had instruction in the Catholic faith and being made to understand exactly what is done and why.

Edit:

I apologize most profusely.

I'm afraid with so many people posting fake questions and insulting all faiths that I was immediately suspicious of the intent of your question.

Pray allow me to answer your question in a better manner.

The best and simplist information I can give you is for you to purchase a First Communion set that has a Mass book, rosary and rosary case.

I'm attaching a link to Get Fed which is a good reputable online store that I have purchased from before.

http://www.getfed.com/displayproduct.cfm?JP=3021247#

If you really want to get into the meat and potatoes of the Catholic Church after that you may want to consider getting a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Here's a link for that as well.

http://www.getfed.com/displayproduct.cfm?JP=1001017

I hope this helps and I am sorry I didn't take your question more seriously.

Hugs,

Answer 10

There will be lots of websites I'm sure. And any websites with information on religion (or even school syllabuses for R.S.) should have something on Catholiscism. If you believe in God and Jesus and love them, though, I don't think the ritual should be of the utmost importance. Just try and relax and feel close to them, you'll learn in time!