Biblical Reference For the Catholic Mass Term Paper

Biblical Reference For the Catholic Mass - Term Paper Example The history of Christianity is a testimony justifying that fact, as the Catholic Mass has been the same way since the time of the Apostles and the first Christians. Sources opine the Mass as an interesting call as it links Christians to God in the flesh when they go in front for the Holy Communion1. This paper will give a biblical reference for the Catholic Mass. The Catholic Mass involves a ceremony, incense, and golden chalices. The early Christians were men of culture and time. They held ceremonial events because they were descendants of this style of worship. Later, Christians inherited these styles through organic and natural means from their Jewish origins. Before the Constantine legalized Christianity in Certa, Christians used inventories besides the Scriptures. According to the written inventories, Christians used a number of inventories, which included two golden chalices, six silver dishes, six silver chalices, seven silver lamps, and  a silver bowl. This was indeed a cer emony! The Bible tells us that Noah prepared burnt offering whereby the scriptures establish that the â€Å"odor delighted the Lord† (Gen 8:21)2. This indicates that Catholic Mass has Biblical reference. Most Christians know about the Law of Moses, but remarkably few understand its link to Catholic Mass. A closer outlook shows that God did not come to pick the faithful or abolish the law but rather fulfill it. (Mat 5:17). Facts about the Law of Moses show that it had a heap of vestments and ceremonies involved in it. Jesus liked teaching in temples. In fact, He loved it and named it â€Å"My Father’s House† (Luke 2:49 and John 2:16). This shows that Jesus was into ceremony and even the Heaven talks about a ceremony. In Rev 5:8, twenty-four elders floored in front of the lamb, and they all held golden bowls filled with incense and a harp. The book of Revelation reveals that an angel who appeared in golden censer and stood in front of the altar. This angel receive d a large quantity of incense during prayers  at the altar (Rev 8:3). With reference to the Bible, these are some of the reasons as to why Catholics uphold the spirit of ceremonies. In fact, Book of Revelation gives a description with regard to the Catholic Mass. Revelation gives a lot of emphasis and spiritual attachment to the holy Mass. Catholic Church regards Mass as proper and authentic sacrifice, which is the same as Holy Communion. Anglican churches also offer Mass as proper sacrifice to God. In many churches, the sacrifice of Mass starts with thanking the Lord. In this first part of the Mass, Anglicans give thanks to God because of His blessings, which He has bestowed upon them. The second part of the mass according to Anglican Church entails repenting of sins. Christians plead to the Lord to pardon their sins and purify them in order to offer true and clean sacrifice. Lastly, Anglicans offer themselves as a sacrifice to the Lord who created all the creatures in the earth. Christians participate in celebration of Holy Communion in this part of the Mass. This is what Christians call the Eucharistic sacrifice. Eucharistic sacrifice is the true blood and body of Jesus Christ. There is a contention among churches over the sacrifice of Eucharist. Churches have differed over forms of celebrating this sacrifice. For instance, Catholics have a varied form of offering their Mass. There are many scriptural proofs regarding Mass in Old and New Testaments. Melchisedech and Jesus Christ in the last supper are examples

Kottak presents the concept of the feminization of poverty Essay

Kottak presents the concept of the feminization of poverty - Essay Example These include (1) the growth and emergence of female/women-headed households, (2) inequalities between households and discrimination against girls and women and, and (3) economic policies that lean heavily towards neo-liberalism, including structural changes and transitions in post-socialist markets (Kottak 82). Kottak argues that increasing visibility of poverty among women is deeply rooted in political economies, cultural trends and demographic patterns. He states that there are huge regional variations in the financial and economic status of women-headed households, and this is primarily influenced by women’s access to property and employment, political regimes and social policies. Kottak also states that inequalities between households have been found to worsen the state of women’s rights in terms of their vulnerability (105). This manifests in form of inequalities in resource allocation to households and a lack of decision-making in important spheres like legal codes, public policy and development. Inadequate access to property rights (in land), employment, illiteracy, poor wages, childbearing, early marriages have also proved detrimental to the empowerment of women and the realization of their rights. The expansion of female/women-headed households has been found to be influential in the exacerbation of women’s poverty, and although this has not been proved in most parts of the world, the United States offers a stark example of what may eventually be the situation in a majority of countries. In the US, feminization of poverty is closely linked to the growth of female-headed households especially among low-income females in terms of insufficien t social support (Kottak 74) It has been established that neoliberal economic policies have a tendency and potential to induce poverty and hence have adverse effects on girls and women.