Friday, 7 September 2012
Why we say the Act of Contrition
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| My sins nailed you to that cross |
Lord Forgive me for I have sinned....
The Act of Contrition is usually associated with the
Sacrament of Confession, but Catholics should also pray it every day as part of
their normal prayer life. In it, we acknowledge our sins, ask God for
forgiveness, and express our desire to repent. Does sorry seem to be your
hardest word? It shouldn’t be! The Act of Contrition is a prayer in which we
ask God to forgive our sins. We say it in the sacrament of reconciliation, or
penance (otherwise known as confession). Our Lord thought so much of this
sacrament he made it one of seven He instituted to give us grace! The Act of
Contrition acknowledges our need to stay close to God for His help in dealing
with our sinful nature.
There are two types
of contrition: perfect (where we are truly sorry for our sins out of our love
for God) and imperfect (where our sorrow comes more out of fear of God’s
punishments or perhaps from the dreadful nature of the sin itself). Both are
reflected in this version of the Act of Contrition:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for
having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of
Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,
Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help
of Thy grace to confess my sins, to do penance and to amend my life. Amen.
Note that there are several other versions of this prayer.
The one above is perhaps best known, however. You can say the Act of Contrition
any time. (It is often used in night prayers, for example.)
There are two main types of sin, venial and mortal. Venial
sins can weaken our relationship with God while mortal sins can kill it! (Hence
the name.) Note there are three main conditions for a sin to be mortal: the sin
itself must be grave, we must know it is so, and yet still freely consent to
committing it anyway. A mortal sin, if not forgiven through confession, can
lead to our eternal separation from God (that is to say, our damnation) for
eternity!
When we sin we turn
away from God and His will for us. However, when we recite the Act of
Contrition, especially after confession, we turn back to Him acknowledging our
need for His healing power in our lives. His mercy is there for us as long as
we approach him with humility and make a sincere effort not to repeat our sins.
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| Jesus, please forgive me. |
The Glory Be prayer -- Why we pray it
THE GLORY BE PRAYER
The Very Words Of The Glory Be Prayer
Create A Reassuring
Peacefulness
To him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.
-Rev. 1:6
The very words of the Glory Be Prayer of the Catholic Rosary create a reassuring peacefulness.
The Greek word doxology refers to a simple prayer that praises God. The
Letters of St. Paul in the New Testament are usually concluded with a doxology.
Two such examples are
- "For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory for ever. Amen." -Romans 11:36
- "To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, unto all generations, world without end. Amen." -Ephesians 3:21
You can
find Jesus' command to baptize all nations in St. Matthew's Gospel. Jesus uses
the following phrase which acknowledges the relationship of the Blessed Trinity.
- "Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." -Matthew 28:19
The Glory Be prayer continues by professing that God is everlasting.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit were one from the beginning of time and will
continue to be forever.
This is a Biblical truth and is supported by many passages in the New
Testament.
The phrase "glory forever" is repeated throughout the Letters of St. Paul as
you can see from one of the above Bible verses.
Such comfort and peace can come from the knowledge that God loves you and
takes care of you.
He has from the moment of your creation and will continue to forever.
When you believe that God is in control of your life you can live in complete
peace and security.
The History And Origin Of
The Glory Be Prayer
Many Catholic prayers, including the Glory Be prayer, were formed to combat false teachings.
This has brought much tranquility for Catholics - being able to confidently
believe in the truths of God.
And, more importantly...
...knowing where to turn to find them.
As early as the year 300 Catholics began using the phrase, "Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit".
This phrase became popular for two reasons.
- The first reason is because it is fitting to praise God in this form following the example Jesus gave when He instructed his followers go out and baptize.
- And secondly to defend and promote the belief in the Blessed Trinity. The belief in three divine Persons in one God.
In the year 529 the second part of the prayer was added. "As it was in the
beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end."
This phrase was added to confirm that there truly are three Persons in one
God.
That the Son and the Holy Spirit were one with the Father in the beginning,
now and always will be.
During that period up until present day, there have been two forms of this
prayer. The short or minor prayer that is used in the Catholic Rosary prayers
and the greater or major prayer which is prayed during Catholic Mass.
It is a longer and more elaborate prayer which goes like this:
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ,
only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand
of the Father: receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
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By the 600s the Catholic Rosary prayer, the Glory Be Prayer, has been
prayed in the exact form as you now pray it. It has always been a fitting prayer to use when ending a longer prayer form.
Traditionally it was used at the end of the psalms and after a sermon and of course after each decade of the Rosary prayer.
http://www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com/glory-be-prayer.html
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
The Sign of the Cross +
Why Do Catholics Make the Sign of the Cross?
The following is taken from the May/June 2003 issue of the
Oblates magazine, by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
"The Sign of the
Cross is probably the most often used prayer of Christians and most likely the
first prayer we learned as children. Despite its simplicity, the Sign of the
Cross is an ancient prayer rich in meaning. References to it appear in writings
dating back to 240 AD, and it is believed that it was in use during the
earliest days of Christianity.
Initially the Sign of the Cross was made with thumb, usually
on the forehead but sometimes on the lips and chest. This small Sign of the
Cross was in common use by the end of the 4th century and is still used today
at every Mass, with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Anointing
of the Sick. It also is used for marking the forehead with ashes on Ash
Wednesday.
By the 6th century, people were using the first two fingers,
held together to make a large Sign of the Cross, touching the forehead, chest,
and shoulders. The two fingers symbolized the divine and human natures of
Christ.
The use of three fingers became popular in the 9th century.
The thumb and first two fingers were held outstretched together to symbolize
the Trinity, while the remaining two fingers were bent to signify Christ's two
natures. This form of the large Sign of the Cross is still used in Eastern
Christian churches, where the right shoulder is touched before the left.
By the end of the Middle Ages, the Western Church had
adopted the practice of making the large Sign of the Cross with an open hand
and touching the left shoulder before the right. This is the form we Catholics
continue to use today.
The Sign of the Cross is primarily a blessing. We use it to
call God's blessing upon us. We also use it, in both large and small versions,
to bless others or things, such as a rosary. When used in this way,the large
Sign of the Cross is made in the air. Laypersons as well as clergy can use it
to bless others. Parents,for example, may use the Sign of the Cross to bless
their children.
When we make the Sign of the Cross upon ourselves, we are
also expressing our belief in God and the Trinity. Through it, we remind
ourselves of God's love for us, of the sacrifice Jesus made to give us eternal
life, and of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.
The Sign of the Cross also gives us a way to express our
belief in Jesus' death and our hope in the Resurrection. We embrace the cross
of Jesus and express our willingness to take up our own cross, all the while
bursting with joyful hope in the Resurrection.
The routine at Mass of making the small Sign of the Cross on
our foreheads, lips, and chest before the reading of the Gospel also has
meaning. In doing this, we acknowledge our belief in the Word of God, our
commitment to spread God's Word in our daily lives, and our awareness of God's
presence in our hearts.
So while making the Sign of the Cross may sometimes seem
like a routine action, it is not. It marks us as Christians and is a visible
expression of our belief and hope in God."
http://www.stisidore-yubacity.org/signofthecross.htm
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