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Universal Call To Holiness
The universal call to holiness is a teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that all people are called to be holy, and is based on Matthew 5:48: "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (). In the first book of the Bible, the call to holiness is expressed in the Lord's words to Abraham: "Walk before me, and be blameless" (). Description Chapter V of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, '' Lumen gentium'' discusses the Universal Call to Holiness: ...all the faithful of Christ of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity; ...They must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things. They must devote themselves with all their being to the glory of God and the service of their neighbor. Pope Benedict XVI spoke on the Universal Call to Holiness during his General Audience of Wednesday, 13 April 2011, saying: ...The saints expressed in v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novo Millennio Ineunte
''Novo millennio ineunte'' (''At the beginning of the new millennium'') is an apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II, addressed to the Bishops Clergy and Lay Faithful, "At the Close of the Great Jubilee of 2000". The apostolic letter outlines the priorities for the Catholic Church for the third millennium and beyond. Put out into the deep The opening paragraph cites Jesus inviting the Apostle Simon Peter to "put out into the deep" for a catch: "Duc in altum" (Lk 5:4). This phrase was often repeated by Pope John Paul II and quoted by others. Peter and his companions trusted Christ's words, and cast the nets. "When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish" (Lk 5:6).Novo Millennio Ineunte (1) Christ at the Center Priorities The highest priority is put on holiness or sanctity: "All Christian faithful ... are called to the fullness of the Christian life." (no. 30) The second priority is the basic means to arrive at holiness: "This training in holiness c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions and has played a prominent role in the history and development of Western civilization.Gerald O'Collins, O'Collins, p. v (preface). The church consists of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical rites#Churches, ''sui iuris'' (autonomous) churches, including the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, which comprise almost 3,500 dioceses and Eparchy, eparchies List of Catholic dioceses (structured view), around the world, each overseen by one or more Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishops. The pope, who is the bishop of Rome, is the Papal supremacy, chief pastor of the church. The core beliefs of Catholicism are found in the Nicene Creed. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Familiaris Consortio
''Familiaris consortio'' (''The fellowship of the family''; subtitled ''On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World'') is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation written by Pope John Paul II and promulgated on 22 November 1981. Summary The document describes the position of the Catholic Church on the meaning and role of marriage and the family, and outlines challenges towards realizing that ideal. It refers to marriage as "one of the most precious and most urgent tasks of Christian couples in our time", and as "the foundation of the wider community of the family, since the very institution of marriage and conjugal love are ordained to the procreation and education of children, in whom they find their crowning". Among other observations, ''Familiaris consortio'' restates the Church's opposition to artificial birth control, stated previously in ''Humanae vitae'', and briefly mentions the opposition of the Church to abortion. It also discusses the responsibility and exp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Prayer
Christian prayer is an important activity in Christianity, and there are several different forms used for this practice. Christian prayers are diverse: they can be completely spontaneous, or read entirely from a text, such as from a breviary, which contains the canonical hours that are said at fixed prayer times. While praying, certain gestures usually accompany the prayers, including folding one's hands, Bowing#Christianity, bowing one's head, kneeling (often in the kneeler of a pew in corporate worship or the kneeler of a prie-dieu in private worship), and Prostration#Christianity, prostration. The most prominent prayer among Christians is the Lord's Prayer, which according to the gospel accounts (e.g. wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#6:9, Matthew 6:9-13) is how Jesus in Christianity, Jesus taught his Disciple (Christianity), disciples to pray. The injunction for Christians to pray the Lord's Prayer thrice daily was given in ''Didache'' 8, 2 f., which, in turn, was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evangelical Counsels
In Christianity, the three evangelical counsels, or counsels of perfection, are chastity, poverty (or perfect charity), and obedience. As stated by Jesus in the canonical gospels, they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect" (, ). The Catholic Church interprets this to mean that they are not binding upon all, and hence not necessary conditions to attain eternal life (heaven), but that they are " acts of supererogation", "over and above" the minimum stipulated in the biblical commandments. Catholics who have made a public profession to order their lives by the evangelical counsels, and confirmed this by public vows before their competent church authority (the act of religious commitment known as a profession), are recognised as members of the consecrated life. Consecrated life There are early forms of religious vows in the monastic traditions. The Rule of Saint Benedict (ch. 58.17) indicates that the newly received promise stability, fidelity to monastic lif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christian Perfection
Within many denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by pure love of God and other people as well as personal holiness or sanctification. Other terms used for this or similar concepts include entire sanctification, holiness, perfect love, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, baptism by fire, the second blessing, and the second work of grace. Understandings of the doctrine of Christian Perfection vary widely between Christian traditions, though these denominational interpretations find basis in Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 5:48: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (King James Version). The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christian perfection is to be sought after by all of the just (righteous). Eastern Orthodoxy situates ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lay Apostolate
The lay apostolate is made up of Laity, laypersons, who are neither Consecrated life (Catholic Church), consecrated religious nor in Holy Orders, who exercise a ministry within the Catholic Church. Lay apostolate organizations operate under the general oversight of pastors and bishops, but need not be dependent upon them for direction. The laity can exercise a fruitful apostolate by their conduct in the areas of their labor, profession, studies, neighborhood, and social life. And according to the Vatican II Apostolicam Actuositatem, Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, they will look for opportunities to announce Christ to their neighbors through the spoken word as well (AA 13).Dulles SJ, Avery. Evangelization for the Third Millennium (Kindle Locations 257-260). Paulist Press. From Vatican II to Pope Francis The Second Vatican Council of bishops in the Catholic Church has been seen as elevating the laity “from passive spectators to involved members”. It was the first counci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apostolates
An apostolate is a Christian organization "directed to serving and evangelizing the world", most often associated with the Anglican Communion or the Catholic Church. In more general usage, an apostolate is an association of persons dedicated to the propagation of a religion or a doctrine. The word apostolate comes from the Greek word ''apostello'', which means to "send forth" or "to dispatch". The Christian origin of the word comes from the twelve ''apostles'' who were selected by Christ; they had a "special vocation, a formal appointment of the Lord to a determined office, with connected authority and duties". An apostolate can be a Christian organization made up of the laity or of a specific Christian religious order. Apostolate as ministry Within Anglican theology and Catholic theology, "ministry" pertains to the administration of a sacrament; or the celebration of liturgy and all that pertains to the liturgical functioning of the Church; as such it is specific to those with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catholic Spirituality
Catholic spirituality includes the various ways in which Catholics live out their Baptismal promise through prayer and action. The primary prayer of all Catholics is the Eucharistic liturgy in which they celebrate and share their faith together, in accord with Jesus' instruction: " Do this in memory of me." The Catholic bishops at the Second Vatican Council decreed that "devotions should be so drawn up that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord with the sacred liturgy, are in some fashion derived from it, and lead the people to it, since, in fact, the liturgy by its very nature far surpasses any of them." In accord with this, many additional forms of prayer have developed over the centuries as means of animating one's personal Christian life, at times in gatherings with others. Each of the religious orders and congregations of the Catholic church, as well as lay groupings, has specifics to its own spirituality – its way of approaching God in prayer to foster its way ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginity
Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof, vary. Heterosexuals may or may not consider loss of virginity to occur only through penile–vaginal penetration, while people of other sexual orientations often include oral sex, anal sex, or manual sex in their definitions of virginity loss. The term "virgin" encompasses a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern, and ethical concepts. Religious rituals for regaining virginity exist in many cultures. Some men and women who practice celibacy after losing their virginity consider themselves born-again virgins. There are cultural and religious traditions that place special value and significance on this state, predominantly towards unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honour, and worth. Like c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
