Review of Sacraments

As a Catholic you will often hear that the Church is a sacramental church. And as a cradle Catholic I had each sacraments bestowed on me as I grew. Now being taught by nuns, I am not sure if it got truncated view or what but I have had to do a lot of learning about each sacrament. One thing I did learn is this, all seven sacraments call be traced to Jesus himself. I found that to be an awesome piece of information.

Each of these sacraments have special rites and rituals associated with them and we will be giving a brief overview of each of the sacraments.

A Christian and in turn a Catholic Baptism must be Trinitarian in form. So what does that mean. What it means is the first sacrament, Baptism must be done In the name of the Father, In the name of the Son and in the name of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the sacrament of water and starts with God and the first person of the Trinity. er. Jesus himself was baptized by John the Baptist and was submerged into the Jordan River. Jesus had a Trinitarian Baptism. The symbolism of the water is used to wash away original sin, sin that was committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This sacrament is the basic tenant of all Christian religious with the exclusion of a few. The baptisms that are not recognized are not Trinitarian in form. Among unrecognized baptism are Mormon, Unitarian, and Jehovah's Witness.

The second Sacrament is Reconciliation. You may also hear it referred to as penance. It is probably the most over looked sacrament. And maybe the most ridiculed. I often here from converts that it was one of he hardest concepts for them to 'get'. In recent years this sacraments has made a huge come back thanks the urging of Pope John Paul II. The Pope relegated in recent years from when Vatican II it advocated the use of the sacrament for mortal sin. The Church does ask you go once a year.

The Third Sacrament is Eucharist or Communion. This sacrament was handed to us by Jesus during the last supper. There is much that is and can be written on this particular sacrament but the root is the real present of Christ in the Eucharist. It is the one doctoral teaching of the Catholic Church that sets it apart all other churches. Jesus is present at each and every mass. Its a profound thought

The Fourth Sacrament is that of the Holy Spirit, or Confirmation. Baptism by fire. This gives each Candidate the opportunity to reconfirm his Baptismal vows and speak for himself. Where many view this as a finalization, the reality is it is actually the start of the persons life in the church.

The Fifth Sacrament is Matrimony or Marriage and of course his one is pretty self explanatory.

The Sixth Sacrament is Holy Orders. This is the sacrament that people entering religious life participate in.

The Seventh and final Sacrament is Anointing of the Sick. This sacrament has evolved some again with the help of Pope John Paul II. He opened this sacrament up and redefined it a bit so that sick could participate in this and not one that was dying, which is what the previous understanding of it was. If you are having surgery, or are ill, suffering with cancer and alike you are very welcome to be anointed.

Beth Guide is the webmaster for Rosary Religious Inspirational Gifts

Naturally and Powerfully Speak Your Truth to Improve Others

I have a friend who is a fairly successful person. He is the area manager for a particular large manufacturing company. We were talking over lunch a few weeks ago about our lives, and how we came to be where we are. One of those lazy conversations on a Saturday afternoon, when you don't have any specific plans, and are content to allow the conversation to flow wherever it wants to go, you can decide to just go along for the ride.

He used to be a line manufacturing technician. These are the guys that work on the assembly line, and are in charge of only one aspect in the larger manufacturing process. He had noticed that there were changes that the company could make, that would save them a lot of money. And not a lot of money in the long term, possible future. A lot of money, right here, right now.

And he went home and told his wife, and his wife of course suggested he bring it up at the next meeting. After all, he was pretty well regarded at his job, since he'd been there for a few years, and had a good record. But my friend was worried for some reason. He kept coming up with excuses why he didn't want to express himself at the meeting. Luckily for him, and his company, his wife knew him well enough to see that these were merely excuses, and not the real reason. And his wife was also wise enough to let him discover the real reason in his own time, without any extra pressure from her.

Some people, when they notice a friend or loved one making a mistake, or living life less than with complete resourcefulness, tend to pressure the person with short term tactics that usually backfire. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Many times it's better to discover things on your own than to be told about them.

So my friend kept going to work, and the more he saw that his ideas would definitely improve the bottom line of the company, the more anxious he got. When I asked him about he said that if he told them, they would almost surely promote him. Why would that be a bad thing? I asked him. If he got promoted, then he would be a supervisor, which would the next level above where he was. Then he would have to conduct meetings, and speak in front of people, and people that were knew and were being trained would watch him as an example, and so on.

When he finally explained all this to his wife, she was very understanding. She said to him:

You are much more knowledgeable than you think. You have great talent. You are not doing anybody any good by hiding your talent. You may think that by bringing more attention to yourself will bring discomfort and unease, but in reality, when you express yourself, people will know how smart you really are. People will know how much you really do have to offer. And that's important, isn't it?

My friend said that he was really moved by his wife's faith in him. The next day, he went and explained his idea to his foreman. They used his suggestion, saved money, and of course, promoted him. And he said a strange thing happened, something he didn't quite expect. Because of the extra attention he got, he actually had a lot more good ideas that he was aware of. And not only that, people were more than willing to help him improve in areas where he expressed an interest, because he was quickly being recognized as somebody that was a great source of knowledge to other people.

George Hutton is a widely read author and blogger who writes inspirational and life changing articles. You can join many others who read daily at http://www.georgehutton.net/wordpress

Spending My Childhood Around Christians

I was born in the 1960s and raised in Southern California, United States of America. During that period of time, and in the area I was raised, there was basically one religion that dominated every aspect of mine and my friends lives. That religion was Christianity. When I was in elementary school, I knew one Jewish boy and he looked different than the Christians and even talk different. He was very smart and spent a lot of his time reading, instead of playing at recess.

There were no Muslims or Hindus and it was a predominantly white environment. The first black students I seen was when I entered the eighth grade and by the time I finished high school, I could count all of the black students I had met on both of my hands. So now you have a pretty good idea of my life, living in a white neighborhood that was 90% Christian.

As you can guessed it, I was raised a Christian, but not a regular Christian, I was a Methodist and proud of it, until my parents got tired of the church elders asking for money or if my father could help build the new church. My father explained to them, that he needed to work to support his family and could only contribute, what ever he could to the church and no more. They were very unhappy and made it uncomfortable for us to go to the church anymore.

Hard to imagine, isn't it. Christians asking for money and then when they don't receive it, getting mad at one of their brethren.

Well it was time to switch churches and we are now going to the Crystal Cathedral Church in Garden Grove California. These people had everything and it was a large church. This was before they built the massive glass structure that is presently the church sanctuary. I enjoy going to this church, because we didn't have to go to Sunday school and got to sit with the adults to worship.

By the time I was 15, neither one of my parents were going to church anymore and my life didn't seem to change that much, even though I prayed every night with my brother. Maybe that was it, I didn't have to go to church as long as I prayed every night... By the time I was 18 years old, I was more confused about organized religion than ever before and this included Christianity.

How can someone kill in the name of God? The Muslims were doing it, the Christians were doing it, the Muslims were fighting the Hindus in India and it all seemed normal. It didn't seem normal to me, when I was supposed to love my neighbor and live a life like Christ who never seemed to start fights or even get mad. Maybe a couple of times, over some money, in the Temple.

I have chosen not to be a part of organized religion. I'd figured out that most of our religious beliefs came from our upbringing. This seems to have brainwashed us into believing we are better because were right and know for a fact, that we have chosen to belong to the right religion. What if were not right?

I want to ask you a question, do you think that other religions are wrong and yours is right? If you really spend some time and think about this, you will see, that your religion is not that different than someone else's and neither was their upbringing. Most religious followers, belonged to the religion of their childhood.

Who Is Jesus?

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Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual videos filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Luck Is What Happens When

Is Your Religion an Illusion? Who is God?

Most people that I run into on a regular basis while out and about on my journey through life, seem to believe in something. Most of them when asked, fear death and are often looking forward to going to a better place, like heaven when they die. Some of them will start talking about all the good things they've done in their lifetime, while others live in a very humble world.

If you're a strong believer and are told not to read or listen to anything outside of your religious text. This probably comes from fear and will keep you living in your religious illusion of faithfulness. Jesus once said, Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

I'm sure that religious scholars can interpret this in a hundred ways and some of them will even make sense to people like me but the words are simple and straightforward. Seek and you will find is pretty simple to understand. If I'm looking for the answers while seeking the truth, I should be able to find it.

Here's where the problem comes in, why don't more people seek the truth. If you believe that seeking the truth is reading your religious text on a daily basis, read them with an open mind and soon you will find text that some of it is outdated, doesn't make sense, and some of it even contradicts itself. There is some wonderful information in these texts also. I've read some of the Holy Bible and love Proverbs and the Story of Job.

Just because I liked the stories and other parts of the Holy Bible, does it make me a believer in Jesus or the God of the Holy Bible. I can no longer agree with my past beliefs, how I was raised or have the same beliefs as the majority of people in my community. I am still seeking the truth but no longer falling into the trap and believe most religions create an illusion of a better life, but can't seem to deliver the goods, especially here on earth. The promise of something better entices some people to live a godly life but at what expense, sometimes.

There are plenty of religious followers who will tell you that they're happy and they love following their religion. Some of these people are liars, others are honest but most of them aren't very educated about their own religions or others throughout the world. Don't get caught up in the religious trap, that your religion is right and others are wrong. This could become more frustrating once you truly start to seek the truth.

Fooling Christians Today

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Starting Your Own Religion

Are You Caught Up In A Life Of Guilt

Guilt is one of the largest causes of stress in your life. Stop reading this article for a second and think about the people in your lives that often make you feel guilty.

Now did you really stop reading the article and think about the people in your life who make you feel guilty? Okay well if you did this get back to the guilty feelings so many of us have. Guilt goes all the way back to your childhood, your parents, teachers, friends and relatives have gotten to be pretty good at it over the years, often learning from the same group of people when they were children.

Guilt is definitely a big part of our society and can be found almost everywhere you turn. Have you ever turned the television on to notice a commercial about weight loss. A large majority of Americans are overweight and are targets for a guilt creating society.

I was reading a book on writing magazine articles, when they mentioned a fact that I never thought of, most women's magazines run articles on dieting in every issue. Guilt sells magazines.

Do you think weight loss, dieting or nutritional eating habits, sell magazines? If your answer is no, you should check the financial statements of these companies. They know what sells magazines and guilt or fear is one of their best friends. If you answered yes to the question, you won't have to suffer from the guilt of not knowing the answer.

Guilt seems to work on our subconscious mind in negative ways, often producing harmful thoughts that create stressful feelings in our lives. The longer these negative thoughts are held as truths, the harder it's going to be on our self esteem.

If you find yourself around people that make you feel guilty for something you do or don't do on a regular basis, I would suggest finding new people to hang around with. Gathering negative information from people you consider your friends can only create more damage to your conscience.

If you truly and sincerely do not like something about yourself, tell your friends in a nice way, that you would rather talk about your problems in a negative way. If they have constructive and helpful comments, you would love to hear them. Guilt causes stress and stress can lead to death. If you don't believe that, do some research on stress related illnesses.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, The Intuitive Way

Greg is currently working on a personal development library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

Religious Views Based From Fear

I was told by an advertising executive one day that all of your advertisements need to deliver some sort of hope for the people you're trying to persuade into buying your products. Funny, if you think about it, I got some and great advice about life from someone in the advertisement business.

Most people are looking for hope, in everything they do. Most of our daily activities revolve around hope and this gives our lives some sort of direction. If you believe in an almighty being and creator of the universe, often you will try to please him, ....or her, ....or it, in hopes of entering the kingdom of heaven or the promised land after you die.

Often our fears will increase our levels of hoping, the fear of doing something against your religion can often inspire you to become a more spiritual person, a good and moral person. Fear of making the wrong choices will inspire us to make better, moral choices, all for the sake of acquiring a ticket to Heaven or Nirvana. You're hoping, your good deeds on earth will earn you a place in heaven.

Most people are afraid of dying and leaving this world, for good. They don't know where they're going and that seems to scare most people. If we can offer someone a little hope, that they are going to a much better place than here, we can often ease the pain and suffering associated with death. I have to admit, most religions of the world promise another world, after we're done with this one.

If you're living a honest and moral life with the hopes of living a bountiful life in heaven, could you be wrong. What if you're seeking Hope in the wrong religion? If you're a Christian and the Hindus are right and you're wrong, do you get to enter there eternal kingdom.

Think about this question, I'm about to ask you. What if spend your whole life studying your religion and it's wrong? There is no heaven and when you die, that's the end of your existence

Have you ever wondered why you believe in your religion and someone in another country or even a couple of miles away believes in something entirely different.

Don't get mad at me or yourself, simply think about the question for a while, this question has transformed my life and put me on a wonderful spiritual path of learning.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, The Power of Intention

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility. It's based on overindulgence.

Self Help Tips, Creating SMART Goals

Creating S.M.A.R.T. goals is easy. These are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

If you are creating S.M.A.R.T. goals you have a better chance to succeed.

They are very granular in natural. There is no ambiguity and there is a time frame for achieving.

If you are setting vague goals like this......"We will reduce operating expenses this year", you will probably get results that match. Vague, unmeasurable and not timely.

There is no way to measure the outcome because we do not know the specific destination. If your business is measuring its success like this you probably have employees who don't know if they are doing a good job or not and you probably are not achieving your goals.

A good example of a S.M.A.R.T. Goal is: "We will reduce operating expenses by 2% for the second quarter of the fiscal year". This contains all the elements that we need to reach our destination.

It is specific "reduce operating expenses by 2%, it is measurable, and it is timely. Of course it has to be attainable and realistic too.

Specific - A specific goal will contain enough detail to answer who, what, where, when.

Measurable - A measurable goal will contain an exact end. Answer the questions how much or how many is a good start.

Attainable - Goals must stretch you, but should be achievable with good effort. If they are not it could cause apathy because the goal seemed too far away.

Realistic - Do you think the goal is achievable? Can you get it done with maximum effort or will your maximum effort still come up short? Goals should not be easy...to the contrary. However, they should be realistic.

Timely - Set an exact start and end time. If you do not establish a start time, you will never begin. If you do not establish an end time you will never achieve your goal in a timely manner. Having a start and end time greatly increases your chance for success.

Creating these types of goals will help you achieve a higher percentage of them and this all adds up to driving more business. Let it work for you today.

Gregg Zban is a General Manager with Coca-Cola Enterprises and has created a website dedicated to better time management in business, with family, at school and more.

To learn more please visit http://www.choice-time-management.com

For freebies please visit http://www.GreggZban.com

Sun Tzu