This is not a debate thread, but is a thread where we could learn more about Catholics, these are all pretty basic questions I'm starting this thread of with, but I think a lot of us other Christians have been taught wrongly about the Catholics. Now i would rather hear from Catholics themselves, about what are the differences between Catholics to other Christians are? What makes a Catholic a Catholic? What are the traditions in the Catholic Church? What's the significance of Mary the mother of Jesus to the Catholics? When did the Catholic Church start? What were the original Catholics like compared to today? Others please feel free to ask questions to our Catholic members on this forum as well, but please try not to turn this into a debate..... If that's possible. Lets give the Catholics a fair go.
Hi Josho,
Here is what I have found concerning the traditions of the Catholic Church. The Didache, also known as
The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, was written around 80 AD which is before some NT books. Part of it instructs Christians on what to do on Sunday:
“on every Lord's day gather yourselves together, break bread and give thanks after having confessed your transgressions”. Catholics still do that when they gather at Church.
Around the year 152 AD Justin Martyr wrote:
On the day called Sunday there is a gathering together in the same place of all who live in a given city or rural district. The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read (scripture), as long as time permits. Then when the reader ceases, the president (priest) in a discourse admonishes and urges the imitation of these good things. Next we all rise together and send up prayers. When we cease from our prayer, bread is presented and wine and water. The president in the same manner sends up prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people sing out their assent, saying the 'Amen.' A distribution and participation of the elements (Eucharist) for which thanks have been given is made to each person, and to those who are not present they are sent by the deacons. Those who have means and are willing, each according to his own choice, gives what he wills, and what is collected is deposited with the president. He provides for the orphans and widows, those who are in need on account of sickness or some other cause, those who are in bonds, strangers who are sojourning, and in a word he becomes the protector of all who are in need. And this food is called among us the Eucharist….it is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. In
the year 2017 the Catholic Church still practices this in their daily mass.
The Catholic Church conducts
DAILY MASS all around the world which fulfills Acts 2:46. Other denominations conduct church services on Sunday and some Saturdays.
In those daily masses the readings from scripture are
all the same so a Catholic in California is receiving the same word as a Catholic in Calcutta.
Two thousand years later they still use wine. The
tradition of some Protestant churches is to use grape juice which was started in the mid to late 1800's.
It seems that the Catholic Church is fulfilling
2 Thess 2:15.
My two cents worth of research. Hope it helps.
Mary
