Beowulf vs. the Knight in Canterburry Tales essays

Beowulf vs. the Knight in Canterburry Tales essays Heroes have amazing qualities that make them extraordinary people. Many types of heroes live in the world: men, women, children, or even next-door neighbors. Both Beowulf and the Knight act heroically, each in their own way. Heroes usually have an abundance of strength, and act as great warriors. They risk their lives for a cause. For example, a general of an army is a strong warrior and a hero, because he does anything for his men. The firefighters on September 11th acted like heroes. They climbed the stairs of the tower though they knew they probably wouldnt come down, because they understood that their job required them to help people. Heroes, like the ones just mentioned, do not always benefit from what they do. Heroes usually have ethics and honesty, with a high moral conviction. They tend to obey a higher law. For example, William Wallace, the man who died helping the Scottish fight the British, had a strong faith in G-d and admirable ethics. Believing in G-d helps a hero, because he realizes his weaknesses, so he might as well help society. The hero says to himself G-d put me on this planet to live His way, and I am nothing compared to Him, so I should help other people. Heroes often do not quite fit into normal society. This helps them perceive wrong. They do not live normal lives. They usually always work for a cause. They live alone, and sacrifice a social life for what they believe in. Often when a great peril threatens society, the hero takes a vital role. It may involve a trial from which the hero must emerge on a higher level. For example, Harry Potter often faces a problem, which, while trying to solve, makes him into a better person. Heroes should also have confidence. A hero should possess bravery and courage, but it may damage him to have too much confidece. Arrogance could hurt a warrior, because he may think he could win a battle when he should really back off. This shows why he...

Air Pollution in Colombia. Essay Example

Air Pollution in Colombia. Essay Example Air Pollution in Colombia. Paper Air Pollution in Colombia. Paper Essay Topic: Air pollution Air pollution has become one of the most important concerns of the local authorities of Latin- American cities. Bogota, like as other urban centers in South America such as SAA Paulo, Mexico City and Santiago De Chile, shows significant levels of air pollution, levels that may represent a high risk for the populations health and certainly a reduction in the quality of life of its inhabitants. Bogota, capital of Colombia, is one of the largest cities of Latin America; with a population of around 6. Lion and an annual growth rate of 2. 081 percent it is the largest urban center in Colombia; it also has the highest rates of environmental deterioration of the country. Air pollution has increased dramatically lately, due mainly to the uncontrolled increase in the number of vehicles in the city. Although air pollution has been monitored in Bogota since 1 967, it wasnt until 1 990 that the monitoring stations were spread widely throughout the city. At that time the Secretary of Health of the District with the collaboration of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (CIA) pursued a study in order to determine the air quality of the city. This study concluded that the most important source of pollution in Bogota was automobiles; 70% of the pollution could be attributed to cars. Another very important source of pollution was found to be bricks and battery plants, among others. The study conducted with the support of CIA identified for the first time the imposition of air pollution in Bogota and its principal components. These were identified to be the following: Sulfur Dioxide (SYS), Nitrogen Oxides (Knox), Total Suspended Particles (TTS), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrocarbons (HOC), and Ozone (03). It was estimated that 75% of the pollutants annual emissions correspond to Particulate Matter. The study determined that the levels of CO, HOC, SYS and Particulate Matter were not above the limits defined as safe by the WHO. This led to CIA s inclusion that: in 1990-1991 air pollution in Bogota did not reach levels of concern to the local authorities. Nevertheless, the rapid growth in the number of cars in Bogota during the last decade originated additional interest in this matter.

Psychology undefined, Darvin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Psychology undefined, Darvin - Essay Example His Theory differs from Lamarckism in that Lamarck avoided the word "evolution", while Darwin's theory stays valid whether acquired traits are transmitted or not, Lamarck's theory becomes inoperative if acquired traits cannot be transmitted. Darwin's theory is basically criticized for absence of any credible empirical scientific evidence in support of the theory, regarding the spontaneous generation of life or inheritance from one to another . Q2. Describe Galton's application of the theory of evolution by natural selection to individual differences in human mental characteristics. For instance, what were Galton's assumptions about the nature of human mental characteristics What kinds of evidence did Galton obtain To what extent did the evidence collected by Galton provide strong scientific support for his views on individual differences and evolution of mind Answer: Galtons believes that no animals have ever been bred for general intelligence, as humans we are having the high general intellect that other living things haven't. Since no experiments had been made for this, but we can thoroughly see how rational beings are humans. We are the highest form of living things. Galton made an investigation having a biographical work that was a collection of intelligent persons.

Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Memo - Case Study Example Some methodological issues of CBA have not been entirely resolved even now, but the essential presented in the subsequent are well proven. One of the shortcomings of CBA is that the evaluation of many components of benefits and costs are intuitively obvious but that there exist other methods for which intuition fails to suggest methods of measurement. Therefore, some important principles are needed as a guide (Pohl & Mihaljek, 1992). Since the enactment of the devolution agenda, Arapahoe County has been experiencing problems in the personnel based expenditures. The assessment of this Countys expenditure would lead the ease in the distribution of these given expenditures. However, inevitably would to otherwise but difficulties in the distribution of the expenditure. According to reports the escalation rate of health is 8% but without the heath personnel in place it is 3.5%. In the cost benefit computation area, the one-time costs differ in the relation to the description and the quantity. As for the HR charges set up pilot, each person gets a unit cost of 7500 and the participants retirement is 10000 each. The recurring costs: The base stipend differs from year to year, and it is always growing from year one to year 5. As the base stipend, the ACA penalty also increases consistently from tear one to year five with its transaction year unit cost being $ 2,000 and the operational year unit cost being $3000. The recurring saving: the retirement benefit’s transition year unit saving is $ 2,664 and operational year unit saving is $ 5,327 and the development increases yearly. The health care savings transition year saving is $ 3,411 and the operational year unit savings is $ 6,821 and the development increases year after year. The cost /benefits adjusted for the time value of money has a discount factor growth that is

Women fce greter chllenges thn men in their ttempts to climb to the Essay

Women fce greter chllenges thn men in their ttempts to climb to the top of the corporte ldder - Essay Example More recently, however, there hs been n influx of women into non-trditionl, higher sttus occuptions, nd it ppers tht trditionl ptterns of occuptionl segregtion my be slowly chnging. It is considered, tht women fce greter chllenge thn men in their ttempts to climb top of the corporte ldder. This suggestion hs been mde due to historicl chnges tht took plce in the distribution of gender workforce nd will be discussed lter in this pper. lthough women nd men hve lwys engged in purposeful ctivity, the set of ctivities tht mny people consider work or employment is not lwys cler. Historiclly, men nd women worked side by side together in the fields. Tody, however, distinction is mde between pid, public work externl to the fmily nd unpid, privte work in the home. Ech of these spheres of work hs come to be sex-typed, with pid work being viewed by mny s the domin of mles nd unpid work in the home the domin of femles. These perceptions re chnging but re still deep-seted in mny respects. Historiclly, men nd women hve hd very different experiences of work. Men hve either secured goods or worked externl to the fmily unit, wheres women often hve worked more integrlly s prt of tht unit. Beginning with industriliztion nd continuing to the workplce tody, men's nd women's experiences of work hve vried significntly, lrgely due to the continuing sex segregtion of occuptions. However, with the onset of two world wrs, both Blck nd White women stedily incresed their numbers in the externl, pid workforce. During the 1990s, the mjority of both men nd women, Blck nd White, were employed outside of the fmily unit. The reltions between men nd women - sometimes chrcterised s "wr" - hve since been trnsformed. In the City of London tody, for exmple, some highly pid expectnt mothers ttempt to time their bonus pyments so tht they fll within the reference period used to clculte mternity py entitlements. If they mnge to win bonus between 18 nd 26 weeks before their expected birth dte, they cn receive mternity py mounting to much more thn they ern normlly - nd with the pprovl of the Inlnd Revenue. How much of this chnge is due to the lw, nd how much would hve hppened nywy becuse of economic nd lbour mrket pressures It is, s lwys, difficult to sy. Yet most commenttors rgue the SD hs hd significnt impct on British working culture. "Tody, it is unusul for women to be discriminted ginst directly becuse they re women, which is wht used to hppen," sys Michel Rubenstein, the founder of Equl Opportunities Review, specilist journl. "The discrimintion tht tkes plce now is mostly round women's fmily roles nd resentment of the disruption it cuses." (Overell, 2006). Jmes Cox, n employment prtner t shurst, n interntionl lw firm, sys: "The City [of London] is the lst bstion of old-style employment prctices, where the focus is on working hrd nd ceding your life to your employer nd clients. "But in the lst few yers it hs been hit relly hrd by women tking [employers to] tribunls nd sometimes wlking wy with multimillion-pound compenstion pyments. It is those cses of the lte 1990s, directly due to the SD, tht hve forced the City to chnge its wys." (Overell, 2006). It is only in very recent yers tht there hs been notble rise in the number of people (mostly women) using sex equlity lw to chllenge employers. In 1998-99, 6,200 women took their employers to tribunl; by 2003-4 the figure hd risen to 17,000 people

Marriage and Holy Orders

Marriage and Holy Orders Here is the question Since Vatican 2 the sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders have been understood as sacraments of Christian ministry. How is this understanding of these two sacraments reflected in the churchs contemporary theology of Marriage and Holy Orders? Several individuals have been concerned with the understanding of the sacraments of holy matrimony and the holy orders in the churchs contemporary theology. for instance 1st a The Catholic custom educates that sacraments are an outward signs, incidents that are clear in our understanding, of the unseen truth of Gods grace in our lives, which is practiced only indirectly by its consequence on our lives. And the customary lessons goes further. Not only do sacraments spot the approaching of grace with a noticeable symbol, but they bring about the realism of refinement by the means they connect us to the person of Jesus Christ present in the society which is his house of worship. In the case of the sacraments of occupation this is clear in the way these sacraments begin individuals into a duty, a service, in the church society. since the outcome of the sacraments is connected to the outer symbol, which should be as comprehensible and fluent as possible. To a great level the society itself is constitutive of the symbol, and is thus vital in calling forward the gifts of the occupation in which each individual is well-known and established in each sacrament of oc cupation. 1st b The Bible pioneers us to a widespread custom of sacramental movement.For example the Hebrew Scriptures do not utilize any phrase that we would interpret as sacrament, but portray acts of worship base on representation. The most significant of these is the Passover festivity, but there are many others. However, in the New Testament Jesus built on these obtainable customs of worship, as well as on the narratives and descriptions of the Scriptures in his events and in his teachings. Consequently, the sacraments we rejoice in nowadays are all developed from these events and teachings of Jesus. And that is why we refer to Matrimony Holy Orders as the sacraments of occupation, a statement that originates from the Latin for call. Meaning that, all of us are called by God. As a matter of fact, we are called at different levels, and increasingly all through our lives, we are called into existence, into human self-respect and accountability, and into certain associations, societies and tasks. Most significantly ,we are called into an cherished spiritual union with God that does not come as expected but must be required and refined within the grace, or a particular outreach, of God. The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. 2nd part The Christian perception is that, despite the fact all of the complex human tradition of disputes and competitions, maltreatment and unfairness, chauvinism and eliminations, matrimony in the grace of Christ are redemptive. They are authorized to exceed all the troubles and to make families and relationships all over the community that bring health and completeness and pleasure both within their individual family circle and in the wider society. This too is an necessary part of building the church, the society of the believers of Jesus. This also is a sacrament of occupation, of the passion to build up the church that contributes in the work of salvation. The sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus; the matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. When we perceive the complementarily of these sacraments of occupation, we are observing the house of worship in a manner that may be new and thus seems odd. Some may even imagine that this is a more Protestant method of observing our Christian being collectively and at the nature and purpose of the house of worship. So far this organic means of viewing the house of worship and our positions inside it is built right into our sacramental performance and our theology of the sacraments. In addition, essentially and theologically there is no shared exceptionality between the sacraments of Matrimony Holy Orders. Though the present regulation of the Catholic church needs celibacy of its priests, that has not all time and all over been so. An individual can be named to assist in the building up of the body of the risen Christ, which is the society of followers, in two ways. He can be the one to bring the society collectively in Eucharist as well as being one of individuals who build up the society family by family in weaving the redemptive relations. The two sacraments of occupation, similar to the entire sacraments, are not just celebrations that occur in a given moment and then are history. They are ongoing and continuously unfolding the truth in our existence as we remain heading towards full salvation and change that move us towards redemption, which is our correct connection with God and thus with one another. The main fundamental calling of a believer is the call into discipleship of Jesus in a society of disciples. Thus the main fundamental sacrament of calling is in fact baptism, or more precisely initiation which is celebrated in first Eucharist, Confirmation, and Baptism. It initiates an individual into the membership and life of the house of worship. Therefore, the solemn festivity simultaneously of the heavenly invitation, of the reply of the person, and of the welcome of the society which is both the local meeting of followers of Jesus, and the great general People of God, the international church. Nothing is actually superior or closer in the association we have with our maker than the grace and vocation of baptism. However, that vocation expressed by baptism, that calling of the baptized, plays out in different ways for different individuals. Amongst our 7 sacramental celebrations, we recognize this by a series of festivities shared by all, and by 2 festivities focused on the 2 crucial ways in which the church as society of salvation in the world is built up. And these 2 are usually identified as the sacraments of vocation. Ordained members and Holy Orders See also: Catholic Church hierarchy, College of Bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church),and Deacon Lay men become ordained through the sacrament of Holy Orders, and form a three-part hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons. As a body the College of Bishops are considered to be the successors of the apostles.[137][138] Along with the pope, the College includes all the cardinals, patriarchs, primates, archbishops and metropolitans of the Church. Only bishops are able to perform the sacrament of Holy Orders, and Confirmation is ordinarily reserved to them as well (though priests may do it under special circumstances).[139] While bishops are responsible for teaching, governing and sanctifying the faithful of their diocese, priests and deacons have these same responsibilities at a more local level, the parish, subordinate to the ministry of the bishop. While all priests, bishops and deacons preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services, only priests and bishops may celebrate the Eucharist or administer the sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the S ick.[140] A priestly ordination at the abbey of Fontgombault in France Although married men may become deacons, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Latin Rite.[141][142] Clergy who have converted from other denominations are sometimes excepted from this rule.[143] The Eastern Catholic Churches ordain both celibate and married men.[144][145] All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition that, after ordination, marriage is not allowed. Men with transitory homosexual leanings may be ordained deacons following three years of prayer and chastity, but homosexual men who are sexually active, or those who have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be ordained.[146] All programs for the formation of men to the Catholic priesthood are governed by Canon Law.[147] They are designed by national bishops conferences such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and vary slightly from country to country. The conferences consult Vatican documents such as Pastores Dabo Vobis, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Optatam Totius and others to create these programs.[148] In some countries, priests are required to have a college degree plus another four years of full time theological study in a seminary. In other countries a degree is not strictly required, but seminary education is longer. Candidates for the priesthood are also evaluated in terms of human, spiritual and pastoral formation.[149] The sacrament of Holy Orders is always conferred by a bishop through the laying-on of hands, following which the newly ordained priest is formally clothed in his priestly vestments.[139] Because the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus were all male, only men may be ordained in the Catholic Church.[150] While some consider this to be evidence of a discriminatory attitude toward women,[151] the Church believes that Jesus called women to different yet equally important vocations in Church ministry.[152] Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Christifideles Laici, states that women have specific vocations reserved only for the female sex, and are equally called to be disciples of Jesus.[153] This belief in different and complementary roles between men and women is exemplified in Pope Paul VIs statement If the witness of the Apostles founds the Church, the witness of women contributes greatly towards nourishing the faith of Christian communities.[153] [edit] Lay members, Marriage See also: Laity The laity consists of those Catholics who are not ordained clergy. Saint Paul compared the diversity of roles in the Church to the different parts of a bodyall being important to enable the body to function.[154] The Church therefore considers that lay members are equally called to live according to Christian principles, to work to spread the message of Jesus, and to effect change in the world for the good of others. The Church calls these actions participation in Christs priestly, prophetic and royal offices.[155] Marriage, the single life and the consecrated life are lay vocations. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the Latin rite is the one sacrament not conferred by a priest or bishop. The couple desiring marriage act as the ministers of the sacrament while the priest or deacon serves as witness.[139] In Eastern rites, the priest or bishop administers the sacrament after the spouses grant mutual consent.[156] Church law makes no provision for divorce, however annulment may be gra nted in strictly defined circumstances. Since the Church condemns all forms of artificial birth control, married persons are expected to be open to new life in their sexual relations.[157] Natural family planning is approved.[158] Lay ecclesial movements consist of lay Catholics organized for purposes of teaching the faith, cultural work, mutual support or missionary work.[159] Such groups include: Communion and Liberation, Neocatechumenal Way, Regnum Christi, Opus Dei, Life Teen and many others.[159] Some non-ordained Catholics practice formal, public ministries within the Church.[160] These are called lay ecclesial ministers, a broad category which may include pastoral life coordinators, pastoral assistants, youth ministers and campus ministers.[161] [edit] matrimony and orders After definition (done) The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. The 2 sacraments 4th part Finally, this brings us to the sacraments at the service of communion; the sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus, The matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. [92] By the eleventh century ordination had come to be generally considered a sacrament. [93] With the advent of Vatican II and the publication of the document The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) the Church states the prayers addressed to God by the priest who, in the person of Christ, presides over the assembly, are said in the name of the entire holy people and of all present. [94] That is, the priest acts for and in the name of the entire Eucharistic community. In further Vatican II documents the role of the priest is stated as thus: by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament However, it is in the eucharistic cult or in the eucharistic assembly of the faithful that they exercise their sacred functions and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering a spotless victim to the Father. [95] Once again the centrality of the Eucharist is evident. It is through the Eucharistic ministry of the priest that the presence of Christ can be actualised for the community of believers. [96] With the reception of this sacrament certain men are seen to receive a sacred power in order to serve the faithful through teaching, divine worship and pastoral governance. [97] The Church therefore sees the ordained priesthood as a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads [Christs] Church. Marriage The Council brought about two major changes in our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. First, the Council speaks of marriage as a covenant. The marriage covenant helps us think in biblical and interpersonal categories that reach beyond the legal categories of the marriage contract. The marriage covenant is a symbol of Gods covenant with humanity. Second, the Council taught that the purpose of marriage is not only to produce children but also to enable the couple to support one another in mutual love. Marriage is an intimate partnership of life and love (Church in the Modern World, #48). We look to the married couple as a sacrament, a sign to the world of Gods love. Both of these changes enrich our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. But they also open the door to new questions: Who is capable of a sacramental marriage? What are the qualities and conditions necessary for a marriage to be a sign of Gods love for the Church? In a time when Catholic marriages are vulnerable to the stresses of modern life, the Churchs support of married couples is vital. Holy Orders When we think of Holy Orders we usually think of the sacrament by which one becomes a priest. But Holy Orders ends in s because it names three sacramental orders: the Order of the Episcopate (bishops), the Order of Presbyters (priests), and the Order of Deacons. The Council had important things to say about each of these. The Order of the Episcopate (Bishops). The Council affirmed that a bishop is ordained to the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders. By his ordination a bishop becomes a member of the College of Bishops and assumes responsibility not only for his own local Church but also for the universal Church. The Order of Presbyters (Priests). We have all witnessed the drastic decline in the number of priests. Empty rectories, merged parishes, closed seminaries, Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priestthe bishops of Vatican II envisioned none of these things. The Council made two major changes that radically affected the lives of priests. First, while the ordained have specific ministries within the Church, the Council affirmed that the basis of all ministry is Baptism into the Body of Christ. Second, the Council placed the priest in the midst of the baptized and said that priests should work together with the lay faithful (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #9). To go from being set apart from the faithful to living in the midst of the faithful was a big change. The Council affirmed that priests are in a certain sense set apart but they are not to be separated from the People of God because priests cannot serve the faithful if they are strangers to their lives and conditions (PO, #3). Has this change in identity contributed to the decline in the number of priests? The Order of Deacons. Deacons had ministered in the Western Church until about the fifth century. By the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Order of Deacons was simply a transitional stage for those passing through on their way to the priesthood. The Council restored the Order of Deacons, making it a permanent ministry in the Church. The bishops of the Council decided to permit married men to be ordained deacons. In 1967 there were no permanent deacons; today there are over 30,000 deacons worldwide. PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE INTRODUCTION 1. Preparation for marriage, for married and family life, is of great importance for the good of the Church. In fact, the sacrament of Marriage has great value for the whole Christian community and, in the first place, for the spouses whose decision is such that it cannot be improvised or made hastily. In the past, this preparation could count on the support of society which recognized the values and benefits of marriage. Without any difficulties or doubts, the Church protected the sanctity of marriage with the awareness that this sacrament represented an ecclesial guarantee as the living cell of the People of God. At least in the communities that were truly evangelized, the Churchs support was solid, unitary and compact. In general, separations and marriage failures were rare, and divorce was considered a social plague (cf. Gaudium et Spes = GS, 47). Today, on the contrary, in many cases, we are witnessing an accentuated deterioration of the family and a certain corrosion of the values of marriage. In many nations, especially economically developed ones, the number of marriages has decreased. Marriage is usually contracted at a later age and the number of divorces and separations is increasing, even during the first years of married life. All this inevitably leads to a pastoral concern that comes up repeatedly: Are the persons contracting marriage really prepared for it? The problem of preparation for the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows emerges as a great pastoral need, first for the sake of the spouses, for the whole Christian community and for society. Therefore, interest in, and initiatives for providing adequate and timely answers to preparation for the sacrament of Marriage are growing everywhere. 2. Through on-going contact with the Episcopal Conferences and the Bishops in various meetings, and especially their ad limina visits, the Pontifical Council for the Family has carefully followed the pastoral concern regarding the preparation and celebration of the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows. The Council has been repeatedly asked to offer an instrument for the preparation of Christian engaged persons which the present document represents. The Council has also drawn on the contributions from many Apostolic Movements, Groups and Associations working for the pastoral care of the family who have offered their support, advice and experience for the preparation of these guidelines. Marriage preparation constitutes a providential and favourable period for those oriented toward this Christian sacrament, and a Kayrà ³s, i.e., a period in which God calls upon the engaged and helps them discern the vocation to marriage and family life. The engagement period is set within the context of a rich evangelization process. In fact, questions that affect the family converge in the life of the engaged, the future spouses. They are therefore invited to understand the meaning of the responsible and mature love of the community of life and love which their family will be, a real domestic church which will contribute toward enriching the whole Church. The importance of this preparation involves a process of evangelization which is both maturation and deepening in the faith. If the faith is weak or almost nonexistent (cf. Familiaris Consortio = FC 68), it must be revived. Thorough, patient instruction that arouses and nourishes the ardor of a living faith cannot be excluded. Especially where the environment has become paganized, it will be particularly advisable to offer a journey of faith, which is similar to the catechumenate (FC 66), and a presentation of the fundamental Christian truths that may help acquire or strengthen the maturity of the faith of the persons contracting marriage. It would be desirable if the favourable moment of marriage preparation could be transformed, as a sign of hope, into a New Evangelization for the future families. 3. This particular attention is highlighted by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (GS 52), the guidelines of the Papal Magisterium (FC 66), the ecclesial norms themselves (Codex Iuris Canonici = CIC, can. 1063; Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium = CCEO, can. 783), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1632), and other documents of the Magisterium, including the Charter of the Rights of the Family. The two most recent documents of the Papal Magisterium the Letter to Families Gratissimam Sane and the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (= EV) constitute a notable aid for our task. The Sacraments of Vocation and Commitment: Matrimony and Holy Order (Vatican II) As happened with so many other theological and pastoral questions, the Catholic Churchs perspective on marriage was significantly modified by the Second Vatican Council. In contrast with previous official pronouncements and conventional theological and canonical insights, the council adopts a remarkably personalistic standpoint. It no longer uses the traditional term contract to describe the marriage bond. Instead, the council speaks of the marriage covenant which is sealed by an irrevocable personal consent (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, n. 48). Second, neither does the council continue to employ the old distinction between primary and secondary ends in which the begetting of children is always more important than the mutual love of (two people). Hence, while not making the other ends of marriage of less value, the true practice of conjugal love, and the whole nature of family life resulting from it, tend to dispose the spouses to cooperate courageously with the love of the creator and Savior who through them day by day expands and enriches His own family (n. 50, italics McBriens). Third, the sacrament of marriage is not something added to the marriage union established through mutual human love. Authentic married love is taken up into divine love and is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the salvific action of the Church (n. 48). This new emphasis in the theology of marriage is consistent with the claims of contemporary sociology that this is the first age in which people marry and remain in marriage because they love each other. And so there is this stress on the mutual exchange of love constituting the sacrament of marriage, on married love as the source of the institution of marriage, on the need for growth in this love to bring the sacrament to its full realization, and on the need for the Church constantly to bring forth the witness value of this sacrament to the whole community of faith. As (two people) are called to be faithful, generous, and gracious to each other in fulfillment of their marriage covenant, so is the whole Church called to be faithful to its covenant with God in Christ. Fourth, the council emphasizes the necessity of a faith commitment for the sacrament of marriage (see Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n. 59). Marriage is not just a ceremony by which two people are legally bound together. As a sacrament, it is an act of worship, and expression of faith, a sign of the Churchs unity, a mode of Christs presence. . Fifth, the full consummation of marriage is more than a biological act. The old theology and the old canon law asserted that a marriage between two baptized Christians, once performed according to the rite of the Church (ratum) and once consummated by a single act of physical union (consummatum), can never be dissolved, not even by the pope. But according to the council, the expression of the mutual love which is at the heart of the sacrament consists of more than biological union. It involves the good of the whole person. Therefore it can enrich the expressions of body and mind with a unique dignity, ennobling these expressions as special ingredients and signs of friendship distinctive of marriage. Such love pervades the whole of (the spouses) lives (n. 49) Finally, the broader ecclesial dimension of the sacrament is maintained. Christian spouses, in virtue of the sacrament of matrimony, signify and share in the mystery of that union and fruitful love which exists between Christ and the Church (see Ephesians 5:32) (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 11). (pp. 856-858) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. (Gospel of Matthew 19:6) Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1445. Stages for catholic marriage Catholic marriage, also called matrimony, is an indissoluble bond between a man a Marriage and Holy Orders Marriage and Holy Orders Here is the question Since Vatican 2 the sacraments of Marriage and Holy Orders have been understood as sacraments of Christian ministry. How is this understanding of these two sacraments reflected in the churchs contemporary theology of Marriage and Holy Orders? Several individuals have been concerned with the understanding of the sacraments of holy matrimony and the holy orders in the churchs contemporary theology. for instance 1st a The Catholic custom educates that sacraments are an outward signs, incidents that are clear in our understanding, of the unseen truth of Gods grace in our lives, which is practiced only indirectly by its consequence on our lives. And the customary lessons goes further. Not only do sacraments spot the approaching of grace with a noticeable symbol, but they bring about the realism of refinement by the means they connect us to the person of Jesus Christ present in the society which is his house of worship. In the case of the sacraments of occupation this is clear in the way these sacraments begin individuals into a duty, a service, in the church society. since the outcome of the sacraments is connected to the outer symbol, which should be as comprehensible and fluent as possible. To a great level the society itself is constitutive of the symbol, and is thus vital in calling forward the gifts of the occupation in which each individual is well-known and established in each sacrament of oc cupation. 1st b The Bible pioneers us to a widespread custom of sacramental movement.For example the Hebrew Scriptures do not utilize any phrase that we would interpret as sacrament, but portray acts of worship base on representation. The most significant of these is the Passover festivity, but there are many others. However, in the New Testament Jesus built on these obtainable customs of worship, as well as on the narratives and descriptions of the Scriptures in his events and in his teachings. Consequently, the sacraments we rejoice in nowadays are all developed from these events and teachings of Jesus. And that is why we refer to Matrimony Holy Orders as the sacraments of occupation, a statement that originates from the Latin for call. Meaning that, all of us are called by God. As a matter of fact, we are called at different levels, and increasingly all through our lives, we are called into existence, into human self-respect and accountability, and into certain associations, societies and tasks. Most significantly ,we are called into an cherished spiritual union with God that does not come as expected but must be required and refined within the grace, or a particular outreach, of God. The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. 2nd part The Christian perception is that, despite the fact all of the complex human tradition of disputes and competitions, maltreatment and unfairness, chauvinism and eliminations, matrimony in the grace of Christ are redemptive. They are authorized to exceed all the troubles and to make families and relationships all over the community that bring health and completeness and pleasure both within their individual family circle and in the wider society. This too is an necessary part of building the church, the society of the believers of Jesus. This also is a sacrament of occupation, of the passion to build up the church that contributes in the work of salvation. The sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus; the matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. When we perceive the complementarily of these sacraments of occupation, we are observing the house of worship in a manner that may be new and thus seems odd. Some may even imagine that this is a more Protestant method of observing our Christian being collectively and at the nature and purpose of the house of worship. So far this organic means of viewing the house of worship and our positions inside it is built right into our sacramental performance and our theology of the sacraments. In addition, essentially and theologically there is no shared exceptionality between the sacraments of Matrimony Holy Orders. Though the present regulation of the Catholic church needs celibacy of its priests, that has not all time and all over been so. An individual can be named to assist in the building up of the body of the risen Christ, which is the society of followers, in two ways. He can be the one to bring the society collectively in Eucharist as well as being one of individuals who build up the society family by family in weaving the redemptive relations. The two sacraments of occupation, similar to the entire sacraments, are not just celebrations that occur in a given moment and then are history. They are ongoing and continuously unfolding the truth in our existence as we remain heading towards full salvation and change that move us towards redemption, which is our correct connection with God and thus with one another. The main fundamental calling of a believer is the call into discipleship of Jesus in a society of disciples. Thus the main fundamental sacrament of calling is in fact baptism, or more precisely initiation which is celebrated in first Eucharist, Confirmation, and Baptism. It initiates an individual into the membership and life of the house of worship. Therefore, the solemn festivity simultaneously of the heavenly invitation, of the reply of the person, and of the welcome of the society which is both the local meeting of followers of Jesus, and the great general People of God, the international church. Nothing is actually superior or closer in the association we have with our maker than the grace and vocation of baptism. However, that vocation expressed by baptism, that calling of the baptized, plays out in different ways for different individuals. Amongst our 7 sacramental celebrations, we recognize this by a series of festivities shared by all, and by 2 festivities focused on the 2 crucial ways in which the church as society of salvation in the world is built up. And these 2 are usually identified as the sacraments of vocation. Ordained members and Holy Orders See also: Catholic Church hierarchy, College of Bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church),and Deacon Lay men become ordained through the sacrament of Holy Orders, and form a three-part hierarchy of bishops, priests and deacons. As a body the College of Bishops are considered to be the successors of the apostles.[137][138] Along with the pope, the College includes all the cardinals, patriarchs, primates, archbishops and metropolitans of the Church. Only bishops are able to perform the sacrament of Holy Orders, and Confirmation is ordinarily reserved to them as well (though priests may do it under special circumstances).[139] While bishops are responsible for teaching, governing and sanctifying the faithful of their diocese, priests and deacons have these same responsibilities at a more local level, the parish, subordinate to the ministry of the bishop. While all priests, bishops and deacons preach, teach, baptize, witness marriages and conduct wake and funeral services, only priests and bishops may celebrate the Eucharist or administer the sacraments of Penance and Anointing of the S ick.[140] A priestly ordination at the abbey of Fontgombault in France Although married men may become deacons, only celibate men are ordained as priests in the Latin Rite.[141][142] Clergy who have converted from other denominations are sometimes excepted from this rule.[143] The Eastern Catholic Churches ordain both celibate and married men.[144][145] All rites of the Catholic Church maintain the ancient tradition that, after ordination, marriage is not allowed. Men with transitory homosexual leanings may be ordained deacons following three years of prayer and chastity, but homosexual men who are sexually active, or those who have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be ordained.[146] All programs for the formation of men to the Catholic priesthood are governed by Canon Law.[147] They are designed by national bishops conferences such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and vary slightly from country to country. The conferences consult Vatican documents such as Pastores Dabo Vobis, Novo Millennio Ineunte, Optatam Totius and others to create these programs.[148] In some countries, priests are required to have a college degree plus another four years of full time theological study in a seminary. In other countries a degree is not strictly required, but seminary education is longer. Candidates for the priesthood are also evaluated in terms of human, spiritual and pastoral formation.[149] The sacrament of Holy Orders is always conferred by a bishop through the laying-on of hands, following which the newly ordained priest is formally clothed in his priestly vestments.[139] Because the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus were all male, only men may be ordained in the Catholic Church.[150] While some consider this to be evidence of a discriminatory attitude toward women,[151] the Church believes that Jesus called women to different yet equally important vocations in Church ministry.[152] Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Christifideles Laici, states that women have specific vocations reserved only for the female sex, and are equally called to be disciples of Jesus.[153] This belief in different and complementary roles between men and women is exemplified in Pope Paul VIs statement If the witness of the Apostles founds the Church, the witness of women contributes greatly towards nourishing the faith of Christian communities.[153] [edit] Lay members, Marriage See also: Laity The laity consists of those Catholics who are not ordained clergy. Saint Paul compared the diversity of roles in the Church to the different parts of a bodyall being important to enable the body to function.[154] The Church therefore considers that lay members are equally called to live according to Christian principles, to work to spread the message of Jesus, and to effect change in the world for the good of others. The Church calls these actions participation in Christs priestly, prophetic and royal offices.[155] Marriage, the single life and the consecrated life are lay vocations. The sacrament of Holy Matrimony in the Latin rite is the one sacrament not conferred by a priest or bishop. The couple desiring marriage act as the ministers of the sacrament while the priest or deacon serves as witness.[139] In Eastern rites, the priest or bishop administers the sacrament after the spouses grant mutual consent.[156] Church law makes no provision for divorce, however annulment may be gra nted in strictly defined circumstances. Since the Church condemns all forms of artificial birth control, married persons are expected to be open to new life in their sexual relations.[157] Natural family planning is approved.[158] Lay ecclesial movements consist of lay Catholics organized for purposes of teaching the faith, cultural work, mutual support or missionary work.[159] Such groups include: Communion and Liberation, Neocatechumenal Way, Regnum Christi, Opus Dei, Life Teen and many others.[159] Some non-ordained Catholics practice formal, public ministries within the Church.[160] These are called lay ecclesial ministers, a broad category which may include pastoral life coordinators, pastoral assistants, youth ministers and campus ministers.[161] [edit] matrimony and orders After definition (done) The rites of marriage and priesthood are examined from theological, historical and structural point of view. The complementary offices and responsibilities in the house of worship are differentiated and explained. The pastoral ministry of the ordained is viewed in its ecclesiological context and purpose, with concentration given to a suitable understanding of rank. Special concentration is provided to the sacramentality of matrimony, a theology of sexuality, and the association between matrimony and celibacy. The 2 sacraments 4th part Finally, this brings us to the sacraments at the service of communion; the sacraments of priesthood and matrimony are headed towards individual redemption and the building of the People of God. In the early existence of the Church, believers were encouraged to get married to other believers and bring up their off springs according to the illustration presented by Jesus, The matrimony was celebrated as a public issue and was not ruled by Church sacramental rules. It was not until the 12th century that matrimony was being recognized as a sacrament by Church theologians, although from around four hundred CE Church leaders started their participation in the rite of marriage. In the sacrament of matrimony, viewed by the Church as symbolizing and dividing the secrecy of the harmony and true love between Christ and the Church, Married couples are to develop in the alertness that their calling is one of assisting one another, in Godliness, in their matrimonial life and in the bringing up the children. This is viewed that, the birth of off springs that may lead to marriage of believers, and the baptism of these children, helps the People of God, the Body of Christ, to be enabled throughout the centuries. From earlier periods Christian marriage has been seen as being fixed in the notion and realism of self-gift, with this gifting of oneself entirely to the other reflecting the actuality of God, Married partners, together with all people of the Body of Christ, are sustained and reinforced in their vocation through the welcome of the Eucharist. The meaning the Church places on the Eucharist in the blessing of matrimony can be viewed in the Catechism where it states: It is thus proper that the partners should seal their approval to offer themselves to one another through submission of their individual lives by joining it to the offering of Christ that is made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by getting the Eucharist so that, speaking in the similar Body and the similar Blood of Christ, they may form one body of Christ. However, during earlier periods in the house of worship, coordination of leadership developed to assist the society live its life in the way they felt Jesus identified them to. Finally this offered increase to a number of offices, bishop, presbyter, deacon, which needed a ceremony of ordination so as to complete that office It is about two fifteen CE, with the Apostolic custom of Hippolytus that the house of worship is capable of tracing the original existing rite of ordination, providing a clear sign of the earliest reality and performance of ordination. [92] By the eleventh century ordination had come to be generally considered a sacrament. [93] With the advent of Vatican II and the publication of the document The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) the Church states the prayers addressed to God by the priest who, in the person of Christ, presides over the assembly, are said in the name of the entire holy people and of all present. [94] That is, the priest acts for and in the name of the entire Eucharistic community. In further Vatican II documents the role of the priest is stated as thus: by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and in virtue of the sacrament of Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest they are consecrated in order to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine worship as true priests of the New Testament However, it is in the eucharistic cult or in the eucharistic assembly of the faithful that they exercise their sacred functions and in the sacrifice of the Mass they make present again the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ offering a spotless victim to the Father. [95] Once again the centrality of the Eucharist is evident. It is through the Eucharistic ministry of the priest that the presence of Christ can be actualised for the community of believers. [96] With the reception of this sacrament certain men are seen to receive a sacred power in order to serve the faithful through teaching, divine worship and pastoral governance. [97] The Church therefore sees the ordained priesthood as a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads [Christs] Church. Marriage The Council brought about two major changes in our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. First, the Council speaks of marriage as a covenant. The marriage covenant helps us think in biblical and interpersonal categories that reach beyond the legal categories of the marriage contract. The marriage covenant is a symbol of Gods covenant with humanity. Second, the Council taught that the purpose of marriage is not only to produce children but also to enable the couple to support one another in mutual love. Marriage is an intimate partnership of life and love (Church in the Modern World, #48). We look to the married couple as a sacrament, a sign to the world of Gods love. Both of these changes enrich our understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. But they also open the door to new questions: Who is capable of a sacramental marriage? What are the qualities and conditions necessary for a marriage to be a sign of Gods love for the Church? In a time when Catholic marriages are vulnerable to the stresses of modern life, the Churchs support of married couples is vital. Holy Orders When we think of Holy Orders we usually think of the sacrament by which one becomes a priest. But Holy Orders ends in s because it names three sacramental orders: the Order of the Episcopate (bishops), the Order of Presbyters (priests), and the Order of Deacons. The Council had important things to say about each of these. The Order of the Episcopate (Bishops). The Council affirmed that a bishop is ordained to the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders. By his ordination a bishop becomes a member of the College of Bishops and assumes responsibility not only for his own local Church but also for the universal Church. The Order of Presbyters (Priests). We have all witnessed the drastic decline in the number of priests. Empty rectories, merged parishes, closed seminaries, Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priestthe bishops of Vatican II envisioned none of these things. The Council made two major changes that radically affected the lives of priests. First, while the ordained have specific ministries within the Church, the Council affirmed that the basis of all ministry is Baptism into the Body of Christ. Second, the Council placed the priest in the midst of the baptized and said that priests should work together with the lay faithful (Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, Presbyterorum Ordinis, #9). To go from being set apart from the faithful to living in the midst of the faithful was a big change. The Council affirmed that priests are in a certain sense set apart but they are not to be separated from the People of God because priests cannot serve the faithful if they are strangers to their lives and conditions (PO, #3). Has this change in identity contributed to the decline in the number of priests? The Order of Deacons. Deacons had ministered in the Western Church until about the fifth century. By the time of the Second Vatican Council, the Order of Deacons was simply a transitional stage for those passing through on their way to the priesthood. The Council restored the Order of Deacons, making it a permanent ministry in the Church. The bishops of the Council decided to permit married men to be ordained deacons. In 1967 there were no permanent deacons; today there are over 30,000 deacons worldwide. PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE INTRODUCTION 1. Preparation for marriage, for married and family life, is of great importance for the good of the Church. In fact, the sacrament of Marriage has great value for the whole Christian community and, in the first place, for the spouses whose decision is such that it cannot be improvised or made hastily. In the past, this preparation could count on the support of society which recognized the values and benefits of marriage. Without any difficulties or doubts, the Church protected the sanctity of marriage with the awareness that this sacrament represented an ecclesial guarantee as the living cell of the People of God. At least in the communities that were truly evangelized, the Churchs support was solid, unitary and compact. In general, separations and marriage failures were rare, and divorce was considered a social plague (cf. Gaudium et Spes = GS, 47). Today, on the contrary, in many cases, we are witnessing an accentuated deterioration of the family and a certain corrosion of the values of marriage. In many nations, especially economically developed ones, the number of marriages has decreased. Marriage is usually contracted at a later age and the number of divorces and separations is increasing, even during the first years of married life. All this inevitably leads to a pastoral concern that comes up repeatedly: Are the persons contracting marriage really prepared for it? The problem of preparation for the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows emerges as a great pastoral need, first for the sake of the spouses, for the whole Christian community and for society. Therefore, interest in, and initiatives for providing adequate and timely answers to preparation for the sacrament of Marriage are growing everywhere. 2. Through on-going contact with the Episcopal Conferences and the Bishops in various meetings, and especially their ad limina visits, the Pontifical Council for the Family has carefully followed the pastoral concern regarding the preparation and celebration of the sacrament of Marriage and the life that follows. The Council has been repeatedly asked to offer an instrument for the preparation of Christian engaged persons which the present document represents. The Council has also drawn on the contributions from many Apostolic Movements, Groups and Associations working for the pastoral care of the family who have offered their support, advice and experience for the preparation of these guidelines. Marriage preparation constitutes a providential and favourable period for those oriented toward this Christian sacrament, and a Kayrà ³s, i.e., a period in which God calls upon the engaged and helps them discern the vocation to marriage and family life. The engagement period is set within the context of a rich evangelization process. In fact, questions that affect the family converge in the life of the engaged, the future spouses. They are therefore invited to understand the meaning of the responsible and mature love of the community of life and love which their family will be, a real domestic church which will contribute toward enriching the whole Church. The importance of this preparation involves a process of evangelization which is both maturation and deepening in the faith. If the faith is weak or almost nonexistent (cf. Familiaris Consortio = FC 68), it must be revived. Thorough, patient instruction that arouses and nourishes the ardor of a living faith cannot be excluded. Especially where the environment has become paganized, it will be particularly advisable to offer a journey of faith, which is similar to the catechumenate (FC 66), and a presentation of the fundamental Christian truths that may help acquire or strengthen the maturity of the faith of the persons contracting marriage. It would be desirable if the favourable moment of marriage preparation could be transformed, as a sign of hope, into a New Evangelization for the future families. 3. This particular attention is highlighted by the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (GS 52), the guidelines of the Papal Magisterium (FC 66), the ecclesial norms themselves (Codex Iuris Canonici = CIC, can. 1063; Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium = CCEO, can. 783), the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1632), and other documents of the Magisterium, including the Charter of the Rights of the Family. The two most recent documents of the Papal Magisterium the Letter to Families Gratissimam Sane and the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (= EV) constitute a notable aid for our task. The Sacraments of Vocation and Commitment: Matrimony and Holy Order (Vatican II) As happened with so many other theological and pastoral questions, the Catholic Churchs perspective on marriage was significantly modified by the Second Vatican Council. In contrast with previous official pronouncements and conventional theological and canonical insights, the council adopts a remarkably personalistic standpoint. It no longer uses the traditional term contract to describe the marriage bond. Instead, the council speaks of the marriage covenant which is sealed by an irrevocable personal consent (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, n. 48). Second, neither does the council continue to employ the old distinction between primary and secondary ends in which the begetting of children is always more important than the mutual love of (two people). Hence, while not making the other ends of marriage of less value, the true practice of conjugal love, and the whole nature of family life resulting from it, tend to dispose the spouses to cooperate courageously with the love of the creator and Savior who through them day by day expands and enriches His own family (n. 50, italics McBriens). Third, the sacrament of marriage is not something added to the marriage union established through mutual human love. Authentic married love is taken up into divine love and is ruled and enriched by the redemptive power of Christ and the salvific action of the Church (n. 48). This new emphasis in the theology of marriage is consistent with the claims of contemporary sociology that this is the first age in which people marry and remain in marriage because they love each other. And so there is this stress on the mutual exchange of love constituting the sacrament of marriage, on married love as the source of the institution of marriage, on the need for growth in this love to bring the sacrament to its full realization, and on the need for the Church constantly to bring forth the witness value of this sacrament to the whole community of faith. As (two people) are called to be faithful, generous, and gracious to each other in fulfillment of their marriage covenant, so is the whole Church called to be faithful to its covenant with God in Christ. Fourth, the council emphasizes the necessity of a faith commitment for the sacrament of marriage (see Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n. 59). Marriage is not just a ceremony by which two people are legally bound together. As a sacrament, it is an act of worship, and expression of faith, a sign of the Churchs unity, a mode of Christs presence. . Fifth, the full consummation of marriage is more than a biological act. The old theology and the old canon law asserted that a marriage between two baptized Christians, once performed according to the rite of the Church (ratum) and once consummated by a single act of physical union (consummatum), can never be dissolved, not even by the pope. But according to the council, the expression of the mutual love which is at the heart of the sacrament consists of more than biological union. It involves the good of the whole person. Therefore it can enrich the expressions of body and mind with a unique dignity, ennobling these expressions as special ingredients and signs of friendship distinctive of marriage. Such love pervades the whole of (the spouses) lives (n. 49) Finally, the broader ecclesial dimension of the sacrament is maintained. Christian spouses, in virtue of the sacrament of matrimony, signify and share in the mystery of that union and fruitful love which exists between Christ and the Church (see Ephesians 5:32) (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, n. 11). (pp. 856-858) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. (Gospel of Matthew 19:6) Matrimony, The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1445. Stages for catholic marriage Catholic marriage, also called matrimony, is an indissoluble bond between a man a

Body Shop :: essays research papers

Written Case – Body Shop, pp. 72-73 1) Is Anita Roddick correct when she claims that it is possible to run a business in a very ethical and socially responsible manner and still â€Å"give shareholders a wondrous return on their investment†? Answer: I think her statement is probably correct and I appreciate it too. However, I would noted that the natures of environmental concerns and considerations for the people in third world countries are somehow contrary to the stockholders’ satisfaction. If people have no more interest on how Body Shop concern humanity or if there are any news that dishonored Body Shop contributions (just like what happened in the case), it would be a crisis for its stock price. 2) Is the percentages of ingredients that come from Trade not Aid project an irrelevant statistic, as Gordon Roddick claims? Answer: I think it is not an irrelevant statistic for the public to evaluate Body Shop contributions. However, I would say that it is inadequate information that might mislead the public. I agree that we should also look at those courses that Body Shop had taken to solve difficulties to reach the goal to help people. But the general public would not realize them easier, that is why we need statistic. I would suggest Body Shop to issue quarterly report on the journey of help people in order to support the statisic. 3) In light of the ethicvs audit report, evaluate Body Shop’s claim to be ethically responsible. Answer: I would say that, as a commercial company, Body Shop is being one of the most ethically responsible companies. It takes

Comic Relief

Kaylee King Per. 2 Comic Relief Shakespeare’s element of comic relief in his plays provides more than just mere pieces of entertainment for the groundlings; it allows a break from the dense and sometimes evil continuity of the play. Comic scenes provide relief to the audience while building up the intensity from earlier scenes. Sometimes appearing out of place within the play, the scenes and characters are still significant roles in advancing the play. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet comic relief is supplied throughout the plot through the character of Polonius.Polonius, a foolish old man with a lot to say, is able to produce the amount of relief necessary to his audience. With his long speeches and pleasing manner, Polonius sets a certain tone towards the entirety of the play. Time and time again he gives the old â€Å"when I was your age speech† and assumes the role of a parent to everyone, giving his unwanted and disregarded opinion. When a player about the death of P riam makes a deep and eloquent speech, Polonius interrupts by simply saying, â€Å"This is too long. † This being said was entirely ironic because of the long and seemingly pointless speeches that Polonius dishes out to anyone able to hear.Shakespeare’s use of Polonius as a comic character is significant towards the overall tone of the play. The depressing and death filled play needs a comic way to show its tragic nature through a sort of dark humor. Hamlet’s many remarks regarding death and old age towards Polonius is a prime example of this. Polonius being the foolish elderly man he is, provides an easy target for Hamlet so called ‘humor. ’ Jokes of murder and death, although humorous, provide an edge of darkness to the tone of Hamlet.

Scot-free

Scot-free Scot-free Scot-free By Maeve Maddox â€Å"To escape scot-free† means to elude merited consequences: [Construction] Site Deaths Soaring as Bosses Escape Scot Free No escape: independent directors won’t go scot free Now all the doctors at Mid Staffs escape scot-free over deaths. In the Middle Ages a scot was a tax or tribute paid by a feudal tenant to his lord. The word derives from a Scandanavian word meaning tribute. It came to stand for different kinds of payments levied for services. In Kent and Sussex, the scot was a tax for the maintenance of drainage systems and flood prevention. In some contexts the scot was simply the bill owed for drinks or entertainment. Explanations of the expression scot-free may be found on numerous web sites. Most of the sites I’ve browsed correctly trace the term to the word for a tax, but a few cling to a mistaken idea that the expression has something to do with the 1857 US Supreme Court ruling known as the â€Å"Dred Scott Decision.† For example, this confident explanation: Its spelt scott-free and refers to a famous US Supreme Court decision involving the black slave Dred Scott. Ironically Scott lost his suit, though you wouldnt know it from the well-known phrase. The misspelling scott occurs both as an error and as a play on the name of someone named Scott. For example: Lincoln’s Assassin Got Away Scott Free (misspelled headline at YouTube) American Idol recap: Getting off Scott-free (The reference is to a contestant named Scott MacIntyre.) The lingering association of scot-free with Dred Scott is probably owing to vague recollections of high school history: a man named Scott wanted to be free. To refresh your memory, here’s a recap of what the Dred Scott Decision was about: In 1846, Dred Scott, then 47 years old, sued the Missouri state government on behalf of his wife, two daughters, and himself; the suit contended that they were being illegally held in slavery. Scott was born into slavery in Alabama. When he was about 30, he was sold to an Army doctor in Missouri. During the following years, Scott married, fathered two daughters, and lived at different times in the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. Scott’s lawsuit contended that residence in a free state conferred freedom. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court where, in 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote the majority opinion: the Scotts were property and property rights were protected by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Although Dred Scott lost his case, he did not die in slavery. His owner’s widow married an abolitionist who returned the family to Scott’s original owner. The former slave owner had since moved to Missouri and become an abolitionist; he freed Scott, his wife, and their two daughters. Dred Scott died of tuberculosis after enjoying only seventeen months of freedom. His wife Harriet survived him by eighteen years. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Synonyms for â€Å"Leader†Probable vs. PossibleContinue and "Continue on"

Career Path as a Nurse Essays

Career Path as a Nurse Essays Career Path as a Nurse Essay Career Path as a Nurse Essay Nursing has become one of the most respected professions in the world. Nursing has combined science and technology with people skills like: communication, problem solving, teaching, and compassion. I has found lots of benefits of professional nursing like personal satisfaction, career mobility, job security, scheduling flexibility and competitive salaries. The variety of opportunities for nurses is endless. A nurse can work in a different fields like hospitals, corporations, research labs, health insurance companies, rehabilitation centers etc. A nurse can earn a competitive salary and work anywhere in the world. Nurses can specialize in the same way doctors do in areas such as pediatrics, geriatrics (caring for the elderly), emergency medicine, etc. With advanced education, nurses can become independent clinical specialists like nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists or nurse practitioners. All of the above factors have affected my decision to choose nursing as a professional career. Nursing has become one of the better paying occupations in America over the last several years. LPNs have no trouble earning $35,000 to $40,000 a year, not including overtime. For registered nurses, wages are even higher. Newly minted registered nurses can make between $40,000 and $60,000 right out of nursing school, depending on their location or willingness to relocate. In 2004, the media income for all registered nurses was over $52,000. These figures are very likely to continue to increase, given the coming surge in baby boomers coming into their golden years. There arent nearly enough nurses now to fill all the available nursing jobs, and the shortage is going to be severe in 10 or 15 years. Experts believe that well be almost a million nurses short of what we need by 2020. And since wages are set by supply and demand, that means that wages will continue to go up, probably sharply. Hospitals and retirement homes will be forced to offer more and more money and benefits to attract and retain quality nurses. In addition to money, opportunity, and job security, there are lots of other benefits to becoming a nurse. First, there is the universal respect nurses enjoy from virtually everyone. According to the Gallup Company, which does polling, Americans consider nursing to be the number one profession when it comes to onesty and ethics. Not only are nurses paid well, but they actually do good deeds for a living, and, unlike some recent corporate officers in the news, can hold their head up with pride. The nurses have the pride to help people to get relief from life threatning situation. Being a caregiver for a living brings intangible rewards far beyond the monetary. Beyond respect, theres also flexibility- a nurse can choose where to work, which hospital depa rtment to work in, whether to work in a hospital at all, part time or full time. More and more nurse staffing agencies are popping up all over America, and many nurses choose to work exclusively through one or more of these agencies, which affords them the opportunity to work with lots of different people in various settings. Some use these agencies to sample a job at a particular hospital or other workplace, and if they like it, to apply for a full time position with the firm directly. Others dont want to be tied down, and like new and different experiences, and choose to work for agencies for years at a time. However nursing profession has benefit to design career in a way person wish.

Is cooperation possible under conditions of International Anarchy Essay

Is cooperation possible under conditions of International Anarchy discuss in light of realist and pluralist approaches to international relations - Essay Example According to the principle of realists' movement, everything that need not be regulated within the general framework should be left to decide for subordinate groups and, in turn, to individuals to guarantee them a maximum amount of freedom. Proponents of pluralism argue that this negotiation process is the best way to achieve the common good: since everyone can participate in power and decision-making and can claim part of the ownership of the results of exercising power "Black, Bob (1997). Anarchy after Leftism." There can also be widespread participation and a greater feeling of commitment from society members, and therefore better outcomes. By contrast, few members make an authoritarian or oligarchic society, where power is concentrated and decisions. This School of thought holds that while the international system is anarchical, order can be promoted through diplomacy, international law and society. This school thus gives credence to establishing intergovernmental organizations s uch as the United Nations. The idea of international cooperation despite the unpredictable elements of anarchy can be viewed in the existence of the United Nations. ... d Social Council, ECOSOC assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development "Basic Facts About The United Nations", By United Nations (2004) ISBN 9211009367." Since 1998, it directs to make decision of the key committees of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Their function includes information gathering, advising member nations, and making recommendations. International relations, in general focus the foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). It seeks to analyze as well as formulate the foreign policy of particular states. International Relation draws upon such diverse fields as economics, history, law, philosophy, geography, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and cultural studies. It involves a diverse range of issues, from glob alization and its impacts on societies and state sovereignty to ecological sustainability, nuclear proliferation, nationalism, economic development, terrorism, organized crime, human security, and human rights. REALISM AS THE VEHICLE OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONS Realism chiefly denies that states seek to cooperate. Early realists such as E.H. Carr, Daniel Bernhard and Hans Morgenthau argued that states are self-interested, power-seeking rational actors, who seek to maximize their security and chances of survival. Realists previewed World War II as the vindication of their theory. They advocate that the current international system sustain by growing interdependence; the mutual responsibility and dependency on others. Globalization, in particular plays vital role with international

Border security and how it has grown over the decades Research Paper

Border security and how it has grown over the decades - Research Paper Example Border security is becoming an important topic for America, especially after the 9/11 incident. Even though America was successful in patrolling its land and coastal boundaries, the loopholes in the security measures of the air boundaries have been revealed for the first time after the 9/11 incident. Terrorists and intruders are devising new methods to intrude into the territories of America. It is difficult for the border security forces to anticipate the movements of intruders because of the new methods opted by them to enter America. Apart from the threats of terrorists, illegal immigration is another major area of concern for the internal security of America. America’s wider border areas with Mexico and Canada are used extensively by antisocial elements to cross the borders. Even though Bush administration strengthened the measures of border patrol, still intruders are entering America with very much ease. Under these circumstances, the importance of border security forces is getting increased day by day. "Border security is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue; its an American issue†(Cooper, 2011). This paper analyses border security, its history and evolution over the years. Border security force or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest law enforcement workforce in America. It is securing America’s border areas including land, air and sea borders. â€Å"The Border Patrol is the mobile uniformed law enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It was officially established on May 28, 1924 by an act of Congress passed in response to increasing illegal immigration† (Border Patrol Overview, History and Strategy, 2011). During the last 86 years of history, the structure and functioning of American border security forces have undergone many changes even though the core objective remains the same - patrolling the nation from intruders. Even though the official history of border