Wow! Just Wow! As it applies to 'tradition' surprise the Catholic Church is a family. Families gather tradition and pass those traditions on to future generations.

Examples of Catholic tradition? Reflecting on the Lives of the Saints (they were people just like us), and celebrations including families praying the Rosary together. The Rosary being a repetitive pray using biblical excerpts from the.....(wait for it).....The Bible. Another tradition - Lent. We're about to begin the Season of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday. On Ash Wednesday I will participate in another ancient tradition. I will receive ashes in the form of a Cross on my forehead. On Holy Thursday I will participate in another Catholic tradition - a Holy Hour(s) with Jesus in the garden. I will respond to Our Lord's biblical plea "can you spend one hour with me?"(Matthew 26:40). I will try to console Him as He suffers in the Garden. During that solemn time I will reflect on various scripture passages, especially on our Lord's Passion that follows the next day (Good Friday).

The ashes come from the burned palm branches leftover from Palm Sunday. We waved some palm branches as the Priest Celebrant (acting as Persona Christi) enters the Church for Palm Sunday Holy Mass. In that we wave the palm branches we are replicating the Hosanna Moment when the people welcomed Jesus as he entered Jerusalem prior to beginning His Passion. Without a doubt the Easter Triduum is one of my favorite liturgical celebrations. So on Ash Wednesday I will step up to the altar (as in a Catholic version of the protestant Altar Call)and the minister will recite these words as he/she applies the ashes,"Remember - you are dust and to dust you shall return" - (Genesis 3:19). For me personally, it reminds me that I am old and soon my diseased old body will surely die and overtime return to dust. But my soul will live on for all eternity - Free at last, good God almighty free at last.

Having said that, we should pray for each other. We Protestants and Catholics have more in common, than separates us. Hey, maybe you should consider joining me to receive the ashes on Ash Wednesday?. Trust me it's a powerful moment.

Regardless, I hope you have a peaceful Holy Lent.

This post was edited on 2/11/24 at 4:57 pm

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Posted by LSUA 75

Colfax,La.

Member since Jan 2019

3710 posts

Posted on 2/11/24 at 2:22 pm to Zarkinletch416

This might sound petty to some but one of the things that pissed me off and pushed me out was when the Catholic Church changed the rule on eating meat on Friday.When I was a kid the rule was no meat on Fridays.If you did it was a mortal sin and if you died without going to confession you went straight to hell.

I remember once on a camping trip as a kid I forgot and ate meat,When I realized it I was terrified for several days that I was going to die and go to hell before I could get to a priest to hear my confession.Ruined my whole camping trip.

Then later on they changed the rule.
I related that story to the hypocrite priest at the hospital as 1 reason I ditched the Catholic Church.He just laughed and said no one went to hell for eating meat on Friday.Well,those nuns sure pounded that into our heads in catechism class.

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Posted by MemphisGuy

Member since Nov 2023

3657 posts

Posted on 2/11/24 at 2:51 pm to Zarkinletch416

quote:
Zarkinletch416

Good post. I can respect what you wrote.

quote:
Having said that, we should pray for each other

Agree wholeheartedly.

quote:
We Protestants and Catholics have more in common, than separates us.

True... we worship the same God, believe the Jesus Christ is the Son of God, was crucified and rose again on the third day to save us from our sins... but there are vast differences otherwise.