|
|
Why should I attend Church?
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND CHURCH AND WHY ST. STEPHEN COULD
BE FOR YOU
In the Bible, we are told to "Remember the Sabbath day
and keep it holy". (Exodus 20:8) It is for this reason
that we must donate one full day to the Lord. St.
Stephen King of Hungary Catholic Church has services
that fit into your busy schedule, as well as daily
Masses during the week.
Sunday: 9:00AM - English
11:00AM-Hungarian
Christ was not to busy to save us: we should not be too
busy for Him. Visit us today!
WHY I DON'T ATTEND CHURCH: EXCUSES CONFRONTED
BUT I'M NOT CATHOLIC
 The
chief marks of the Catholic Church are four: the Church
is one, holy, universal, and apostolic. It is holy
through Jesus Christ, the source of all holiness. All of
the doctrines of the Church come from Christ. The Church
is universal because all are accepted. The Church is not
for one race or one group: the Church's purpose is to be
the light and salvation of all peoples of the world. The
Church is apostolic because it began with the apostles.
The Church accepts all people, regardless of religion,
nationality, or creed. All one must have is a
willingness to learn and understand, a want to worship
with others, and a desire to accept Christ as Lord and
Savior.
I DON'T BELIEVE
If a man were asleep in a burning building, he would be
in more danger of losing his life than if he were awake.
There is more danger of you losing your soul if you are
unconcerned or do not believe than if you had only a
hald-hearted interest. God Saves. He will take a
hardened heart and create a new one. "Christ will give
you light." (Eph. 5:14).
I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH
The fact that you are a sinner assures you that you may
be saved because Christ came to save sinners. If you
forsake your sins and obey Christ, then you will be
saved by the grace and mercy of God. He will forgive you.
"For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be
saved." (Romans 10:13). If you feel that you are not
good enough, then come and rejoice in salvation. "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and forgives." (I John
1:9)
I AM A GOOD PERSON; I DON'T NEED CHURCH.
You may think this, but does God? Everyone needs help
with their walk with Christ. "For all have sinned and
come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS SIN & WHAT IS ORIGINAL SIN?
Every violation of God's Commandments or of the Church
is a sin. There are 2 types of sin: mortal and venial.
Mortal sin has three conditions: a serious matter,
sufficient reflection, and full consent of the will.
Motal sin deprives us of sactifying grace and brings
eternal punishment to the soul, if we pass from this
life to the next without confessing the sin and
obtaining forgiveness. Venial sin does not deprive the
soul of sanctifying grace and carries with it temporal
punishment. It weakens the will and makes it difficult
to resist temptation to mortal sin. We are all born with
original sin because Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The
gates of Heaven were closed to man as a result of
original sin and this is why we must be saved and
forgiven. Only Mary, the Mother of Christ, was free from
original sin. She was born without original sin because
she was to be the mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
HOW DO I KNOW CHRIST WAS THE SON OF GOD?
God loved man and loved man even though he had failed to
honor His commands. Therefore, He promised man a
Redeemer who would atone for the sins committed by Adam
and Eve, thus reopening the doors of Heaven. We know
that Jesus is the son of God because God told us. We
find this written in the Bible. The Gospels tell us of
Christ's birth and of His teachings. Christ's entire
purpose for being born was to suffer and die so that He
could redeem man. He fought sin by His example,
prophecies, and miracles.
HOW DID CHRIST'S DEATH SAVE MAN?
Jesus Christ did not suffer and die on the cross as God,
but as man. He did this in order to redeem man. Jesus
was without sin. He died and shed his innocent blood in
order to make pure the sinful blood of all mankind. He
did this not only for those who loved and believed in
Him, but also for those who hated and despised Him. He
did it for everyone, including you and me. He made
satisfaction for the sins of all human beings: for those
who proceeded Him and those who followed Him. After His
death, he ascended into Hell. The third day after He
died, Christ arose from the dead. Forty days after His
Resurrection, Christ ascended into Heaven, where He now
waits to judge the living and the death.
 WHAT
IS THE LAST JUDGEMENT?
At the end of time, Christ will again come with great
power to judge the world and to render to each according
to their works. This judgement will be a manifestation
and confirmation of the particular judgement that each
person must submit to following death. Before the last
judgement, all men will be resurrected with the same
bodies that they had during life so that their bodies
will share with them the same punishment of their souls.
The last judgement will be the triumph of Christ over
sin and evil. At this time, Satan, along with all
evildoers, will be tossed into a pit of despair.
Impenitent sinners will suffer eternal punishment; the
saved will enjoy the vision and possession of God,
eternal happiness.
WHY TAKE COMMUNION? WHY DOES THE CHURCH VIEW THE
BREAD & WINE AS THE ACTUAL BODY & BLOOD OF CHRIST?
Believing in Jesus Christ, we should desire to receive
Him in Holy Communion. St. Thomas Aquinas summed up the
meaning of the Eucharist best. " Since it was the will
of God's only-begotten Son that human beings should
share in His Divinity, He assumed our nature in order
that by becoming human He might [save man]... He offered
His body to God the Father on the alter of the cross as
a sacrifice for our reconcilitation. He shed His blood
for our ransom and purification, so that we might be
redeemed from... bondage and cleansed from all sin... He
left His body as food and His blood as drink for the
faithful to consume in the form of bread and wine." The
Sacrament of Communion heals the soul and the body by
taking away sin. Christ commanded us to remember Him and
His sacrifice, and at the Last Supper told his diciples
to eat the bread and drink the wine as if it were His
body and blood, so that they could be redeemed. This
practice is continued with the Sacrament of Communion.
|
