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Joel Osteen is America’s most popular televangelist and pastor of the country’s largest congregation, Lakewood Church in Houston, TX. The 54-year old has been preaching since 1999, and his sermons air in over 200 U.S. markets and over 100 around the world. This study provides a brief introduction to the man and his ministry and reports the results of a selfselective survey (N = 403), employing analysis of variance and correlation analysis to examine relationship between viewer exposure to Osteen and perceptions of him and his message through five measurement scales. Key demographic variables are also considered for interaction effects.
More...Czy św. Cezary z Arles będzie nowym doktorem Kościoła?
St. Caesarius of Arles (470–543) a great preacher, pastor, organizer of church and monastic life in Gaul, left behind works, which are still of importance to us today. He is known on 5 continents of the world in 38 countries, more in research centers than among “ordinary” faithful. His literary heritage has been elaborated and studied much, where the Polish patrologists, have contributed greatly to it. The Bishop of Arles and his teaching is remarkable, and his practical suggestions can help in solving difficult life problems of modern Christians.
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Intertextuality can be mentioned as one of the features determining the existence of a text (or lack there of). Intertextuality means that the text is positioned between other texts. This article presents the issue of intertextuality in the liturgical proclamation of the word of God. In a homily intertextuality has been introduced as a mean of preventing the existence of so-called “open text” in the process of actualization of the content of God Revelation (the content of the Mass Lectionary). Whereas, in a practice of preaching, intertextuality aims to strengthen the understanding of homily for congregation and support a dialogue between the preacher and the homily recipients.
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Wanting to tell us about pride, which is a disease of the soul, and about humility, which is such a necessary medicine for our time and life, Christ the Savior places a publican and a Pharisee face to face. In the form of this picture, He puts forward two ways of praying, under which we humans have always imagined and discovered ourselves. Through these human patterns He plants in our souls the highest virtues that we must embrace in order to reach perfection: humility, purity, meekness. Which ones will we choose?
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This study analyzes selected theological aspects of the perception of the role and position of Roman bishop in the works of early Christian Pope St. Leo the Great. We hereby continue in the exploration of post-Augustinian heritage with special attention to the homiletic work of the Church fathers. We intend to analyze the sermons of Leo in chronological order, considering his arguments to be the capstone of early Christian (ancient Christian) ecclesiology.
More...Vízi Elemér jezsuita provinciális a rendalapító emlékévről
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The article analyses spiritual practices needs’ and opportunities of those who suffer from serious diseases during treatment in a health care institution. On empirical and theorical levels article also examines the assumptions and interference that arise for those who wish to practice their faith; difficulties for pastoral attendants working with them. Based on the results of an empirical qualitative study (five patients treated in a nursing hospital were selected for the study on a targeted basis and were interviewed through in-depth interviews), the diversity of patients’ spiritual practices, their needs and opportunities for putting them in practice while being treated in a nursing hospital are discussed. Obstacles of practicing patients’ religion which arise from subjective (related to the patients, their peculiarities of character, physical and other individual characteristics) and/or objective circumstances (lack of real opportunities to practice their faith in a hospital, lack of specialists, etc.) are discussed. The results of the research revealed that the sick want to practice their religion in various forms (attend religious services, receive sacraments, practice various forms of prayer, deepen their knowledge of the faith, have spiritual conversations about faith, etc.), but due to subjective and / or objective reasons they only sometimes have the appropriate conditions and facilities for it. Theorical and empirical research revealed that in order to fulfill the faith needs of the sick hospitals lack required accommodations, technical equipment, personnel and shortage of regular religious services. In addition, spiritual needs are often difficult to meet due to patients’ health status, their psychosocial peculiarities, insecurities, distrust and similar feelings. This requires authentic pastoral approach to a particular patient in order to provide them with individual spiritual assistance that meets their personal needs.
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According to Thomas Aquinas, the faithful can receive Holy Communion by sacramentally receiving the consecrated host and wine or by so-called spiritual communion. The latter kind of the Holy Communion is reserved for people who cannot receive the sacramental body and blood of Christ. In modern Catholic theology, the subject of spiritual communion was forgotten for many years. In the present article, spiritual communion is illustrated from the liturgical and piety perspective of the Middle Ages in the theology of Doctor Angelicus and in the context of the modern teaching of the popes. This article can
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The official doctrine of the Catholic Church, contained in the magisterial documents, is still evolving. One recent example is the teaching on who is involved in transubstantiation in the Eucharist. In the Christian West, the words of institution have been emphasized for centuries, while in the Christian East, it has been the epiclesis since the fourth century. Some Catholic theologians explicitly stated that the epiclesis also participates in the conversion of bread and wine, even before the promulgation of this doctrine in the magisterial documents. The doctrinal shift in the Catholic Church regarding the topic of the epiclesis manifested itself in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in number 1105: “The Epiclesis is the intercession in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit […], so that the offerings may become the body and blood of Christ.” In number 1353: “In the epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ […]. In the institution narrative, the power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine Christ’s body and blood, […].” In numbers 1333 and 1357 and also in the General Instruction of the Roman Missal in article 79 c: “The epiclesis, in which, by means of particular invocations, the Church implores the power of the Holy Spirit that the gifts offered by human hands be consecrated, that is, become Christ’s Body and Blood [...].”
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Research on religious language is an important contribution to the development of catechetics, which deals with scientific reflection on the education of Christians and initiating them into the living faith of the Church. Religious language is not a separate type of language but consists of the ability to communicate with others in such a way that they understand the truths concerning eternal life. An important task in this process is performed by catechesis, through which the proclamation of faith can touch people in their daily existence. Thanks to catechesis, Christians not only have a better understanding of what a symbolic, narrative, and doctrinal language is, but they also learn how to think in this language. The present article is devoted to the phatic function of language in catechesis. This function concerns the possibility of establishing connections and deepening the ties between participants in catechetical discourse and during the upbringing process. The author tries to justify the importance of the phatic function in the catechetical space and indicate its importance in the implementation of various catechetical tasks. The paradigm of Jesus’ pedagogy shows that catechesis is primarily about the language of encounter and the language of events, based on which God can continue the history of salvation. Catechetical language allows people to understand how human existence reveals God’s presence. Building mature bonds is not easy in a situation where society does not have the appropriate social competences. Thus, there is a need for well-thought-out catechesis, communicative catechists, and new ideas for the use of language in the catechetical space that reveal God’s kingdom among people.
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Theologian of reference for Romanian Orthodox Church, Dumitru Stăniloae prefers to speak of the Church as “the mystical Body of the Lord in the Holy Spirit”. The Church reproduces the communion of the Trinity on a human and historical level. In this sense, in is in the Church that the Incarnation, the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ are actualized in a sacramental way. In God’s saving plan, the Church represents the fulfilment of the divine economy of salvation. Born on the day of Pentecost, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it has become an instrument of salvation and sanctification for all those who, through faith, open themselves to the work of Christ. The Church, being the union without confusion between God and humanity, has a theandric constitution, the content of which consists in Christ united, as regards the divine nature, with the Father and the Spirit and, according to human nature, united with the men.
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In the article the teaching of Mother Teresa Kalkstein on the calling to religious life is presented. The fourth General Superior of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ devoted a lot of attention to the religious vocation, including the theoretical questions and practical suggestions of carrying one’s vocation in everyday life. Despite the passage of time, some of her thoughts have remained relevant. That is why her writings can still be a useful and interesting reading for the consecrated persons.
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Consecrated life is a specific act which results in the state of making saints what is related to fallen nature. Consecration has its place only in the Church. Consecration is also considered to be the central moment of Eucharistic prayer. There are two basic forms of consecrated life: community and individual. Consecrated persons include both clergy and laity. In addition to religious orders, there are other forms of consecrated life that include associations of apostolic life. Some of the consecrated persons are called to mystical life. For centuries, people of consecrated life have not been free from various difficulties. One of them was a misunderstanding about his nature, what it is. Difficulties also concerned certain causes that occurred inside and outside the ecclesial community. In addition, a lack of understanding of consecrated life can sometimes be seen among consecrated persons themselves.
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The article’s subject examines the youth period and the process of Stefan Wyszyński’s seminary formation. The above paper’s primary research goal is to display Wyszyński’s early life in the context of Poland’s socio-political status quo at that time. Therefore, the source materials’ interpretation focuses on exposing the role and significance of this time for the entire future ministry of Fr. Stefan Wyszyński, so important both for the Church and the Polish nation. The exploration of the above research is based on the analysis of source texts using the historical method in order to reconstruct historical facts and their reinterpretation by the inductive-deductive method. According to the author of this study, the upbringing in the family home, the period of youth, as well as the seminary formation were a kind of testing ground, where Stefan Wyszyński could gain the pastoral experience necessary for his future activity as a priest, ordinary of the Lublin diocese, and, later, the Archdiocese of Gniezno and Warszawa and the Primate of Poland.
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The article describes the life of rev. Tadeusz Szetela (1925-2008) priest of Przemyśl and Rzeszów dioceses. His older brothers, Jan Bolesław and Stanisław Kazimierz who devoted themselves to God had an unquestionable impact on life path choice by young Tadeusz. Te author presents also difcult reality during T. Szetela’s seminary years, as well as work as a priest and catechist when he had to deal with laicization and antichurch tendencies among Polish society. Moreover, Tadeusz Szetela during his life participated in many national and patriotic events, as well as ministry activities (e.g. he worked as a prison pastor). Humble and priesthood devoted, rev. Tadeusz Szetela was awarded by Church authorities, e.g. he was promoted to a Chaplain of His Holiness rank in 1998.
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The article is a critical look at the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. It is an attempt at indicating that the historical conditions of Poland (and the role of the Roman Catholic Church in them) are likely to be strong reasons for the state and shape of the present Roman Catholic Church in Poland, including quality of faith and the character of Polish Catholicism. It is a historical, theological and sociological study, the methodology of which is based on a historical (cause and effect) critical analysis. In this analysis, scientific publications and press articles have been used. Different opinions on the present Church in Poland presented by academics, feature writers, Church hierarchs, priests and journalists have been taken into consideration.
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