Themes of Liturgy Essay Example for Free

Themes of Liturgy Essay A public duty given in the service of God in Churches is commonly described in Bible as Liturgy. It originated from the Greek word Leitourgia-Leitos where Leos means people and ergo means to perform and the person who performs Liturgy is known as leitourgos. The Christian Liturgy is divided into two sections, the first section is service of the Word, and second is the service of Lord’s Supper. But these two liturgies in real term are same service. Liturgy is a paramount duty of the Church and baptized children of God, â€Å"Devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the community, to the breaking of the bread, and to prayer. † (Acts 2:42) In early days, Churches had made practice of performing the prayers at fixed hours. Then it became a practice to perform prayer at specific time and as the time passed, other hours were fixed for performing common prayers in the service of God and often disciples gathered together at the third hour. The Prince of the Apostles â€Å"went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour† (10:9); â€Å"Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour† (3:1); â€Å"about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God† (16:25). Gradually these prayers began to be performed in a set cycle of hours. This began to be known as Liturgy- a prayer towards Christ and seeking petition from Christ. The basic meaning of theology of Liturgy is that every action of God is revealed through Christ and it is not possible for a man to make his way to God because it is God that makes the way towards us. Thus any action of man that does not lead towards God is not an action at all. Basic essence of Liturgy lies in the fact that through Liturgy, you are united with God. The God himself speaks to us through signs, and even takes the form of body, enters the soul, flesh and blood with only one purpose and that is too unite us with him. Your salvation is with your connection to God and Christian liturgy does this only. Your whole life is spent in search of God and if you join the Liturgy, you have entered doors of the creator itself. Liturgy makes us realize that human soul, the over soul and the super soul are integral to each other. Since the over soul is pure most, the human soul also retains its inherent purity. It can steer us clear of all the difficulties, uncertainties, shams, and imperfections of the worldly life in the same way as the pure-most â€Å"Whole†- The Almighty can. Man is therefore an equal status and importance to God.    According to The Second Vatican Council â€Å"Liturgy is through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church.†1 Eucharist is a pinnacle of the Christian life. They believe that if bread and wine are brought to the altar, the holy spirit with its power will transfer it into the true body and blood of Christ. Lot of research has been undertaken regarding various aspects of Liturgical practices since centuries and their repercussions and effects. The New Testament reveals the fact that the Liturgical practices have seen number of changes, but according to Bradshaw many New Testament books have provided the allusionary account of practices Christians have been adopting in their Liturgical prayers rather than an accurate account. What ever has been interpreted from the New Testament is that Liturgical practices happening in later centuries had its roots in the first century. But there has been no concrete proof regarding the same and they are mere allusions. Further he said that it could be possible that some practices might have been followed from ancient times but there is enough scholarly proof to suggest that these assumptions are impractical and even to make such speculations is highly risky. Abundant illustrations could be offered of such an apprach, but Massey - Pope Paul VI, â€Å"Sacrosanctum Concilium†, 4 December1963, http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html (19 January 2008). Shephard theory, that explains about the link between the Book of Revelation and the Paschal Liturgy can be a good example to present link between the present practices and the past.1 Some reveal that many of the imageries of heavenly worship found in the Book of Revelation are a clear sign of Liturgical practices. For eg. Oscar Cullman could have said, â€Å"the whole Book of Revelation from the Greeting   of the Grace and Peace in Chapter 1.4 to the closing prayer: Come Lord Jesus, In Chapter 22.20, and the benediction in the last verse, is full of allusions to the Liturgical usages of the earlier community.†2 Besides many of other scholars have also questioned about the assumptions of the existence of parallels between heavenly and earthly worship and it has been presumed that the early Christians did not use any order in the ceremony. Inspite of several controversies and debates regarding the actual Liturgical practices, hymns and prayers have been solmenly considered as legitimate and proved versions reflecting the liturgical materials been in use in those times.3 Many research studies have pointed out the connection between the Liturgical practices to the earlier Judaism and the first one to suggest this relation was Dutch protestent theologian, Campegius Vitringa (1659-1722). It had also been stated that Gospels were used as public reading in Chruches and therefore they would have been influenced to some extent by the Jewish Lectionary. Thus attempts were being made to show that the lactionary material was behind the worship process and the first one to follow this theory was RG. Finch in 1939 who found that Jesus teaching did not just found in synagogue but affected that what was found there. And even G.D. Kilpatrick mentioned that Mathew was also used for public reading during worhsip but he did not think that there was any lectionary   process. 4 Paul F. Bradshaw, The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Method for the Study of Early Liturgy (US: Oxford University Press, 2002), 50. Bradshaw, 57. Bradshaw, 59. Bradshaw, 48. The early Christians were all following the Jewish form of worship-which was also considered to be the worship practices of Jesus Christ and was in sense liturgical. The New Testament is a proven record of this fact that even though earlier Christians had added some new components like Eucharist or in other words Communion, which Christ himself had bestowed on his followers during last Supper, their basic worshiping practice was of Jews. But during the ceremonies of the early Church, Eucharist was being celebrated as different services since last many years. The continuous worship procedure that had taken place from Temple to Synagogue and then its finally entry into the early Christian Church was the reason for the start of the Christian Liturgical order since the end of the first century, sixty years after Christ’s resurrection. Paul F. Bradshaw is a professor of Liturgy at the University of Notre Dame and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University’s London Center. In his book, he evaluated the various difficulties being posed by various researchers while interpreting the earlier documents on Liturgy and made critical reevaluation of the various theories of the origination of Christian worship. He brought before us the notion that primitive form of Christian worship was considered to be diverse in nature. They were pluriform and this pluriformity was not just seen in the theological part of worship in different traditions, but in very basic methods of rites and rituals and despite of the fact that churches have been trying to maintain uniformity in the   rites and rituals over the centuries, the churches began to adopt the liturgical way of worshiping. On one hand, there has been adequate evidence to point out that even though liturgical practices of one group might have created influence on the other but there had been variations in their rites and rituals. Bradshaw even stated that there is lack of evidence in the New Testament about the First Century Christian Worship. As there is a tendency among the scholars to gather the bits of information from whereever they are available and join them to give a unique and single piece of information and give a historical verdict to it.   For example, scholars might have combined references of liturgical activities that might had been performed by our ancestors, from the act of Apostotle or from the Pauline letters and joined with certain illusory signs termed as means of worship from the Johannine literature or from Synoptic Gospels and presented before us the ways of worship by the first Christians.1 Bradshaw emphasised that there never had been any concrete evidence to prove the validity of how first Christians worshiped or what were their ways. But this is a fact that the present Liturgy has at some point or the other roots in our past. It is true that Jesus himself told the woman at the well, â€Å"the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him† (John 4:23).   Liturgy reflects the true spirit of worship in what way it is performed. Catholic liturgy makes use of signs and symbols whose significance lies in the fact that they reveal the sign of Christ. These signs and symbols come from the world of creation- light, water, fire, bread, wine, oil, others from life in society -washing, anointing, breaking bread and others from Old Testament sacred history -the Passover rite, sacrifices, laying on of hands, consecrating persons and objects. These signs speak volume of the intensity of the life that Christ has given to us, but these signs are accompanied by spoken words, which together create the serene effect and reflect the significance of this ritual. - Bradshaw, 59.             Bibliography Bradshaw, Paul F. The Search for the Origins of Christian Worship: Sources and Method for the Study of Early Liturgy. US: Oxford University Press, 2002. Dix, Gregory. The Shape of the Liturgy. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. Pope Paul VI. â€Å"Sacrosanctum Concilium†. 4 December1963. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html (19 January 2008).

Psychoanalytic Approach to Corona :: Corona Essays

Psychoanalytic Approach to Corona  Ã‚   The psychoanalytic approach applied to Corona can determine the state of minds of the characters Buddy, Lee, and Big Foot. At the end of the story, Buddy's super ego represses his id, thus proving that although his simple mind has always relied on his id, his super ego turns his character into a hero. Lee depends on her id and super ego throughout the story. Finally her ego balances out the other two. Big Foot's character does not change. His super ego is in charge of his life. Big Foot will never be able to see reality or pleasure because of his over-used super ego. What first catches our eye is the title of the story. Corona could mean, "The sun's outer atmosphere that is visible during total eclipses of the sun.", or the "nation's first photo reconnaissance satellite system, operating from 1960-1972.". Either description will fit the story considering the way the song, Corona makes everyone feel. When Buddy loses his eyesight, the song Corona is his light that helps him escape from the pain. The song is also an escape for Lee, whose body and mind needs sunlight to relax and feel like a normal nine year old. In the first paragraph, the three mental processes mold a perfect outline to what we should expect throughout the story. The id tells us that Buddy's mother is an alcoholic. She drinks in self pity because Buddy's father left before Buddy was born. Her alcohol does for her as Corona does for Buddy. Id is also the reason Buddy attempts to steal a helicopter with a girl named Delores-Jo. Buddy's ego lied about his age when caught and is why he must go to prison instead of reform school. His superego helps him to repress those feelings left by penitentiary life by deciding to move to New York to start over, instead of dealing with his problems, including a child on the way by a waitress. Buddy and Lee come from different backgrounds, but their life struggles bring them together. Buddy, comes from lower class. He has grown up in an single parent, alcohol abusive home. He has gone to prison and is now a blue collar worker. Lee has suffered from her parents recently divorcing. Her telepathy has brought her misery instead of insight. Buddy is simple minded and Lee is very intelligent. Psychoanalytic Approach to Corona :: Corona Essays Psychoanalytic Approach to Corona  Ã‚   The psychoanalytic approach applied to Corona can determine the state of minds of the characters Buddy, Lee, and Big Foot. At the end of the story, Buddy's super ego represses his id, thus proving that although his simple mind has always relied on his id, his super ego turns his character into a hero. Lee depends on her id and super ego throughout the story. Finally her ego balances out the other two. Big Foot's character does not change. His super ego is in charge of his life. Big Foot will never be able to see reality or pleasure because of his over-used super ego. What first catches our eye is the title of the story. Corona could mean, "The sun's outer atmosphere that is visible during total eclipses of the sun.", or the "nation's first photo reconnaissance satellite system, operating from 1960-1972.". Either description will fit the story considering the way the song, Corona makes everyone feel. When Buddy loses his eyesight, the song Corona is his light that helps him escape from the pain. The song is also an escape for Lee, whose body and mind needs sunlight to relax and feel like a normal nine year old. In the first paragraph, the three mental processes mold a perfect outline to what we should expect throughout the story. The id tells us that Buddy's mother is an alcoholic. She drinks in self pity because Buddy's father left before Buddy was born. Her alcohol does for her as Corona does for Buddy. Id is also the reason Buddy attempts to steal a helicopter with a girl named Delores-Jo. Buddy's ego lied about his age when caught and is why he must go to prison instead of reform school. His superego helps him to repress those feelings left by penitentiary life by deciding to move to New York to start over, instead of dealing with his problems, including a child on the way by a waitress. Buddy and Lee come from different backgrounds, but their life struggles bring them together. Buddy, comes from lower class. He has grown up in an single parent, alcohol abusive home. He has gone to prison and is now a blue collar worker. Lee has suffered from her parents recently divorcing. Her telepathy has brought her misery instead of insight. Buddy is simple minded and Lee is very intelligent.

Hurdles Impeding Development of Pakistan Essay

Scarred from birth, Pakistan’s quest for survival has been as compelling as it has been uncertain. Pakistan cycled through a number of phases of development through its beginning Political, Social and Economic crises. The politicians were corrupt, interested in maintaining their political power and securing the interests of the elite, so to have them as the representative authority did not provide much hope of a democratic state that provided socio-economic justice and fair administration to all Pakistani citizens. Ranging controversies over the issue of the national language, the role of Islam, provincial representation, and the distribution of power between the center and the provinces delayed constitution making and postponed general elections, thus putting Pakistan into a certain situation of uncertainty right from the start. Poverty Poverty remains a serious concern in Pakistan. A large segment of the population lives in poverty. According to the rebased GDP numbers, the per capita income comes to US$720. Poverty rates, which had fallen substantially in the 1980s and early 1990s, started to rise again toward the end of the decade. More importantly, differences in income per capita across regions have persisted or widened. At the time of independence Pakistan suffered an unjust wealth distribution which marked its development or a long time. Pakistan has grown much more than other lowincome countries, but has failed to achieve social progress commensurate with its economic growth. The educated and well-off urban population lives not so differently from their counterparts in other countries of similar income range. However, the poor and rural inhabitants of Pakistan are being left behind. For example, access to sanitation in Pakistan in rural areas is 30% lower than in other countries with similar income. Solution & suggestions to this issue is †¢ Alternate means of energy production, like solar lights, neculer energy other minerals †¢ Small loans and small business (e. g Greaming bank in Bangladesh who give small loans start from a small village and now its owner got noble price for his ideas and polices in micro economics) †¢ More evelopment projects from government specially focus on their maintains & consistence. India – A constant threat Pakistan has also been burdened by full-scale wars with India, a strategically exposed northwestern frontier, and series of economic crises. It has difficulty allocating its scarce economic and natural resources in an equitable manner. All of Pakistan’s struggles underpin the dilemma they face in reconciling the goal of national integration with the imperatives of national security. Peace in this region of the world is sorely needed; but he process is easier said than done. Many obstacles internal and external continue to impede the progress of peace. Solution & suggestions to this issue is †¢ Encourage peace and peace talks with India †¢ Break the ideology of HINDU’S are like this and that (BANIYA etc ) Sad State of Judiciary Under the leadership of General Pervez Musharraf, the military has claimed its central position in Pakistan’s state structure and political scene. Similar to the present situation Judiciary has never been free to operate in Pakistan. The judiciary of Pakistan has abdicated their duty to protect the laws as well as the citizens of the country. The concept of a totally controlled judiciary was achieved by the rulers or ruling parties. Several judgments by the High Courts and Supreme Courts have shown how well the objective has been achieved. Even the Supreme courts are not independent. For example, Governor of Sindh, Mr. Isharat ul Ibad was behind the bars few days before he took the oath, all cases vaporized in air. The accountability cases against Nawaz Sharif and Benazir are also ridicule to the system. Culture Differences The ruins of ancient civilizations at Mohenjodaro and at Harappa in the southern Indus Valley testify to the existence of an advanced urban civilization that flourished in what is now Pakistan in the second half of the third millennium BC during the same period as the major riverain civilizations in Mesopotamia and Persia. This area has on the course of time seen almost every sort of government from democracy to monarchy, has been invaded a number of times, settled and resettle. Solution & suggestions to this issue is †¢ Should be according to local and domestic values, norms and practices Language Issues Despite the shared religion of its overwhelmingly Muslim population, Pakistan has been engaged in a precarious struggle to define a national identity and evolve a politico economic system for its linguistically diverse population. Pakistan is known to have over twenty languages and over 300 distinct dialects, Urdu and English are the official languages but Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Baluchi and Seraiki are considered main languages. This diversity has caused chronic regional tensions and successive failures in forming a constitution, laws and finally a mutually shared mode of living. Although Urdu was nominated as Pakistan’s National Language yet the number of people speaking URDU as a mother tongue was very low. This generated a huge gap between the common people of the country and its systems. It is an irony that a vast majority of Pakistan’s population can’t understand it own National Anthem, by viewing this, its easy to view the barriers which every person in Paksitan has faced in order to form a link with its systems and structures thus contributing little to the development. Solution & suggestions to this issue is †¢ Focus on regional language , should be taught at least till primary level Tribal and Provincial Issues The government’s perceived bias towards Punjab, the country’s most affluent province, has caused disgruntlement amongst the underdeveloped yet resource rich provinces. This bias has contributed to an escalating rebellion by tribal militias in Baluchistan. Militias have been engaged in guerrilla warfare with the Pakistani army, whose resources are already stretched between counter-terrorism activities and Kashmir. Tribal militias have been sabotaging strategic infrastructure, such as natural gas lines. Muslim extremism and sectarian violence are fundamental threats to Pakistan’s political stability. Sunni-Shi’a violence along with frequent anti-western street protests and violence are common, particularly in Karachi. Pakistani forces have also been largely unable to defeat Taliban militants who operate with impunity in the areas bordering Afghanistan. FATA is such a great example of military failure, an area with in the country but out of the reach from the countrymen even the military. The militants have such a strong hold that they can every handled on their own terms, they are well equipped as well as informed, as seen in latest events, it seems as if Bugti tribe was as equipped as the Army itself. Religion and Sectarian issues Pakistan’s political instability over time has been matched by a fierce ideological debate about the form of government it should adopt, Islamic or secular. In the absence of any nationally based political party, Pakistan has long had to rely on the civil service and the army to maintain the continuities of government. It was a daunting task to build a nationstate whose peoples had only one uniting factors—their abiding faith in Islam. Other than that, there was nothing to bind them together as a nation. Subsequent political developments in Pakistan clearly showed that even the â€Å"abiding faith in Islam was merely a mirage,† not a solid factor of integration and development as there is a list of sectarian Issues Pakistanis are suffering from. Geographical issues Following a military defeat at the hands of India the breakaway of its eastern territory, which India divides it from, caused the establishment of Bangladesh in 1971. This situation epitomizes the most dramatic manifestation of Pakistan’s dilemma as a decentralized nation. All forms of developments in Pakistan continue to be marred by provincial jealousies and, in particular, by the deep resentments in the smaller provinces of Sind, Baluchistan, and the North-West Frontier Province against what is seen to be a monopoly by the Punjabi majority of the benefits of power, profit, and patronage. Constitution Discrimination & Minorities Rights Pakistan is perhaps the most notorious political enigma in the second half of he 20th century. Perhaps, the most lamentable feature of our existence as a nation is that we do not know what we are. National identity is not primarily definable in terms of a people occupying a sovereign geographical territory. Existentially, identity is premised on ideology and social values. Both are noticeably in abeyance in Pakistan. This is a state without ideological ballast, without a lodestar. The people who are being called minorities, how we can expect loyalty from them after the treatment they are given? In history we see Hindus were under Muslim rule for so long yet the first chance they got they joined British, the reason was only that they had no loyalty to the state. If in Pakistan the minorities would keep receiving such treatment there is not much less hope of any loyalty to the state either. Human Rights Pakistan remains heavily dependent on the United States for economic and military aid. The U. S. has notably failed to press for human rights-related legal reform in the country, in exchange for Pakistan’s support in the U. S. led â€Å"war on terror. â€Å" For its part, the government of Pakistan has excused its failure to uphold human rights and the rule of law by citing domestic political pressure from hard-line religious groups and militant organizations. Pakistan’s record of ratifying principal international human rights treaties remains poor. To date, it is signatory to only five international conventions, and has signed neither the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights nor the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Female Prisoners Sexually Abused and Sold by Correctional Officers Free Essay Example, 2000 words

The United States Eighth Amendment guarantees that the government should not inflict any unusual or cruel punishments to any person including the incarcerated ones. Moreover, the constitution provides the inmates with the right to sue for legal redress against any violation of the Eighth Amendment. The Supreme Court has set guidelines, which must be fulfilled by any inmate suing for violations against the Eighth Amendment. The requirements are very many and inmates find it difficult to meet all of them. The loophole is used by male guards to harass women prisoners (Zaitzow Thomas, 2003). The Supreme Court established that there must be a demonstration of deliberate indifference towards harming an inmate in order for it to be a violation of the Eighth Amendment. This implies that an inmate suing for violation against the Eighth Amendment must prove that the officer involved acted in a deliberate manner with the intent of causing harm to the prisoner. The state of the guard s mental condition should also be verified in order to ensure that she or he did not commit the offense willingly. We will write a custom essay sample on Female Prisoners Sexually Abused and Sold by Correctional Officers or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page