How should we enter a church?

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I enter quietly, bless myself with the sign of the cross using some holy water, and genuflect & cross myself before taking a seat.
 
You can try looking for the red sanctuary candle, it’s supposed to be near wherever they have the tabernacle.

Around here, that’s usually a side altar. I genuflect in that direction before entering my pew, after having blessed myself with holy water on entering the nave.
 
I do my Hancock thing and fly through the door without knocking anybody or anything down :yup:
 
Walk inside Chuch. Touch the holy water, bless yourself 3 times in Honour of the Holy Trinity. Genuflect, then walk up isle, genuflecting each time you pass a pew. Genuflect again 3 times next to the pew you will be sitting at. Turn to the direction necessary to walk down the pew and genuflect another 2 times, before walking to the right spot to sit. Genuflect again, then sit down while proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin.
 
Typically I cross my self with Holy Water, though the more reverent the better.
 
Scoobyshme said:
Keep in mind that 364 days/year (excludes Good Friday), Catholic Churches have the Blessed Sacrament (the Eucharist). Therefore, you are entering a place where Jesus is not just spiritually present, but He is physically present. So, that calls for being reverent, whatever that means to you. You should act like you really are entering the physical presence of Jesus. Because that’s exactly what you are doing.
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Be careful here.

Jesus is not physically present. If he was, you could walk up to him, shake his hand, and ask him if he would like to go out for a sandwich.

Jesus is present sacramentally, not physically. Sacramental presence is a higher order than physical presence. The entire substance of Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity can be present simultaneously in multiple places - tabernacles all over the earth - and that presence spans all time. Jesus’ entire substance can be present in a tabernacle in Europe in the 8th century and in a tabernacle on the moon in the year 9056. Physical presence is not able to do that.

It is a subtle distinction, one that theologians are more apt to discuss than are ordinary Catholics. But the distinction is one which many Catholics are not able to articulate to non-Catholics who are either genuinely interested in or challenging the faith and ask, “How can Jesus be physically present?” The answer is, he’s not. He is present in the physical word but his presence is sacramental.

-Tim-
 
Jesus is really and truely present body, blood and divinity in the blessed sacrament.

From the CCC

usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1art3.shtml
1324
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."136 "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."137
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1327
In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: "Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking."140
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1333
At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit,*** become Christ’s Body and Blood***. Faithful to the Lord’s command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: “He took bread. . . .” “He took the cup filled with wine. . . .” The signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,154 fruit of the “work of human hands,” but above all as “fruit of the earth” and “of the vine”—gifts of the Creator. The Church sees in the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek, who “brought out bread and wine,” a prefiguring of her own offering.155
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Let us becareful not to get confused as to what the Eucharst really is. The Lutheran view of a Sacramental Union has been rejected by the Church.
 
TimothyH said:
Be careful here.

Jesus is not physically present. If he was, you could walk up to him, shake his hand, and ask him if he would like to go out for a sandwich.

**Jesus is present sacramentally, not physically. Sacramental presence is a higher order than physical presence. The entire substance of Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity can be present simultaneously in multiple places - tabernacles all over the earth - and that presence spans all time. Jesus’ entire substance can be present in a tabernacle in Europe in the 8th century and in a tabernacle on the moon in the year 9056. Physical presence is not able to do that. **

It is a subtle distinction, one that theologians are more apt to discuss than are ordinary Catholics. But the distinction is one which many Catholics are not able to articulate to non-Catholics who are either genuinely interested in or challenging the faith and ask, “How can Jesus be physically present?” The answer is, he’s not. He is present in the physical word but his presence is sacramental.

-Tim-
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You are right, and you are wrong too! Jesus is present sacramentally and that is a higher order than simple physical presence. However, Jesus is still physically present and sacramentally can include physically, it is not an either or statement. Jesus has a human nature and humans are defined by a physical part and a spiritual part, where the body is the physical part. Thus when we say that the blood, body (physical), soul (spiritual) and divinity are present we are making a statement about the physical part too. You are also putting limits to a physical possibility that are not necessarily true, for example a glorified body is physical but it can do a lot things that our present understanding of physics does not allow us to explain. We can easily accept that Jesus did not have a biological father but we are uncomfortable to say that He has a physical presence in the Eucharist, does that make sense? :confused:

We should also remember the encyclical “Misterium Fidei” by Paul VI where it is stated:

“sub quibus totus et integer Christus adest in sua physica «realitate» etiam corporaliter praesens”
 
crazzeto said:
Jesus is really and truely present body, blood and divinity in the blessed sacrament.

Let us becareful not to get confused as to what the Eucharst really is. The Lutheran view of a Sacramental Union has been rejected by the Church.
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Relax. There is no confusion. I’m not talking about sacramental union of substances as some Churches teach.

Physical presence means you can walk up to the dude and shake his hand or take a bite out of his leg. The Eucharist would have arms and legs and weigh about 180 lbs.

Sacramental presence means that the entire substance of Jesus is present the Eucharist. Yes, it IS Jesus. Only the appearance of bread and wine remain.

Theologians are careful not to use the term “Physical presence” with regard to the Eucharist because Jesus was physically present in the early first century in Palestine. They use the term “Real presence” or “Sacramental presence” but trained theologians are probably not going to use the term “Physical presence” when describing the Eucharist.

Sorry to hijak the thread. I’ll go do pennace now. 😊

Swerving back on topic, I usually use holy water upon entering and if the Church is not crowded, will genuflect or bow, depending on whether Jesus is present. To that end, I always look for the candle next to the tabernacle and to see if the tabernacle door is open or closed. If the Church is crowded, I will usually just sign myself with holy water and genuflect upon entering the pew.

-Tim-

-Tim-
 
TimothyH said:
Relax. There is no confusion. I’m not talking about sacramental union of substances as some Churches teach.

**Physical presence means you can walk up to the dude and shake his hand or take a bite out of his leg. The Eucharist would have arms and legs and weigh about 180 lbs. **

Sacramental presence means that the entire substance of Jesus is present the Eucharist. Yes, it IS Jesus. Only the appearance of bread and wine remain.

Theologians are careful not to use the term “Physical presence” with regard to the Eucharist because Jesus was physically present in the early first century in Palestine. They use the term “Real presence” or “Sacramental presence” but trained theologians are probably not going to use the term “Physical presence” when describing the Eucharist.

Sorry to hijak the thread. I’ll go do pennace now. 😊

Swerving back on topic, I usually use holy water upon entering and if the Church is not crowded, will genuflect or bow, depending on whether Jesus is present. To that end, I always look for the candle next to the tabernacle and to see if the tabernacle door is open or closed. If the Church is crowded, I will usually just sign myself with holy water and genuflect upon entering the pew.

-Tim-

-Tim-
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That is your definition of physical presence, and you are setting limits that a quite a few physicist would not consider acceptable.
 
Christ is truely, physically present in the Eucharst. It is is body and blood we eat and drink. I’m not sure how much more physically present he can be.
 
TimothyH said:
Cristiano, I would like to point you to Msgr. Charles Pope’s comments at blog.adw.org/2010/12/touched-by-god-at-christmas/comment-page-1/#comment-33362 in repsonse to someone who used the term “Physicallly present”

And I would like to wish you peace.

-Tim-
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I had a discussion with the poster Reginaldus in his blog about the same topic and he stated that he thinks that the Church will never reject the idea of physical presence. The point is that I think that it makes more sense for a theologian to strictly adhere to a terminology referring to sacraments; however, giving a new definition of a terminology that it is really referring to physics is really changing the postulate until the demonstration proves the hypothesis. I have not seen yet anyone, who is denying the physical presence, to be able to my objections especially in regard to the statement from Pope Paul VI.
 
Cristiano,
Since you cited me as a source in the discussion (I am the “Reginaldus” who writes for the New Theological Movement; we now use our proper names), I should point out that I did not say that “physically present” is a good term to use.

Rather, I have stated that “physically present” seems to be contrary to the wording used by Pope Paul VI – he states that Jesus is present in his “physical reality” but adds that he is “not present according to the mode in which bodies are present in a place.”

This is the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas who states very simply, that the Eucharist is not on the altar as in a place, but as in a sacrament.

Now, when we say that a thing is “physically present”, we generally mean that it is “present in the manner in which a body is in a place.” Hence, I am quite certain that we should not state that Jesus is “physically present” in the Eucharist – we should not us the term “physically present” at all (either positively or negatively).

Rather, we should use the language of the Church … Christ is truly, really, substantially, and sacramentally present. She has never taught that he is “physically” present.

*** Still, to be very clear, I am not denying that Christ is really present “in” the Tabernacle and “on” the Altar … we can say, “THERE he is” and “HERE is the Eucharist” … but he is “there” not as “in a place” (i.e. not as “physically present”) but as “in a sacrament” (i.e. sacramentally and substantially present).

Peace,
Fr. Ryan Erlenbush, aka “Reginaldus”
 
I always make a prayer as I walk upto the front of the church. As I walk towards the sanctuary, I pray. As I walk into the sanctuary I bless myself. I genuflect, make the sign of the cross and thank the lord. Then go into the pew where I kneel and pray some more until I hear the bell.

It always turns out to be very spiritual for me. 😃
 
TimothyH said:
Theologians are careful not to use the term “Physical presence” with regard to the Eucharist because Jesus was physically present in the early first century in Palestine. They use the term “Real presence” or “Sacramental presence” but trained theologians are probably not going to use the term “Physical presence” when describing the Eucharist.
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I thought they use the word “Parousia.”

Hopefully I spelt that right. But doesn’t that word mean, the literal presence?
 
FrRyanErlenbush said:
Cristiano,
Since you cited me as a source in the discussion (I am the “Reginaldus” who writes for the New Theological Movement; we now use our proper names), I should point out that I did not say that “physically present” is a good term to use.

Rather, I have stated that “physically present” seems to be contrary to the wording used by Pope Paul VI – he states that Jesus is present in his “physical reality” but adds that he is “not present according to the mode in which bodies are present in a place.”

This is the theology of St. Thomas Aquinas who states very simply, that the Eucharist is not on the altar as in a place, but as in a sacrament.

Now, when we say that a thing is “physically present”, we generally mean that it is “present in the manner in which a body is in a place.” Hence, I am quite certain that we should not state that Jesus is “physically present” in the Eucharist – we should not us the term “physically present” at all (either positively or negatively).

Rather, we should use the language of the Church … Christ is truly, really, substantially, and sacramentally present. She has never taught that he is “physically” present.

*** Still, to be very clear, I am not denying that Christ is really present “in” the Tabernacle and “on” the Altar … we can say, “THERE he is” and “HERE is the Eucharist” … but he is “there” not as “in a place” (i.e. not as “physically present”) but as “in a sacrament” (i.e. sacramentally and substantially present).

Peace,
Fr. Ryan Erlenbush, aka “Reginaldus”
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Thanks for sharing your point of view in this thread. I am quite sure that from your comments here and in other blogs nobody would dare to think that you are denying the Real Presence. You have proven over and over your solid understandings of the Church teachings and I am thankful that you spend the time to stimulate our growth through internet.
 
After making the sign of the Cross, the knees are kept straight while the upper body bends from the waist, and the right hand is extended toward the ground as far as possible.
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👍
 
Personally, I have found it expedient to us a stun grenade to create a diversion.

Then I enter in the usual way and do the usual things. 🙂
 
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