A Christian expresses his faith through external signs
You see everyday, how people greet each other, shake hands, they bow, they smile. You do likewise. Why do people use such gestures and words ?
With the help of these signs, they express their feelings, thoughts and intentions. Only with their help can they communicate with each other and establish communication with each other. Do we also use gestures in our communication with God?, attitudes, in words ? What do they express ?
God's Worship Signs in Different Religions
When a Muslim hears a call from the mosque tower, it rains on the face. With this gesture, he is paying homage to the one God, whom he calls Allah. Thus, he expresses his faith in God. Because this sign has a religious meaning, it must be respected. So are the Buddhists, taking off your shoes before entering the temple, they express reverence and respect for the holiness of their deity. This gesture is also a religious sign.
Other kinds of signs are works of religious art. Symbol, ornaments, sculptures, paintings or temples, sometimes different from these, to which we are perhaps used to, they have a deep and serious religious meaning. They want to bring people closer to the mysteries of God and His attributes. Hence, believers also respect these signs and expect them from others as well.
In many religions, the people do not gather inside the temple, but in its courtyard. It also shows respect for God. This custom is based on belief, that a sinful man should not see a holy God directly, but through specially designated people, called "priests". That's why they make sacrifices, they touch objects intended for God's worship. People only watch and participate in rituals from a distance.
Also in the revealed religion of Israel, only the high priest had access to the Holy Saints, on certain days. Only the representatives of the priestly lineage could touch the ark of the covenant. On the others, who dared to transgress this provision, various penalties fell. The books of the Old Covenant tell us about it (by. 2 Sm 6, 7).
The signs of God's worship in the Christian religion
In the Christian religion there is no longer such a distance between the people and the priests. They all gather inside the temple without distinction. Lay people do not stand afar and do not merely watch, what the priest does, but they take an active part with it. During the Eucharistic assembly, they read the Holy Scriptures. They can also distribute Holy Communion with the bishop's permission., and in some countries they get it on hand. They can touch the chalice and other objects intended for worship. Above all, not only by the hands of the priest, but with him they make a sacrifice to God, that is, they co-donate.
The question arises, Why is it like that ? On what basis can they do it ? Through baptism all are united with Christ, the only and high priest. Thus they constitute a priestly people. They receive priesthood powers, that is, the right and duty to worship God. So every Christian, by virtue of his priesthood, it relates to God's things differently than the followers of different religions, and even unlike the people of the Old Covenant. The Christian people are closer to God and therefore bound to his greater worship. It is a sign of God among the nations, hence his faith, expressed in external actions and gestures, it is to show others the way to God. But these attitudes and gestures should result from internal beliefs and feelings. Therefore, they should be performed very correctly and with full awareness of their importance.
The Christian Temple is the "Upper Room", that is, a special place where the People of God meet their God. That is why Christians treat their temple with great respect, take care of its proper equipment, maintenance and appearance. They behave properly in and around the temple.
The cross reminds us, that we have been redeemed and united with Christ. What honor do we have for the cross, we are taught by the Good Friday rites, in which the adoration of the cross is the most important part. The cross is the most common sign of the Christian faith. - Apart from him, we also honor other signs of our faith, like pictures, sculptures, medals, as well as roadside shrines and cemeteries.
It is called sacrilege to offend a temple or to things dedicated to God. It may be a grave sin against God. It is also a crime against unbelievers, because it can be an obstacle for them on the way to God.
How will I answer God ?
You worship God through external signs. You participate in the priesthood of Christ and you are to be a sign that leads to God. How do you behave in the temple ? - during the procession ?
What are crosses and religious pictures for you ? How do you wear your medal ?
■ Think :
1. How the worship of God is expressed in all religions of the world ?
2. Why are baptized people called to respect the things of God more than the followers of other religions ?
3. When the outer signs express the true inner worship of God ?
■ Remember :
37. What should external religious signs express ?
External religious signs should express faith and the interior worship of God.
38. What is respect for the world, which Christians express in external signs ?
Respect, which Christians express in external signs, it is an expression of their faith and a signpost to the true God.
■ Task :
List the external signs during the Eucharistic Assembly and pass, what they express.