為何選擇天主教 Why the Catholic Faith?

The Catholic Faith Invites All of God’s Children to a Relationship with Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you find that you are struggling emotionally on a day-to-day basis and your life has become unfulfilled and in need of some direction. That the person you have become is not the person you thought you would be or the person you want to be. Maybe you have had a calling to live a more spiritual, religious life, but have not been to church in many years, however you know that you want to return to a Christian based life. In this often confused and hurting world there are many reasons for people to be searching for happiness and something more in their lives, but they do not always know where to turn.

If you are seeking out different religious points of view and exploring different types of Christian faiths, your journey to find contentment and emotional wellbeing may lead you to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is one of the oldest religious institutions in the history of the world maintaining unity, diversity and tradition over a course of twenty centuries. The Catholic Church was started by Jesus Christ and has followed sacred scriptures for more than 2,000 years while guiding the faith and beliefs of millions of followers.

The Catholic family is made up of every race that spans the globe; young and old, rich and poor, men and women. It is one of the largest charitable organizations on the planet starting hospitals to care for the sick and orphanages to aid the poor. It upholds and protects all human life and the institution of marriage and family. And in this world that is hurting and confused it is one place that is consistent and welcoming to all types of people from all over. The Catholic Church can help fill voids and can help you find peace.

天主教信仰邀請所有天父的孩子與耶穌基督建立關係。

也許你發現你在日常生活中的情緒化,你的生活變得不充實,需要一些方向。你成了一個不是你以為應該的人或你想成為的人。也許你曾經被召叫過一個更屬神, 有宗教信仰的生活,但多年沒進入教會,無論如何你知道你想過基督徒的生活。在這個令人迷惑和易受傷的世界中,人們有充分的理由在生活中尋找幸福和更多的東西, 卻總是不知道在哪裡可以轉回信仰。

如果你正在尋求不同的宗教觀點和探索不同類型的基督教信仰,你尋求滿足感和情感幸福的旅程可能會引你進入天主教會。天主教會是世界歷史上最古老的宗教機構之一, 經歷二十世紀的過程中仍保持團結, 多元性和傳統。天主教會由耶穌基督開始,遵循神聖經文二千多年, 引導著數百萬追隨者的信德和信仰。

天主教家庭由跨越全球的每一種族群組成; 老少, 貧富,男,女。她是地球上最大的慈善組織之一,開始成立醫院照顧病人和建立孤兒院幫助窮人。 她維護和保護所有的人類生活, 婚姻和家庭的制度。在這個有傷害和困惑的世界上,這是一個一如既往歡迎來自各方人士的地方。天主教會可以幫助您填補空虛並找到平安。

~ Reference Saint Bridget Catholic Church Website

The Catholic Faith Invites All of God’s Children to a Relationship with Jesus Christ.
天主教信仰邀請所有天父的孩子與耶穌基督建立關係。

認識天主教會 UNDERSTANDING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Meaning of “Catholic”

『天主教』一詞,起源自拉丁語的「Catholicus」,意思是「普遍的」,翻譯作中文「公」是取自「天下為公」的「公」;「公教會」一詞的最早出現在宗徒信經中所述的「聖而公教會」(anctam Ecclesiam catholicam),其涵義因著公元381年,召開的第一次尼西亞大公會議誕生的尼西亞信經得到進一步的完善確立:「我信唯一、至聖、至公、從宗徒傳下來的教會」(Et unam, sanctam, cathólicam et apostólicam Ecclésiam)。

中文語境通用的「天主教」一詞,係利瑪竇等耶穌會會士於明朝中葉來到中國後為使教義容易使中國人了解而採用,為呼應中國人「敬天」之傳統,且多用來指稱天主教會,即由羅馬教宗領導的教會。

The word “Catholic Church” comes from the Latin “Catholicus”. It means “Universal” and was translated as “Gong” from “Tien Shia Wei Gong” in Chinese. It first appeared in The Apostles’ Creed as “The Holy Catholic Church” (anctam Ecclesiam catholicam). In AD381, the First Council of Constantinople adopted and modified the original Nicene Creed of AD325: I believe the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church…(Et unam, sanctam, cathólicam et apostólicam Ecclésiam).

The word “Catholic Church” in Chinese was given by Fr. Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary, when he arrived in China in the Ming Dynasty. He thought it reflected the Chinese tradition of respecting God and is easier for the Chinese people to understand and adopt.

Formation of the Early Church

根據聖經的記載,耶穌基督把神聖的教會權柄交給了宗徒之長伯多祿:『約納的兒子西滿,你是有福的,因為不是肉和血啟示了你,而是我在天之父。 我再給你說:你是伯多祿(磐石),在這磐石上,我要建立我的教會,陰間的門決不能戰勝她。 我要將天國的鑰匙交給你;凡你在地上所束縛的,在天上也要被束縛;凡你在地上所釋放的,在天上也要被釋放』。(聖經 瑪竇福音16:17-19)

而教會團體產生於公元一世紀的基督宗教,隨著耶路撒冷的被佔領,教會的中心逐漸轉向帝國的首都羅馬「梵蒂岡」,亦稱「羅馬公教會」。根據信理神學(dogmatic theology)的論證闡述,天主教會是耶穌基督親手建立的、唯一、至聖、至公、從宗徒傳下來的教會。目前天主教會在全球約有1,114,966,000位信徒,佔總人口的六分之一。

According to the Bible, Jesus Christ, the divine authority of the Church, said to the Apostle Peter : “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16: 17-19

The contemporary Catholic Church is the continuation of this early Christian community established by Jesus in the 1 st century AD. After Jerusalem was occupied by the Roman Empire, the religious center of the church turned to the capital of  the empire – Vatican, Rome, and became know as “Roman Catholic.” According to dogmatic theology, Catholic is established by Jesus Christ and is one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Currently there are 1,114966,000 Catholics and is 1/6 of the population on earth.

教會的成員 The Church Structure

教宗: 是全球教會的首牧,也是教會共融合一的標記。
主教: 是地方教會的領袖,負責宣講、聖化和管理的工作。
神父: 神父亦稱司鐸,是主教的合作者,分擔公務司祭職宣講、聖化和管理的職務。
修會會士、修女: 透過神貧、貞潔和服從的承諾與誓願,在修會宗旨及團體生活中以祈禱、愛德服務,履行傳揚福音的使命,彰顯天國。
執事: 是主教及神父的合作者,專注宣講及愛德服務。
信友: 在生活中以信、望、愛三德的行動為天主作見證。

Pope: Head of the the Catholic Church.
Cardinals: Elects the pope and assist the pope in various departments.
Bishop : Manages the churches in their assigned geographical areas called dioceses.
Parish priests and pastors: Works with the bishop of the diocese. Manages the day-to-day duties in their own church, such as leading mass and hearing confessions.
Religious men and women: Commits to a vow of chastity and obedience, committed to a religious purpose and community life of prayer, charity service, fulfilling the mission of preaching the Gospel, highlighting the kingdom of heaven.
Deacon: Works with parish priests and bishop of the diocese, focused on preaching and charity services.
The faithful of the parish community: live life with faith, hope and love in God and be witnesses of Christ.

CATHOLIC TRADITIONS

彌撒慶典 Celebration of Mass

The Celebration of Mass is in two parts that forms a single act of worship:

  1. The Liturgy of the Word
    (Word of God): readings, homily, and general intercessions.
  2. The Liturgy of the Eucharist
    (Body of the Lord): presentation of the bread and wine, consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.

彌撒慶典的結構有兩部分, 組成單一的崇拜:

  1. 第一部分: 聖道禮儀 (天主聖言)
    讀經一, 答唱詠, (讀經二), 福音前歡呼, 福音, 講道, 信經, 信友禱詞
  2. 第二部分: 聖祭禮儀(主的身體)
    準備祭品 (餅,酒), 獻禮經, 感恩經, 領聖體禮

天主教祈禱 Catholic Prayers

Prayers connect us to God.  We communicate with God through our prayers and our relationship with Him is deepened through prayers. Some common prayers of the Catholic faith are:
祈禱是我們與天主溝通的方式, 藉著祈禱, 加深我們與天主的關係. 常用的天主教祈禱經文有:

  • The Sign of the Cross 聖號經
  • Apostles Creed 信經
  • The Lord’s Prayer 天主經
  • Hail Mary 聖母經
  • Glory Be 聖三光榮頌

For individual prayers and more information, click on the button below.
有關個人祈禱和禱告資訊, 請按以下黃鍵.

天主教聖經 The Catholic Bible

The Catholic Bible is made of a collection of 73 books. These collections were written over the course of many centuries. The Bible is about the relationship between God and us, His children. It gives us the truths we need to live by for our salvation. It is not a history book, a science text, or a political manifesto.
天主教聖經由73本書籍組成。這些書籍是在幾個世紀以來寫的。聖經是關於天主和我們 ( 祂的孩子) 之間的關係。它給了我們真理–我們必須為救恩而活。它不是歷史書,科學文獻或政治宣言。

 

何為聖事 What are Sacraments?

Sacraments are acts or ceremonies that represent an inward and spiritual divine grace. There are seven sacraments in the Catholic faith:
聖事代表著內在和靈性上神聖恩典的行動或慶典。天主教信仰包含七件聖事。

  1. Baptism  聖洗聖事
  2. Confirmation  堅振聖事
  3. Eucharist  聖體聖事
  4. Reconciliation  和好聖事
  5. Anointing of the Sick  病人傅油
  6. Holy Orders  聖秩聖事
  7. Matrimony  婚姻聖事

BECOMING CATHOLIC

慕道成為基督徒 Becoming a Catholic through RCIA

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a program in the Catholic Church that helps prospective converts to Catholicism. The program is designed to help ease into the Catholic beliefs and practices, answer any questions related to the faith and church, and affirm what it means to be part of the Catholic Church. For more details, go to usccb.org. For more information on our RCIA program, click below.

COMING BACK TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH 回到天主教信仰

"I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart." -Jeremiah 24:7
"賦給他們一顆認識我的心,知道只有我是上主;他們要作我的人民,我要作他們的天主;因為他們要全心回頭歸向我."- 耶肋米亞 24:7

Maybe it has been a long time since you’ve been in a Catholic community or have gone to mass. Maybe it has only been a little while. There is this tug at your heart drawing you back to the Catholic Church. Listen to it. It’s the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart. Your Heavenly Father is gently holding your hand and guiding you back. Take this as an opportunity to rediscover the joys and wonders of your Catholic faith.

No matter how long it has been since you’ve been at church, it doesn’t matter what the circumstances were, you are always welcomed back to your family, the worldwide Catholic community. We, your brothers and sisters, have missed you. Welcome home.

也許從你曾經屬於某個天主教團體或參與彌撒到現在已經過了一段很長的時間。也或許只過了一小段時間。在你心中總有個催促要你回到天主教會。請聆聽它。這是聖神在你心中的感動。你的天父溫柔地握住你的手,引導著你回來。請你把握住這個機會,重新尋回天主教信仰的喜樂和奧妙。

無論你離開了教堂多長時間,  不管理由是甚麼。天主教會總是歡迎你回到這個大家庭。我們, 你的主內兄弟姐妹都想念你。歡迎回家!