In Christianity, the word "trinity" describes the belief that the one God of the universe is comprised of three persons: God the Father, The Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This belief is a central and defining characteristic of Christianity. Saint Augustine described the Trinity as comparable to the three parts of an individual human being: mind, spirit, and will. They are described as three distinct aspects, yet they are inseparable and together constitute one unified human being.
In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the Holy Trinity, an equal to the Father and the Son. According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit comes to people in many ways. According to the Gospel of Luke, the Holy Spirit is a teacher. The Holy Spirit has several names in the Bible including "the Spirit of God." A popular story that was told about the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the story about the first Pentecost.
In the Christian religion, the first humans were created in the image of God. People were created with a good nature but according to the Bible people were given a free will with which to chose for or against God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were persuaded by a serpent (the devil), to rebel and as a result sin entered the world and afflicted the human race.
The Bible teaches that the of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden resulted in the entrance of physical death into the world. In addition, sin is universal, according to the Bible. Every human being has fulfilled the inborn tendency and actually committed sins.
Mary is the mother of Jesus, she is also referred to as theotokos, "God bearer." A rosary is the circular chain of beads used to count prayers, with the prayer "Hail Mary" said on majority of the beads. Rosaries are also found in other religions such as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism as well. Catholics believe that Mary appears in the world when help is needed. Near Mexico City is one of the three most important sites where Mary is officially believed to have appeared in - Tepeyac. It is the center of the veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is an important part of Hispanic Catholicism. Mary is believed to have appeared to Juan Diego, and to have left her image on his cloak. It is currently displayed above the high altar in the Church at Tepeyac. This site is especially crowded on December 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Mass
In Christianity, the day of the week devoted to rest and worship is Sunday, or the "Lord's Day." This weekly holiday is derived from the Jewish Sabbath, with the day transferred from Saturday to Sunday because that is the day on which the resurrection occurred. Mass is the collection of prayers and ceremonies that make up the service of the Eucharist, which is a memorial that Jesus Christ instituted at the Last Supper to commemorate his death on the cross for the sins of people.
In this sacrament, also known as extreme unction, a priest anoints a sick person with oil - an ancient symbol of health - and offers prayers.
The Christian Year
By the sixth century a fairly complete Church calendar had emerged. The most important celebrations within the Christian Year are Christmas and Easter. The complete traditional calendar is kept by Catholic, Orthodox, and traditionalist Protestant churches (Anglicans and Lutherans).
Practices
Sacraments & Other Rituals:
Baptism
Baptism is one of the two most important sacraments in Christianity. In it's earliest forms, it involved immersion in water, but today it commonly involves application of water onto the forehead of the individual receiving a blessing, and the pronouncement, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Some Christian denominations baptize both infants and adults, but others believe that baptism is reserved for adults. Baptism is viewed as a commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as a way to cleanse away sins, and publicly expresses one's faith.
The Eucharist is Greek for "good gift," or Lord's Supper. Early Christians met weekly to imitate the Last Supper, which was probably a Passover meal. The bread and wine in the Eucharist recalled Jesus' death and resurrection. This sharing of the Lord's Supper is a symbolic sharing of the suffering of his life and death. Some Christian denominations see the break and wine literally as the body and blood of Jesus, while other groups symbolically consume the bread and wine. All Christian denominations have some form of this sacred meal, but they vary in style and frequency.
Confirmation
Confirmation is considered a sacrament or rite - depending on the beliefs of the practitioners. It signifies the faith and commitment of a person to publicize their convictions of belief to their family, friends, and church. Roman Catholic churches and Eastern Orthodox churches consider confirmation a sacrament, believing that it endows grace, while Protestant churches (and Anglicanism), teaches that it is a rite, meaning it is symbolic, but still very important.
The sacrament of reconciliation, or penance, involves a repentant admitting his/her sins before a priest and is absolved for their sins.
Marriage
For Christians, marriage is believed to have originated with the first humans, Adam and Eve, and later affirmed by Jesus Christ. This is the sacrament in which two people publicly commit themselves to each other for life. The two individuals administer the sacrament to each other while the priest or minister present simply acts as a public witness of the commitment.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the first requisite for lawful ordination is a Divine vocation, which is where God selects some to be His special ministers, endowing them with special qualities required for the discharge of their order and inspiring them with a sincere desire to enter an ecclesiastical state in God's honor and their own sanctification.