Chapter 3 - Rituals• Distinguishing the Practical versus the Symbolic

• Sometimes they can be intertwined: Walking in China & the Spirit world

• Rituals are not supposed to be routine: Grace

• Rituals can have meaning at many levels: a blink is a routine versus a wink which is a ritual

• Watch “Jewish home ritual items”

• Watch “The Joy Of Sumer-The Sacred Marriage Rite”

• Read last paragraph on page 40

• Characteristics of Rituals: Movement and Gestures with Meaning Repeated Actions: annual family picnic Symbolic Celebrations: Olympic Games Important Events: Graduations Significant Words: “God bless you” Linkages to the Past: St. Patrick’s DayCommunal Actions: New Year’s Eve

• People make rituals happen by participation not by observation

• Review table on lower right corner of page 47

• Each of the seven sacraments in the Catholic church is celebrated in a ritual

• Read together “The Roots of Ritual in Worship” on page 48

• “Sacrifice” comes from the Latin “to make holy”

• Anthropologists tells us that ancient peoples always gave part of every kill to the gods as an offering for future good luck

• Native Americans used the peace pipe as a ritual to make an agreement holy: one of the basic misunderstandings between white settlers and the Indians

• Examples of Rituals in video format:

Watch “Ritual of Religious Worship”

Watch “The Dragon Boat Festival”

Watch “Ritual and Worship at Knossos (Minoan Bronze Age)” Watch “The Haj”

• Read together “Ritual Worship or Magic” on page 49

• Read together “Christianity and Rituals” on pages 50 – 51

• Watch “A Celtic Prayer”

• “Prayer” is worshiping in word, in act & in silence

• A time and a place for prayer are essential to a life of love

• People need not just physical space but also “inner space” – the space within a person’s consciousness that makes room for God. Such inner space can be cultivated by allowing SILENCE into one’s life.

• Silence draws us inward

• Listening does not mean we necessarily head God’s voice but rather that we are quiet, receptive, and able to reflect such that we can sense how God is present with us.

• Watch “Meditation In The Bible - Christian Meditation”

• Meditation is defined as “a devotional exercise of or leading to contemplation”

• Contemplation is defined as “spiritual meditation, especially in Christian religious practice, concentration of the mind and soul upon God”

• Watch “Ignatian Contemplation”

• Read together “Paths to Intimacy with God” beginning on the top of page 61

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