Emmaus Religion

Emmaus College is an ecumenical school, supporting four faith traditions, Catholic, Lutheran, Uniting and Anglican. The faith traditions followed by Emmaus value different beliefs, sacraments, worship and social teachings. The two most distinct churches I have chosen, include the Catholic an Lutheran church. I will be discussing the similarities and differences of these faiths below.

The Lutheran and Catholic church have similar beliefs. The Lutheran church believes in baptism, God’s promise, love and spreading the message of God. The church is a welcoming community for all. John 13:20 “I tell you for certain that anyone who welcomes my messengers also welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” The Catholic Church
Even though the same sacraments are followed, they have different ways of using them during worship. The Lutheran church follows the traditional sacraments of baptism, the eucharist and penance during worship. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 “I have already told you what the Lord Jesus did on the night he was betrayed. And it came from the Lord himself. He took some bread in his hands. 24 Then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me.” The Catholic church follows sacraments known as baptism, eucharist, penance and marriage. 1 Corinthians 11:25 “After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and said, “This is my blood, and with it God makes his new agreement with you. Drink this and remember me.” The words used during the process of eucharist from the Catholic church are ‘Do this is remembrance of me’. The Lutheran church uses the words ‘My (blood/body), which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins’. The similarities of the Lutheran faith and Catholic faith both follow the sacrament of communion during their times of worship. The Eucharist is a way of reflection of the struggles that Jesus faced when nailed to the cross. At Emmaus, we try and acknowledge these sacraments in different ways such as the use of water, a vine, a candle and the bible during our liturgies. We use our four faith traditions to
Lutherans go to church to celebrate and learn about the life of God. They focus on scriptures that relate to the sermon given during the service. They share their love for God and aim to gain a stronger connection. 1 Corinthians 13:12 “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.” Catholics attend church where they spend part of it reading and understanding scriptures from the bible and then they focus on the Eucharist. 1 Corinthians 11:26 “The Lord meant that when you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you tell about his death until he comes.” Lutherans attend Divine Service (worship) on a Sunday normally. Catholic churches attend Mass (worship) on either a Saturday night or a Sunday morning. During their service they focus all their attention to God. Listening to new scripture, praying and receiving the communion. The communion is the holiest part of the service. The school gets involved with the church by involving the four faith traditions in our liturgies. Each faith tradition has an opportunity to share something during the schools’ time of