Rites of the
Catholic Church






Rites of Lutheranism



Religious Service (it is not called Holy Mass in the Lutheran church) is held in the vernacular, consists of prayer, hymns, sermon, the holy communion. Hymns are accompanied by organ music. Lutherans do not kneel down when praying; the church interior is simple; crosses are displayed, but there are no paintings of biblical scenes and no sculptures. Holy communion is given to the community in both kinds.

Further rites in the career of lay Catholics include BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION (equivalent to the Catholic communion, at the age of 13, after instruction in the basic concepts of Lutheranism), MARRIAGE and, perhaps, the anointment of the sick and the LAST RITES.

Lutherans have no processions, pilgrimages; they reject the reverance of saints.

The Lutheran reformation has abolished the celebration of saints days. CHRISTMAS, EASTER, PENTECOST the Lutherans celebrate; in Germany they replaced All Saints Day with VOLKSTRAUERTAG, the 3rd Sunday in November, when Lutherans mourn their dead. The Lutherans abolished fasting and festivals like Carnival, which they despised because of the temporary breakdown of moral standards.

In some countries, the memory of some saints survived centuries of Lutheranism, for instance SAINT LUCIA in Sweden.

Lutheranism was born out of the will to cleanse a corrupt Catholic church, the yardstick by which everything was measured being reason and the bible. The object was to create self-restraining, decent christians; Luther and his fellow reformers believed that it took a serious effort, maturity, rationality to achieve this; they had little sympathy with emotional activity.




EXTERNAL
FILES 		Santa Lucia Day, from IMC
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This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on January 12th 2003, last evised on November 15th 2004

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