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5. Matrimony. The rite to bond woman to man is conducted
by a priest. As a consequence, this ceremony became a sacred religious
ceremony, and therefore to divorce afterwards is forbidden. The reason is
that in Christianity, the relationship between husband and wife is God's rule;
therefore the institution of a family formed by a marriage act is a sacred
one that cannot be annulled. The wedding ceremony is performed during a
'Mass' rite. The priest will stand in front of the bride and groom, the vows
are witnessed by the best man and maid of honor. Once the priest announces
that they are married, an exchange of consecrated rings completes the
ceremony. The sacredness of marriage is in the vow that both give, “...to have
and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
1 in sickness and health, until death do us part.”
6. Ordination. It is the ritual ceremony to consecrate a person
to be in the service of God and the Church. Before the ordination, one must
pass through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, and be qualified
with good virtue and be sure that he receives inspiration from God to become
a member of clergy to the church. There are many levels and steps in the
ordination.
7. Anointing. It is an ancient ceremony whose intention was
to give the sick people a cure for body and soul. Initially, the patient was
anointed with sacred oil by his relatives. Only the seriously ill patients would
be anointed by a Bishop or a priest. The ceremony begins with reading the
Bible, a sermon, then the priest place his hands onto the head of a patient
and make a consecration of the oil. After that, the consecrated oil is anointed
onto the sick person’s forehead and hand symbolizing support in both mind
and spirit and to make him stronger by his faith, even though suffering from
pain and disease.
Protestant believes that the Baptism and the Eucharist are the
most important Sacraments of all.
Moreover, there are many other Chistian rites, especially those
of Catholics, such as daily prayer of the priest, Retreat, Ordination Vows, etc.
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