Rudi’s religion

Ding! Dong! Come to church!

It’s Sunday morning in the town of Landeck, Austria. The big bell in the
steeple of Rudi’s church is ringing to remind people to come and worship
God.

The inside of Rudi’s church is very beautiful. There are colored
pictures painted on some of the walls. There are statues of Jesus
Christ, of Christ’s mother, Mary, and of many saints. Candles glow and
flicker everywhere. The sun shining through the stained-glass windows
makes them look like bright paintings.

The priest leads the people in prayers and songs. He reads a lesson from
the Bible and gives a sermon. He blesses a cup of wine and thin, round
pieces of bread called Hosts. Then Rudi and others go up to the altar
and kneel. The priest puts a Host into each one’s mouth. Now they have
shared a sacred meal as God’s family.

Rudi believes that about 2,000 years ago, God sent His son to earth as a
man called Jesus Christ. Christ taught people to live good, kind lives.
His enemies killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. But Rudi believes that
Christ came back to life and went up to heaven. Rudi believes that if he
follows Christ’s teachings he will go to heaven, too. All people who
follow Christ’s teachings are called Christians.

Rudi is a Roman Catholic. The largest of all Christian groups, the Roman
Catholic Church has followers in every part of the world.