Lesson Thirteen - Chapter 23, Sacraments; Chapter 24, Baptism, Catechism Sections 19, 20 and 21.

Text by Pat Austin, St. Patrick's Cathedral RCIA Instructor

The Sacraments

There are three areas that we are involved in with our relationship to God:

1. Truths we must believe - those truths revealed by God through the prophets, His Son, His Church.
2. Action we must take because of these truths -- duties (actions) to God, self, neighbor and those given by the Church.
3. Assistance that God gives us to believe and carry out our action -- Sacraments and grace -- It is through the Sacraments that God's graces come to us.

Even though Infinite Atonement was made for Infinite Evil (sin) by Christ on Good Friday, that does not mean all will be saved automatically. We don't have to go to heaven. We have free will to choose God or not to chose God. True, Jesus Redeemed us - gained for us an inexhaustible flow of grace (infinite flow of grace) which would enable each person to turn back to God and remain united to God through this life and eternity. But it is our choice to choose.

How would this grace that Jesus gained for us be available to us? What means would be used for us to receive this grace? God could have arranged any way He chose for us to attain this grace. God chose to use the material/spiritual pattern that He had chosen to make man, body and soul.

We are citizens of two worlds: (1) The world of Earth, which is the visible -- the body and (2) the world of eternity, heaven, which is the invisible -- the soul.

This grace that Jesus gained for us would be invisible (spiritual) but given through visible (material) things. Jesus uses the visible of this world to help us to receive and reach the invisible - The Sacraments. By Jesus giving us this grace through visible means it assures me that I really am receiving this grace; not assuming or wondering if I really am.

There are seven Sacraments:

• Baptism
• Confirmation (Chrismation)
• Holy Eucharist
• Penance
• Marriage
• Anointing of the sick
• Holy Orders

Why just 7 Sacraments? God, in His love and understanding as a parent, just didn't create us and say, "Hope you make it." He has taken care of each phase of our spiritual life as He has taken care of each phase of our physical life.

The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase healing and purpose to the Christian's life of faith. There is therefore a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life." Reference: CCC #1211

Basically there are three stages in natural life -- birth, growth/maturity and death.

God has given us a Sacrament for each stage and each Sacrament has two graces to help us in that stage in life.

• Sanctifying Grace is given or increased with each sacrament.
• Sacramental Grace is given with each sacrament just for that sacrament, so that the sacrament can be effective in the life of the person who received that sacrament.

Sacraments for the three stages in life:

• Birth - Baptism -- Through baptism we receive the Sanctifying Grace for the first time. This Grace connects us to God spiritually -- We actually share in God's life. Through baptism we also receive Sacramental Grace. This Grace enables us to stay connected to God's Life.
• Growth/Maturity -- Confirmation - through this Sacrament Sanctifying Grace is increased in our soul. This helps us to grow spiritually. The sacramental Grace of this Sacrament helps us to be "soldiers of Jesus Christ."
• Death -- Anointing of the sick -- increases Sanctifying Grace. Sacramental Grace prepares us for death and eternity and sometimes heals physically.

There are two basic needs in life and there is a sacrament for each need:

• Food -- Holy Eucharist -- increases Sanctifying Grace and enables us to grow in God's love. Sacramental Grace helps us to grow in love for God and neighbor.
• Medicine - Penance - restores/increases Sanctifying Grace and heals our sickness/sin. Sacramental Grace strengthens us to resist sin.

States in life:

• Marriage - Matrimony -- increases in Sanctifying Grace, Sacramental Grace strengthens a marriage.
• Priesthood - Holy Orders -- both graces help them to be Holy, Faithful to their priesthood.

The Sacraments are also Grouped into:

• Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
• Sacraments of Healing: Penance, Anointing of the Sick
• Sacraments for salvation of others : Marriage, Priesthood

Application methods -- vary greatly since the early Church. Catechumentate for adults was restored by Vatican II.

The Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist lay the foundations of every Christian life. Reference CCC #1212 "The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of confirmation and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By mans of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity." (Paul VI)

Definition -- A Sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.

Outward Sign -- Being human we need signs to reassure us. That is our nature. We have to perceive things. We need visible signs. Each Sacrament has two visible signs:

• Material things are used in the bestowing the Sacrament (the action); water, oil. bread/wine etc. This is referred to as the Matter of the Sacrament. Three different holy oils are used in the Sacraments:
  • Oil of Catechumens
  • Chrism - Confirmation
  • Oil of the Sick - Anointing of the sick
• Words and Gestures - are used in bestowing the Sacraments to give meaning to the action (material part). This is referred to as the form of the sacrament.

The outward sign of the Sacrament is more than just a sign. Grace is attached to it. The Sacrament always does what it says. The amount of grace we receive depends on our interior disposition.

The Sacrament is still valid even if the priest/deacon are not in the state of grace themselves. The priest or deacon are not giving the Sacrament of themselves. The power of the Sacrament comes through them from God. They are God's instruments for His children. The power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through the Sacrament independently of the personal holiness of the minister of the Sacrament. Also the "fruits" of the Sacrament depend on the attitude/intention of the one receiving the sacrament.

Instituted by Christ -- only God could give divine grace through a material sign . Not even the Church could do this. All Sacraments were instituted before Jesus ascended into heaven. There always will be just seven sacraments. Jesus did not set the matter or form for each Sacrament. Baptism and Holy Eucharist - yes. The Church specified the matter and form for the rest. Does the Church have the power? Yes. The Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. The Church has been told by Jesus, "I'm with you until the end of the world." Also, what you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven, Etc., - Authority.

To Give Grace -- Sanctifying Grace/increase of Sanctifying grace, Sacramental grace -- is specific for each Sacrament.

Three of the Sacraments can only be received once. Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. They "imprint" a permanent "quality" on the soul. Sometimes it is referred to as "character." This indelible mark remains for ever in the Christian as a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection and as a vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church. Simply put -- the mark says, "you belong to Christ." Therefore these Sacraments can never be repeated.

Baptism is the gateway to life in the spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission. Reference: CCC #1213

Baptism is the sacrament of faith. The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. Faith must grow after Baptism. Also receive the spiritual virtues Hope and Love.

Baptism is necessary for Eternal Salvation. Mt. 28:19, Jn. 3:5. Why is it necessary? It removes original sin, brings sanctifying grace into the soul. Now the person is a child of God, heir of heaven. As a child of God your response determines whether you will return home to heaven or lose heaven for all eternity. Baptism makes you a member of the Mystical Body of Christ.

At Baptism one receives the Spiritual Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. These virtues give power beyond the natural virtues of faith, hope and love.

Baptism of the adult takes away all their sins to this point. Also, it takes away the debt of punishment due for these sins. Baptism makes a "clean sweep."

Baptism -- outward sign -- water:

• Water is necessary for physical life, water of Baptism is necessary for spiritual life.
• Water cleanses the physical body; water of Baptism cleanses the spiritual body of Original Sin.
• Water possesses physical power, water of Baptism possesses spiritual power for the person.

Also in the Ceremony:

• Anointing with sacred chrism - signifies the gift of the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized. Also the visible sign of God's strength.
• White Garment symbolizes that the person has "put on Christ." In recent years the casket at a funeral Mass is covered with a white cloth - Pall - to signify that this person was baptized in Christ and died in Christ.
• The candle symbolizes that the Light of Christ has entered this person and now this person will be a "light of Christ in the world."
• Renouncing of Satan in your life is asked by the priest.

Anyone can baptize in an emergency. Water must be used. While pouring water over the head (in the form of a cross) say, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Do not say Amen.

Once validly baptized, one is always baptized. If a baby validly baptized in a hospital, the baby is not rebaptized. The family may choose to have a Church ceremony but the actual procedure of pouring water and saying words is omitted.

The ceremony would include the renouncing of satan in their life, the anointing the person with oil; the visible sign of God's strength.

"The practice of infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on, and it is quite possible that, from the beginning of the apostolic preaching, when whole "households" receive baptism, infants may also have been baptized." Reference: CCC #1252

As regards to children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God ... The great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children ... allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism." Reference: CCC #1261

Basically there are three paths that lead to Baptism:

1. Most well known -- Baptism in a Church - priest, godparents, ceremony.
2. Not so well known -- Baptism of Desire - "Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is Divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery. Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of His Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it can be saved. It would be supposed that such persons would have desired baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity." Reference: CCC #1260

To sum up -- "Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift ... We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal and most precious gift. It is called:

• Gift ... because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own;
• Grace ... since it is given even to the guilty;
• Baptism ... because sin is buried in the water;
• Anointing ... for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed;
• Enlightenment ... because it radiates light;
• Clothing ... since it veils our shame;
• Bath ... because it washes;
• Seal ... as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship - St. Gregory, Naz.

Assignment: Text - Chapters 25, 10, 33, 34; Catechism - Sections 22, 27, 28