THE SACRAMENTS – Source of our Life in Christ Introductory Chapter THE SACRAMENTS – Source of our Life in Christ

1. Introductory Lesson – for first day of class Syllabus Instructional cycle Instructional policy Materials Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 2-5.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Anticipatory Set   Opening Prayer: Mt 28:18-20. Discussion: Who is speaking? What does the speaker claim? Who is being addressed? Specifically, what things are they commanded to do? What is the on-going relationship between the speaker and those the speaker addresses? Given the reference to “the close of the age,” what does this imply about the speaker’s intentions in regard to successors of those he is immediately addressing?

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) BASIC QUESTIONS What is grace? How did humanity lose its friendship with God? What is the role of the Jews in the salvation of the world?   KEY IDEAS Grace is a power God gives humanity so we may love him, do his will, and share his divine life. Humanity lost its friendship with God through the sin of Adam and Eve but God immediately promised a future salvation. God prepared humanity for the promised savior through the Jews.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Introduction What way did Christ himself provide for new believers to enter the mystery of his own life and have a real encounter with him? Baptism. What body did Christ found to continue his saving work on earth, and what specific means did he establish to convey his grace to the world? The Church and the Sacraments. What does it mean to study something in a systematic way? Extension: It means to study something step-by-step in a logical order.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) THE ROLE OF GRACE IN SALVATION HISTORY What is the traditional catechism answer to the question, “What is a Sacrament?” A Sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace. What is the most basic definition of grace? It is a gift given to us by God. According to 2 Peter 1:3-4, in addition to helping us escape sin, what else does God’s grace do for us? It allows us to “become partakers of the divine nature.”

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Guided Exercise   Perform a paragraph shrink on the paragraph beginning, “God loves his creation” (p. 3). Read the passage silently, identify the main idea and the two to four most important details, and then rewrite the passage in one or two sentences.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) ADAM AND EVE AND THE FIRST SIN What is the recurring story of God’s grace in the Scriptures? Man turns away from God, and God reaches out to man to bring him back to God. What does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God? It means intelligence, self-knowledge, the ability to reason and love, and the freedom to choose. What role did God intend for Adam and Eve in the Garden? To participate with God in his creation and to share in his friendship. What is the Protoevangelium? Literally, it means “first Gospel.” It is the first announcement of the Messiah, which God made after the sin of Adam and Eve.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Guided Exercise   Focused reading on the paragraph beginning, “However, Adam and Eve misused” (p. 4) using the following focus question: What was at the core of the sin of Adam and Eve?

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Guided Exercise Work with a partner to interpret Genesis 3:15 in the light of Mary and Jesus.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) GOD CONTINUES TO LEAD HUMANITY BACK TO HIM What does it mean to say that the period of human history from Adam and Eve to Christ is a time of preparation? God was preparing humanity for the coming of Christ. How did God use the Jews to prepare the world for the coming of Christ? He formed a people through Abraham to whom he gave a covenant, the moral law, a land, prophets, and a savior.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Closure Write a paragraph explaining the period of salvation history from Adam and Eve until the Christ.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 6-10 (Through “Sacraments as Signs”). Questions: Study Questions 1-4. Workbook Questions 1-13. Practical Exercises: 1.

2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5) Alternative Assessment Work in groups of three or four to identify examples of the effects of Original Sin in today’s world.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Anticipatory Set Opening Prayer on the story of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38). Discuss the Annunciation in light of Isaiah’s prophecy (7:14) quoted on page 5.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) BASIC QUESTIONS How was Mary unlike many Old Testament figures? How did Christ intend to continue his work on earth? Why does God communicate to us through physical signs? KEY IDEAS Unlike the reluctance of many Old Testament figures, Mary gave a humble “yes” to God’s plan which brought about the Incarnation of Christ. Christ founded a Church to continue his saving work on earth with the Seven Sacraments as the primary means of imparting his life to the world. God’s Sacraments use material signs because human beings live through material things and communicate through material signs.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) MARY’S “YES” TO GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION How was Mary’s “yes” to God different from Adam and Eve’s, Abraham’s, and Moses’ responses to God? Our first parents said “No” to God; Abraham disbelieved him; and Moses hesitated. Mary simply said “yes” in her reply, “Let it be done to me according to your word.” What happened at the moment of Mary’s “yes”? The Son of God became incarnate in Mary’s womb. How is Christ himself the living sacrament of God? If a Sacrament is an outward sign conveying grace, then Christ is the visible sign which brings us God’s grace.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Guided Exercise Based on the final two paragraphs on page 6, complete the following graphic to identify in bullet points what Christ accomplished for us.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) CHRIST FOUNDS THE CHURCH AS AN INSTRUMENT OF GRACE Why didn’t the Apostles immediately begin to carry out the commands Christ made at the Ascension? They were afraid. Extension: Christ also told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. What was the immediate effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit in terms of the Sacraments? Three thousand were baptized that very day. What is the primary way that Christ chose to convey grace to the world after his Ascension? Through the Sacraments.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Guided Exercise   Conduct a Think/Pair/Share on the following question: If someone were to say that Christ did not institute Seven Sacraments and that there is no basis for the Catholic Church’s Sacraments, what could you tell them, based on the side bar on the bottom of page 7?

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Even though people administer the Sacraments, who really acts in them? Christ creates us anew, forgives our sins, and gives us spiritual nourishment. How is the Church also a Sacrament? The Church is a visible sign that conveys grace to persons.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) SACRAMENTS: TRANSFORMING ACTIONS OF CHRIST What was the original meaning of the word sacrament? The word “sacrament” is derived from the Latin word sacramentum, the initiation oath taken by soldiers upon entering the Roman army in which they pledged allegiance to the emperor and promised to devote their lives to the empire and their fellow soldiers. How does the Christian meaning of Sacrament transcend the term’s original meaning? Unlike the Roman sacramentum, which was a human oath, the Christian Sacraments actually transform the person receiving them to a new life and destiny. What does it mean to say that the Sacraments are efficacious signs? Extension: Efficacious means able to bring about an effect. The Sacraments actually do what they signify. For example, Baptism is a sign of washing which actually cleanses us of our sins.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) SACRAMENTS AS SIGNS How is the human being dependent on material things? Our bodies are material and everything we receive into our intellects comes through the senses. What is the role of signs and symbols in human life? We need signs and symbols to communicate and to understand our world. We also use these to understand the spiritual world. Extension: Speech and written language are both symbolic systems. The sound /wahyn/ and the word wine are symbols that stand for the material substance made from fermented grapes. In what sense can it be said that creation itself is a Sacrament? In God’s direct interventions in history, he uses materials things to make his will comprehensible: for example, in the use of the rainbow with Noah’s covenant, circumcision in Abraham’s covenant, and stone tablets in Moses’ covenant. In addition, God uses material or physical signs in each of the Sacrament.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) How are the Christian and the unbeliever different when it comes to the meaning of Christian signs? A believer can see material things as a sign of something greater, namely God. How is Christ a sacramental sign? If one saw Christ directly, one would see a man. But he is actually also the King of the Heaven and earth and the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Guided Exercise Based on the Eucharistic hymn, Adoro te devote (p. 20), how does God use physical signs to reveal a spiritual reality?

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Closure Work with a partner to complete Practical Exercise 2 (p. 23) on how we learn through the physical and how God respects this.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 10–14 (“Sacraments as Efficacious Signs” through “Sanctifying Grace”). Questions: Study Questions 5–11. Workbook Questions 14–19. Practical Exercise 2.

3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10) Alternative Assessment Free write for five minutes on some idea in this lesson that you found hard to understand.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) Anticipatory Set   THE KING AND THE GARDENER A gardener worked on the king’s estate. He loved his job and cheerfully set about planting new trees, trimming the hedges, and designing new and creative floral arrangements in many bright and beautiful colors. The King would often come out on his balcony in the morning and observe him working. In time, he developed an affection for the cheerful gardener. However, the gardener, being a simple and common man from the local village, was not educated in the finer techniques of gardening. The King would often see him committing unintentional mistakes or simply doing things in a way that might easily be improved. One day the King called the gardener to the palace. He told the gardener that he was impressed with the job that he was doing and his willingness to serve the king. He asked the gardener to move into the palace, and together they would plan a garden that would be the greatest in the land. How does “The King and the Gardner” illustrate the gratuitous nature of God’s grace, which elevates us in some way to God’s level and helps us perform good acts and avoid evil ones?

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) BASIC QUESTIONS How are the Sacraments efficacious signs? Who is the minister of every Sacrament? What are actual graces? What is sanctifying, or habitual, grace? How is sanctifying grace restored after mortal sin? KEY IDEAS The Sacraments are efficacious signs, meaning they produce an effect, which was not there before, which God desires to effect. Christ is the principle minister of each Sacrament, so the Sacrament is not dependent on the personal holiness of the human minister. Actual graces, available to every person on earth regardless of religion or state of holiness, are particular helps God gives us to perform good acts and avoid evil ones. Sanctifying grace, given through the Sacraments, is a sharing in God’s own life and it transforms us into being like God, if we cooperate with him. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the way to recover from mortal sins, which destroy God’s life in our souls.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) SACRAMENTS AS EFFICACIOUS SIGNS What is an efficacious sign? It is a sign that produces something that was not there before. In the Sacraments, who invisibly produces the effects that the physical signs signify? Christ. What does each Sacrament produce? The particular grace relevant to that Sacrament: for example, the gift of forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) Guided Exercise Complete the following graphic to clarify what Baptism signifies and effects.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) SACRAMENTS AS ACTIONS OF JESUS CHRIST In what two senses is Christ the primary actor in each Sacrament? Christ acts through the physical sign and through the human minister of the Sacrament. When one receives a Sacrament, what Person does he encounter? He encounters the Person of Christ. Extension: When one confesses to a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, one is really confessing to Christ, and when the priest recites the words of absolution, it is really Christ speaking.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) SACRAMENTS AS ACTIONS OF JESUS CHRIST Why is the personal holiness of the minister of a Sacrament desirable but not necessary? Every person should be holy, especially one who is acting in the Person of Christ, but Christ acts through the minister despite his personal degree of holiness. Why is Christ as principal minister of the Sacraments comforting to the faithful? We can be confident that we receive grace through the Sacraments without worrying about the dispositions of the person celebrating the Sacrament. How is God’s use of imperfect instruments in the Sacraments consistent with the Sacred Scriptures? Throughout the Scriptures, God uses imperfect men and women to accomplish great things.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) THE NECESSITY OF THE SACRAMENTS Guided Exercise Work with a partner to define and give an example of both sanctifying and actual grace.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) Actual Grace   What are some reasons we sin? Laziness, conformity, or peer pressure are three of many reasons we sin. Extension: Anger, lust, greed, envy, fear, and pride are some other major reasons. Does actual grace force us to do the right thing? No. It enables us to do the right thing if we choose to. To whom is actual grace available? Every human being on earth, whether a Christian or not. Practically speaking, why is it important to cooperate with God’s grace in small things? If we rely on God’s help in small temptations, he will give us the grace to overcome larger temptations that may come our way.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)   Why is sanctifying grace also called habitual grace? Because it is a stable disposition in our soul to live and act in keeping with God’s will. Does sanctifying grace prevent us from sinning or experiencing doubts about our faith? No. What kind of life does sanctifying grace give us? God’s own life so we can be his children and temples of the Holy Spirit. What does sanctifying grace allow us to do? To live a supernatural life and accomplish supernatural goals beyond our natural capacity, for example, by loving as God loves. Why did God not design sanctifying grace to force us to be good or prevent us from sinning? Because he wants our unrestricted and uncompromised love.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) What is the effect of venial and mortal sins on sanctifying grace? Venial sins weaken the active power of sanctifying grace, while mortal sins destroy our relationship with God. How can we restore sanctifying grace to our souls after a mortal sin? Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Why does the Church recommend frequent Confession? In order to obtain grace to avoid future sins and to keep smaller sins from growing into more serious ones.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) Closure Write a paragraph explaining the difference between actual and habitual grace.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 14-18. Questions: Study Questions 12-15. Workbook Questions 20-29. Practical Exercise 5.

4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14) Alternative Assessment Work with a partner to complete Practical Exercise 5 on the relevance of the worthiness of the minister of a Sacrament.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) Anticipatory Set   Class discussion on Practical Exercise 4 (p. 23): Mass is “boring.”

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) BASIC QUESTIONS What do the Sacraments call us to? What are the three requisite elements in each Sacrament? What is the importance of personal disposition in receiving the Sacraments? KEY IDEAS The Sacraments call us to personal holiness, worship, and a correct moral attitude. Each of the Seven Sacraments has three requisite elements: the physical matter used, the correct form in which the Sacrament is performed, and the proper minister who performs it. We must be properly disposed to receive the Sacraments worthily.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST Why do all Christians, especially those entering adulthood, need grace? In order to respond to their Christian vocation. What are the three divine calls of the Sacraments? To personal holiness, to worship God, and to a correct moral attitude. What is the communal value of the Sacraments? Baptism makes us a member of the community of the Church, the Eucharist unites us together in Christ, and Confession reconciles us with God and neighbor.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS Matter, Form, and Minster Guided Exercise Complete the following graphic to understand better the three elements of each Sacrament.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) RECEIVING THE SACRAMENTS WITH THE PROPER DISPOSITION Can persons self-administer Sacraments? No. One cannot baptize oneself, or confess to oneself, or ordain oneself. What does it mean to have a proper disposition to receive a Sacrament? It means we must have the proper intention―that is, intend to receive what the Sacrament can give―and be in the proper spiritual condition to receive it. What dispositions are preconditions both for the Sacraments and for the life in Christ for which the Sacraments are intended? An awakening of faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to God’s will.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) How do we obtain these preconditions? We simply must want them, and God will provide them. Why is it necessary for us to desire them? Because God wants our free participation in his life. What is the effect of the Eucharist on an atheist? No more than any comparable piece of bread. What is the effect of the Eucharist on a person in the state of mortal sin? He commits the sin of sacrilege, “profaning the body and blood of the Lord.”

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) THE EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCHES Guided Exercise Complete the following graphic to become familiar with the Eastern Catholic Churches.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) Closure Using the completed graphic “Three Elements of a Sacrament,” write a well-organized paragraph on the terms matter, form, and minister as they relate to the proper celebration of the Sacraments.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) Homework Assignment Questions: Study Questions 16-18. Workbook Questions 30-38. Practical Exercises: 3-4, 6-7.

5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18) Alternative Assessment From time to time, atheists and others deliberately and publicly profane the Eucharist. Work in groups of three or four to develop arguments non-Catholics can understand why this should not be done.

The End