The Sacraments Foundation of the Catholic Way of Life

The Work of Salvation  As we discussed, Salvation History is a process by which God reaches down to human beings in order to bring them to True Happiness – a life lived with God.  Jesus is the climax of this history. And Jesus promised that He would always be with His people.  Led by the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church came to recognize certain actions and rituals which became powerful signs of Christ’s presence on earth throughout the ages and today.

The Sacraments  The Sacraments :  A Sacrament is a special sign, what we call an EFFECTIVE SIGN, which has been given to us by Jesus Christ which helps us share in God’s life.  What is an effective sign? A sign that brings about what it signifies. (glow on the horizon before sunset!)  Each Sacrament relates to a different aspect of the life and ministry of Jesus – thus, brining us into the fold of Christ’s mission in Salvation History.  It only requires that we respond to God’s grace – that’s why we need virtues, so we can respond with a yes!

The Instruments of Grace  For the Catholic Church, each Sacrament gives grace in a special way.  The Grace we receive from the Sacraments is called Sanctifying Grace: this kind of grace enables us to love God, ourselves, and others  Sanctifying means “to make holy” and that’s what happens, we are made holy – i.e we are made ready to enter heaven.  God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments. (CCC)  This kind of grace infuses us with a special life and character, infusing us with the very life and love of God.  We need only to respond to it!

The Seven Sacraments:  The Church recognizes seven Sacraments, and these help us respond to God’s work in the world (Salvation History)  The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who works in these, and in a very special way.  However, we should ask ourselves a very important question: is grace limited to the Sacraments?  Are the Sacraments necessary for salvation?  What exactly are the Sacraments and how important are they?  Remember, we talked about the sacraments being a sure source of Grace – not necessarily the only way to get grace.

The Life of the Church  The Church in itself has a sacramental character, it is an effective sign which shows us the life and mission of Jesus.  In the Liturgy of the Mass we come to know and understand Christ and the true meaning of the Sacraments.  Liturgy: the official communal prayer life of the Church, praying and mourning together to better understand what we believe.  NOTICE: the life of the Church requires us to be in community.  WE ARE SOCIAL CREATURES! And we’ll find that the Sacramental and Liturgical Life have ethical and moral aspects to them.

Receiving the Sacraments  As mentioned, we live the sacraments best when we do so in Community.  But, first we have to receive them.  God gives us the grace to respond and receive these gifts, but we still have to prepare our will to make an act of our free will.  The Holy Spirit helps us in the process in a particular way.  We are by nature concupiscent – leaning toward sin – so we need extra help!

Purpose of the Sacraments  CCC reads: “ The Purpose of the Sacraments is to Sanctify [humanity], build up the Body of Christ, and to give worship to God.”  Sanctify : help make us holy  Build up the Church : help us live in community, but also a call to social justice.  Worshiping God : by bringing us closer to God, we become better worshipers – giving thanks and praise to God.

Breaking them Down  Sacraments of Initiation  Baptism  Eucharist  Confirmation  Sacraments of Healing  Reconciliation  Anointing of the Sick  com/watch?v=PIpyO BdjeWo com/watch?v=PIpyO BdjeWo  Sacrament of Service  Marriage and Holy Orders This breakdown corresponds to various stages of Human Life. What are the stages of life represented in the breakdown of the Sacraments?