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ST, Lecture 9.3 The Seven Sacraments
Baptism: Door to all the other Sacraments:
To baptize (Greek) – baptizein, meaning to “plunge” or “immerse.” This plunge symbolizes the burial into Christ’s death, from which one rises up by resurrection with Christ, as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17);
Baptism is also called “enlightenment,” for those who receive it are enlightened in their understanding, becoming a person of light;
Prefigurations of Baptism in the Old Testament:
Noah’s Ark: eight persons were saved through water (1 Pet. 3:20); - End of sin a new beginning of goodness; Water also symbolizes death, in this case, the Cross of Christ;
Exodus: Crossing of the Red Sea: liberation from Egypt as liberation from sin;
Crossing of the Jordan into the Promise Land: Baptism as the entry into eternal inheritance;
Why did Jesus receive Baptism? Ecce agnus Dei qui tollit peccata mundi; Mt. 3:13;
Baptism in the Church: The Great Commission: Mt. 28:19 – 20;
How is Baptism celebrated? Immersion/Sprinkling;
The “matter” and “form” (mystagogy) of the Sacrament:
7.1 The sign of the Cross;
7.2 The proclamation of the word of God which enlightens the candidates;
7.3 The profession of faith;
7.4 The baptismal water;
7.5 The essential rite of pouring of water – triple immersion or triple pouring;
7.6 The anointing with sacred chrism;
7.7 The white garment – the newly baptized puts on Christ;
7.8 The candle – light of the resurrection;
7.9 The Praying of the Our Father by the newly baptized;
7.10 Solemn blessing concludes the ritual;
Who can receive Baptism? All not yet baptized;
Why Infant Baptism? Children are born with a fallen human nature that is tainted by original sin; Secondly, Christ calls all the little children to come to him (Mk 10:14);
Baptism, Faith and the Community of Believers;
Who can baptize? Ordinary and extra ordinary ministers of baptism;
The necessity of Baptism (Jn 3:5; Mt. 28:19-20);
The grace of Baptism: Forgiveness of sins; New life in Christ; Incorporation into the Church, the Body of Christ; Sacramental bond of the unity of Christians; An indelible mark;
Confirmation: Strengthening by the Spirit of God;
Anointing with oil, a symbol of abundance and joy (Dt. 11:14; Ps. 23:5; 104:15); healing (Is. 1:6; Lk. 10:34);
Celebration of Sacrament: Consecration of Sacred Chrism by Bishop; Rite of Anointing;
Confirmation as a seal, indelible mark; Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti; Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Effects of the Sacrament:
Roots us more deeply into divine children of God; - Abba, Father!
Unites us more firmly to Christ;
Increases the gift of the Holy Spirit in us;
Renders our bond with the Church more solid;
Gives us special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action;
Who can receive Confirmation? Every baptized person not yet confirmed; Age of discretion (Latin Church);
Ordinary and Extra Ordinary minister of Confirmation;
The Eucharist: The Source and Summit of Ecclesial Life:
What is this Sacrament called? Thanksgiving (Eucharistein); The Lord’s Supper; The breaking of Bread; the Holy Sacrifice; Holy Communion; Holy Mass;
Eucharist in the Salvation Economy: signs of bread and wine; Melchizedek (Gen 14:18); Bread and wine as sacrifice offered in Old Testament as the first fruits;
The institution of the Eucharist: The Three Synoptic Gospels and St. Paul: Lk. 22:7-20; Mt. 26:17-29; Mk 14:12-25; 1Cor. 11:23 – 26; Jn 6.
“Do this in Memory of me.” Institutional Narrative;
Fruits of Holy Communion: Augments our union with Christ; Separates us from sin; Wipes away venial sins; Preserves us from future mortal sins; Makes the Church – unity of the mystical body; Commits us to the poor;
Eucharist and the unity of Christians;
Penance and Reconciliation:
What is the Sacrament called? Conversion; Penance; Confession; Reconciliation;
Why a Sacrament of Reconciliation after Baptism? If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn 1:8); Forgive us our sins (Mt 6:12); The conversion of the Baptized;
Only God forgives sins (Mk 2:5, 10); Jesus gives this power to apostles (Jn 20:21-23);
The Acts of the Penitent: Contrition; Confession; Satisfaction;
Minister of the Sacrament: Priest;
Effect of the Sacrament; Forgiveness and Reconciliation with God and the Church;
Anointing of the Sick
Illness in human life;
Sickness before God;
Christ the physician; Mission to heal the sick handed to the Church; Lk. 7:16;
Minister and recipient; Jas. 5:14-15;
Graces: union with passion of Christ; ecclesial grace; preparation for the final journey; healing;
Holy Orders
Participation in the priesthood of Christ: Bishop, Priests and Deacons;
Only an adult male can receive the Sacrament;
Indelible character;
Laying on of hands (2 Tim 1:6);
Whole Church as priestly people
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Marriage as a Call to Holiness means that marriage is a vocation. It is a call. It is not just an institution based on emotional feelings, for there will be moments when the feelings will dwindle; there will be days when the feelings will grow. During such moments, it is important to remind ourselves that I did not enter into this vocation, into this bond, because I simply felt it. I entered because I felt call by God to become the wife or the husband of this man or woman. God is therefore expecting me to be more than my feelings, important as might feelings must be.
Marriage as a Call to Holiness means that marriage is more than just love for my spouse. God is asking me to love my spouse after the pattern of the love which Christ has for his own spouse, the Church: “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Put differently, marriage as a call to holiness means God is calling me to lay down my life for my spouse, to die to myself for the sake of the salvation of my husband or wife. The chances are that God will not likely ask you to die for your spouse in terms of biological death. But God will ask you to go the extra mile: to pay attention to the kid when your spouse is seemingly not interested; to take care of the house when your spouse does not want to do it; little sacrifices here and there.
Marriage as a Call to Holiness implies continuous connection with God in prayer. To be a married man or woman is to be a person of prayer. It demands a life of prayer, in which we constantly turn to God for inspiration; for light; for guidance, especially when we have to make decisions about finances; about our children; our property; our relatives; friends; our church; etc. While is important that husband and wife grow in their personal lives of prayer, it is also healthy to pray together as husband, wife, and children. Central to the practice of prayer as Christians is the daily reading of the Gospels; families should also grow in the prayer of the Psalms.
A primary reason for why a man and a woman weds in a Church is because they both already possess the gift of faith and have been living that out, or they want to start living out the faith. This means they want to grow in their relationship with Christ. This growth is otherwise known as the call to holiness.
Interestingly, couples turn to still think of holiness as if they were singles! They want to focus on their own path to holiness, besides their spouse or in some cases, even besides their children. However, a husband or a wife can only discover and grow in holiness along the path of the partner. If my wife is a drunk, for example, I will only grow in holiness in the manner in which I put up with that drunkenness, in the way in which I bear that cross.
What I am saying is what Jesus says in the gospel: Where your treasure is, there your heart is too (Matt. 6:21). Make no mistake about it: your wife or your husband is your treasure. If this man or this woman is not going to be my treasure, then I should not marry him or her. I can only give God what is best, the treasure of my life. It is precisely because I value my husband or wife as the treasure of my life, that I bring this treasure to God in Christian marriage. If my wife or husband is anything less than my life’s treasure, I repeat, please do not go up to the altar with him or her, because you will be offering the Lord a lesser gift.
Hence, as my path to holiness, I live my spiritual life seeking the good of my spouse. My holiness is nothing else than seeking the good of my spouse. I seek the union with the good that is my spouse, in order to be perfected by that love. I cannot attain perfection outside that love of my spouse.
Holiness as a man or woman demands that I grow from just knowledge of spiritual acts, to concrete living. If my spouse cannot understand my spiritual life, or vice versa, the fault cannot be hers or his! It is not my wife’s place, or my husband’s, to understand my spiritual devotions. It is my duty to gradually live it out in such a way that my spouse understands it. If a teacher cannot simplify and make clear the material taught to the students, the problem is not with the students! Hence, spiritual growth is a process of making my spouse not only to see with my spiritual inclinations, but also to gradually enter into them, so that the two will become one flesh.
In addition, love always makes a demand, and so is the spiritual life. It might be demanding at times to make room for the partner, but that is precisely the only way, the royal way of the cross, which sometimes we have to embrace. There are no short cuts! Fear or hate only paralyzes this spiritual love and human growth.
Marriage in the Pauline Letters
St. Paul has much to say about marriage in his writings. In 1 Corinthians 7:25-39, Paul gives us clear teachings about the married and unmarried.
Celibacy:
Being a celibate himself, Paul praises the state of celibacy for giving one the opportunity to serve the Lord with an undivided attention. Celibacy makes for an undivided service to the Lord.
Paul also had the sense of urgency that the world was coming to an end. Marriage therefore was no longer necessary, since the present age was coming to its end.
Therefore, for two reasons, Paul advocated for Celibacy: to give an undivided attention to the Lord; and secondly, because of the imminent end of the world.
However, Paul cautions that if one were be consumed by lusty thoughts, it is better to marry, since marriage is not a sin (1 Cor. 7:36). Paul’s insistence is that the marriage between Christians should be “in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39).
In Ephesians 5:21-33, St Paul gives us the most profound teaching about the marriage in the New Testament in relation to the Church. Marriage, Paul points out, is not just a union between a man and a woman. The most fundamental meaning of marriage is that it symbolizes the union between Christ and his Church (Easter Rite)
What this means is that just as Christ loved the Church and gave up his life for the Church, so the husband and the wife should love themselves and give themselves for each other.
Also, this teaching of Paul is a pointer to the mediatory nature of Marriage. Just as the Church is meant to point to Christ and not an end in itself, so is marriage: a pointer to Christ.
Most importantly, the Church is called to be fruitful, to bear fruits for Christ. Marriage is also called to be open to the gift of life. A couple not prepared to raise children cannot enter into Catholic marriage.
Marriage in the Early Church
Quite early, the early Christians noticed that they could not follow the marital standards of the world around them. In the Greco-Roman world in which the Church grew, a normal man had three women: his wife at home; his concubine, often a slave girl or housemaid; and his mistress whom he brought to state dinners and banquets. Sexual licentiousness was rife. It did not begin today.
“In countries where the process of de-Christianization is more prevalent, the disturbing crisis of moral values stands out, in particular, the loss of identity of marriage and the Christian family and hence the meaning of engagement. In addition to these losses, there is a crisis of values within the family itself to which a climate of widespread and even legalized permissiveness contributes. This is greatly encouraged by the communications media that present contrary models as if they real values. What seems to be a cultural fabric is formed, offered to the new generations as an alternative to the concept of conjugal life and marriage, its sacramental value, and its links with the Church” (Pontifical Council for the Family, “Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage,” 12).
“Phenomena that confirm these situations and reinforce such a culture are connected with new lifestyles which devalue the human dimensions of the contracting parties with disastrous consequences for the family. These include sexual permissiveness, the decrease in marriages or their continuous postponement, the increase in divorces, the contraceptive mentality, the spread of deliberate abortion, the spiritual void and deep dissatisfaction which contribute to the spread of drugs, alcoholism, violence and suicide among young people and adolescents. In other areas of the world, situations of underdevelopment including extreme poverty and misery, as well as the simultaneous presence of cultural elements against or outside the Christian vision make both the stability of the family and building up an in-depth education in Christian love difficult and precarious” (Pontifical Council for the Family, “Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage,” 12).
The early Christians repeatedly reflected on the words of St Paul about their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit:
“The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘the two shall become one.’ But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun immorality. Every other sin, which a man commits, is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6: 13 -20).
With this consciousness, the words of Christ on marriage took on a new forcefulness in the lives of the early Christians: Matthew 19:3-9: it stresses that the marriage partner is found outside one’s family of origin (one leaves father and mother); that the marriage is effected between a man and a woman; and that is marked by physical proximity and intimacy; finally, it teaches that the man and woman become “one flesh.”
The consciousness of the Spirit dwelling in them made the early Christians live a higher standard of morality. They could not own three wives. They could not join their bodies to that of prostitutes.
Listen to these words from the Letter to Diognetus (AD 125/200), 97.
Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based upon reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.
And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives.
They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law. Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they, rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by the Jews as aliens; they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.
To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.
The Goodness of Marriage
In the previous lessons, we have seen God’s plan for marriage revealed from the Old Testament to the New Testament. We saw that in the final analysis, Marriage is that which stands for the intrinsic relationship between Christ and the Church: united forever and fruitful. Just as Christ has only one spouse, the Church, so marriage is monogamous: one man and one wife. Just as Christ cannot be separated from the Church, his spouse, so the marital bond is for life. It cannot be broken.
With the crisis that is plaguing the Western world about marriage many young people are discouraged from getting married. They are finding it increasingly difficult to decide for marriage: Can I stay with this man or woman for the rest of my life? As Christians, we cannot give up on marriage because Christ has not and cannot give up on the Church. The sins of the Church have been many, but Christ continues to love the Church and calls the Church to conversion.
It is important that we remind ourselves that the union of man and woman in marriage is a very good thing, declared by God himself to be good. The love between the man and woman in marriage is special because that is what God has willed, from the very beginning of creation, as we saw in the Book of Genesis. The love between the spouses might very well be the most wonderful event in their lives.
The goodness that God saw in marriage means that man and woman must view their bodies positively. It is through the bodylines that they experience their love for each other. This means as well that their sexual experiences are beautiful encounters, created by God for man and woman. When you cooperate with God to create new life, a new person, you will do so by making joyous, ecstatic love together, a love making that is energetic, even exhausting act. Then both of you, husband and wife, will suffer through the difficulties and pains of pregnancy and childbirth. The labor will not be over with the birth of your baby. It will just be the beginning. You will have to train the children, teach them to love as you love each other. All these will take years, and requires patience, hard work and self-sacrifice.
However, you do not face the future alone. God who created you for each other will be with you and sustain you. The Christian community will also support you.
Marriage as a Time of Independence
Read Genesis 24: 48-51, 58 – 67: In his love for Rebekah, Isaac found solace after the death of his mother
It is a global experience that marriage is not just an exclusive union between a man and a woman. It is always a family experience, in which the families of the bride and the groom come together to offer mutual support to their son and daughter. It is always a happy occasion mixed with some nervousness and uncertainty.
Marriage is in some sense the final cutting of the umbilical cord, a total release from the family womb. The work of the parents is more or less over. They can only watch that their years of hard work have produced a matured young man and woman capable of facing life’s challenges.
Marriage is therefore a time of interdependence with the parents. The period of dependency is over. There should be no clinging to childhood or adolescent crutches. The new couple must move away from the protective shelter of the home, a tendency to seek comfort of father and mother when things get rough.
Isaac took Rebekah as his wife, loved her and was consoled in the loss of his mother. This is an example of spouses who must seek consolation and support in each other, especially during moments of anxiety. A husband is not meant to replace one’s father, nor a wife a substitute for one’s mother. This is no way implies the couple should not provide a mature care for both sets of parents.
In the final analysis, this lesson brings home two loves:
Firstly, love for partner.
Secondly, love for parents.
Both are needed and must not be confused.
