Transcript of Basic Christian Instructions: Catechism on Channels of Divine Grace (Sacraments)
- Slide 1
- Basic Christian Instructions: Catechism on Channels of Divine
Grace (Sacraments)
- Slide 2
- What are sacraments? Sacraments are Efficient Signs of the
Grace Signs Each sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible
reality. For example: In Baptism, the visible sign is the water,
the invisible reality is the coming of the Holy Spirit. Sacrament
is the Latin translation of the Greek word mystery. Efficient. The
seven sacraments are efficient signs, because they make effective
the invisible reality they represent.
- Slide 3
- What are sacraments? Sacraments are Efficient Signs of the
Grace Of the Grace The sacraments are efficient signs of the grace,
because they transmit the grace of God. Baptism, Confirmation and
Ordinations can be received once only, because they impart the
Character. The Character is a spiritual seal which consecrates us
to Christ. It cannot be erased, nor repeated.
- Slide 4
- What are sacraments? The seven sacraments were instituted by
Christ himself. The Church does not have the power to establish any
sacrament, but only to celebrate them in the name of Christ. Each
sacrament has three essential elements: Minister, matter and form.
The minister is the one who administers the sacrament. The matter
is the visible object which is used in the sacrament. The form is
the wording used by the minister to administer the sacrament.
- Slide 5
- Slide 6
- Jesus instituted the sacrament of Baptism when he said to his
apostles: Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptize
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit (Matthew 28:19) We must be Baptized in order to be saved.
Jesus said: I tell you solemnly, unless a man is born through water
and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5)
- Slide 7
- 3 kinds of Baptism Sacramental Baptism Baptism acquired by
those who receive the sacrament of Baptism. Baptism of the Blood It
is received by those who died for Jesus Christ through Martyrdom
before they where baptized. Baptism of Desire Is receive by those
who did Gods will, but did not have the opportunity to know the
Church and be baptized.
- Slide 8
- The original sin is forgiven. Baptism frees us from guilt and
the eternal punishment of the original sin. However, our human
nature remains weak and inclined to sin. We become children of God.
The bible says: The Spirit you received is the Spirit of sons, and
makes us cry out: Abba, Father! The Spirit himself and our spirit
bear united witness that we are children of God (Romans 8:15-
16)
- Slide 9
- We become members of the Church. The Bible says: Your bodies
are members making up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15) We
receive the character. The character is a spiritual and indelible
seal, which consecrates us to Christ for all eternity. On our
baptism, our soul is forever marked to belong to God.
- Slide 10
- Who can perform baptism? The Bishop, the Priest and the Deacon
are the only people who can administer Sacramental Baptism. Any one
can perform baptism in case of emergency. Who can receive the
sacrament of baptism? Any person who believes in Christ, knows the
Creed, the ten commandments, the seven sacraments and the Lords
prayer. Children who cannot know all these things, are baptized in
the faith of the Church and of their parents and godparents.
Baptism can only be received once.
- Slide 11
- The matter of Baptism is water. The baptismal water, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, gives death to the old man, who was
corrupted by the original sin, and gives life to the new one, who
is born again in Jesus Christ.
- Slide 12
- Jesus instituted the sacrament of Confirmation Jesus breathed
on his disciples and said to them: As the Father sent me, so I am
sending you. Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:21-22) The
Confirmation of the Spirit took place for the first time on
Pentecost. The Holy Spirit, like tongues of fire, came over the
apostles and Mary gathered in prayer in the Cenacle (Acts 2:1-4)
Afterwards, Confirmation in the Spirit took place anytime the
apostles laid their hands over the disciples. The bible says: They
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul
had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them. (Acts
19:6)
- Slide 13
- We receive the Holy Spirit Together with the Spirit we receive
also the seven gifts: Wisdom, intellect, counsel, fortitude,
knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. We become soldiers of
Christ We confirm our faith, and become witnesses of Christ till
death.
- Slide 14
- Only the Bishop given power to administer Confirmation. Since
the successors of the Apostles are the Bishops, they are the only
minister for Confirmation. Priests can also administer the
Confirmation in danger of death, or in special cases.
- Slide 15
- Only the Christian Catholic can receive the sacrament of
Confirmation. Before receiving Confirmation, we must prove that we
know the Creed, the Ten Commandments, the seven Sacraments, and the
Our Father. We receive the Confirmation once only, because it
communicates the character. Confirmation should only be given to
persons who have the use of reason.
- Slide 16
- The Laying of Hands As Scripture says: Peter and John laid on
them, and they receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:15, 17) The sacred
chrism, which makes us prophets, kings, and priests like Jesus
Christ. The names Christ and Christian come from the word Chrism,
which means anointed. The Sacred Chrism is olive oil mixed with
perfume. It is consecrated by the Bishop on Holy Thursday. The
perfume means that those who receive the Confirmation must bring
into the world the sweet smell of Christ. Sometimes, the Bishop
slaps the cheek of the candidates, to signify that the soldier of
Christ must endure bravely all kinds of trials.
- Slide 17
- Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist during
the last supper. The Eucharist as the Lords supper. The Eucharist
is called the Lords supper because we celebrate the Eucharist we
take part of the Lords last supper. The Eucharist as the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass. In every Eucharist, we repeat the passion,
death on the Cross of our Lords Jesus Christ. The Eucharist as the
Memorial of Jesus Resurrection. Because in the mass we behold the
glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Eucharist as
Thanksgiving. Eucharist is a Greek word which means Thanksgiving,
thus we give thanks to God for what he has done for us in the
Eucharist.
- Slide 18
- Transubstantiation means changing of substance. It is not like
what we know in science. It is a divine act of God to change one
matter into another. At the moment of consecration, the bread and
wine becomes the body and blood of our Lord. The bread and wine at
the moment of consecration becomes the real Body and real Blood of
Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is Jesus Christs real presence on
earth.
- Slide 19
- We receive the Body and Blood of our Lord. Jesus is present in
a real and substantial way, with his person, body, soul, and
divinity. As Jesus said: He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me and I live in him. (John 6:56) We repair for the sins
of the living and the dead. The Eucharist has the power to forgive
the venial sins. We also offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass for
the souls in Purgatory. We are in communion with the Church, and we
receive eternal life. Jesus said: I am the living bread which has
come down from heaven. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my
blood has eternal life, and shall raise him up on the last day.
(John 6:51, 54)
- Slide 20
- The Bishop and the Priest is the minister of the Eucharist.
They celebrate the Mass In Persona Christ. which means in the
person of Christ. The Bishop and the priests celebrate the Mass for
free. However, the faithful have the duty to give their offering in
order to support their daily necessities.
- Slide 21
- Every Christian Catholic can receive Holy Communion if he is in
the state of grace. The Church invites us to receive the Holy
Communion any time we attend to the Holy Mass.
- Slide 22
- The matter of the Eucharist is the bread and wine. Following
the example of Jesus, the bread must be of wheat, and the wine of
the vine. The Mass is invalid if we use any other matter, like the
bread of corn, or the wine of coconut.
- Slide 23
- Jesus instituted the sacrament of Penance when he said to the
apostles: As the Father sent me, so I am sending you. Receive the
Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain, they are retained. (John 20:22-
23) All of us need the sacrament of Penance; because we all are
sinners. We cannot say that there is no need to confess our sins to
the priest, and that we can confess our sins straight to God.
- Slide 24
- A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, Father, let
me have the share of the estate that would come to me. So the
father divided the property within them. A few days later, the
younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant
country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery. When
he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and
now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of
the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs.
Then he came to his senses and said, How many of my fathers paid
servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of
Hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer
deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid
servants. So he left he place and went back to his father. While he
was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with
pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him
tenderly. Then his son said, Father, I have sinned against heaven
and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. But the
father said to his servants, Quick! Bring out the best robe and put
it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring
the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have
a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has
come back to life; he was lost and is found. And they began to
celebrate. - Luck 15:11-24
- Slide 25
- Penance remits all sins, and gives sanctifying grace. The
sanctifying grace is communion with God, that we lost when we
committed a mortal sin. After a good confession, we feel the joy of
being pure of all sins, and in communion with God. We reconcile
with the Church. Every mortal sin, even the most secret one,
separates us from the Church. When we sin we damage the Church,
destroy the unity and harmony between brothers and sisters, and
scandalize them. The priest represents the Church which we
reconcile to
- Slide 26
- The Bishop and the priests. Our confessions are secret. It is
forbidden for the priest to tell it to any soul. If he does, he is
excommunicated.
- Slide 27
- Every Christian Catholic can receive the sacrament of Penance,
provided he regrets his sins, and promises not to sin again. We
must go to confession any time we commit a mortal sin. Every
faithful must go to confession at least once a year.
- Slide 28
- The confession of sins. We must confess. We must not confess
the same sins more than once. The Absolution. The priest gives the
absolution in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. If the penitent does not show signs of repentance, the
priest cannot give the absolution.
- Slide 29
- Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of Ordination during the
Last Supper. He said to his apostles: This is my body which will be
given to you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this as
a memorial of me. (Luke 22:19-20) When we receive the vocation from
the Lord, we should have the courage to abandon everything and
follow him.
- Slide 30
- The sacrament of Ordination confers either the diaconate, the
priesthood or the episcopacy. The Ordination communicates the grace
of the Holy Spirit. The Ordination impresses on us the character,
which consecrates us to the Lord for ever.
- Slide 31
- The minister of the Ordination is the Bishop and the Pope. The
Candidate for Ordination must be Christian Catholic, male,
celibate, with a sure vocation from God, who have passes all the
required philosophical and theological studies, and who have been
approved by the Church.
- Slide 32
- The sacrament of Ordination is transmitted by means of the
imposition of hands. The Bishop, as he lays hands on the candidate,
says the prayer of consecration. In that very moment, the candidate
becomes by the power of the Holy Spirit deacon, priest, or
Bishop.
- Slide 33
- Jesus instituted the sacrament of Marriage when he said: A man
must leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the
two will become one body. (Mathew 19:5) Marriage is a sacrament
because it is a sign of the love between Christ and his Church.
Marriage is a covenant of love between a man and a woman, with
three fundamental properties: unity, indissolubility, and
fecundity. Unit means that we cannot marry more than one person at
the same time. Indissolubility means that we cannot divorce from
our spouse. Fecundity means that we must be open to the procreation
of children.
- Slide 34
- Perpetual and exclusive bond. Husband and wife are united
forever, and cannot be divorce for whatever reason. It only ends
with the death of one or the spouse. The Sacramental Grace. The
grace of the sacrament of Marriage strengthens the human love
between husband and wife, and help enduring the difficulties of
life.
- Slide 35
- The ministers of Marriage are the two spouses. The priest is
only the witness on the side of the Church. Bishop and parish
priests can assist a Marriage only in their own dioceses and
parishes. Other priests and deacons can assist only with the
permission of the Bishop or of the parish priest.
- Slide 36
- Every Christian Catholic who has no impediments. The
impediments, which makes Marriage invalid, are the following:
Consanguinity: Marriage between sons and natural or adopting
parents; or between first degree cousins. Sacred Ordination: with
deacon, priest, or Bishop. Perpetual religious vows: with religious
brothers and sisters. Former religious marriage, whose spouse is
still living. Former civil marriage or natural union. Violence:
when one is forced to get married. Error: exchange of person.
Deceit: to lie about an important quality of the person. Crime:
when a person kills his spouse in order to marry another. Age:
minimum age for men and women is 18. Perpetual antecedent
impotence. Whoever has no sufficient use of reason. Whoever rejects
the fundamental properties of marriage.
- Slide 37
- The matter of sacrament of Marriage is the exchange of consent.
The consent is the act through which a man and a woman profess to
unite themselves in marriage for the whole life. The consent must
be complete, free, and conscious.
- Slide 38
- Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick
when he said to the apostles: They will lay their hands on the
sick, who will recover. (Mark 16:18) Jesus came to heal the sick in
the body and in the spirit. The Church continues the mission of
Jesus to heal from any sickness of the spirit and of the body
through the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
- Slide 39
- The Anointing of the sick confers the sacramental grace on the
sick person. The sacramental grace has the following effects:
unites the sick person with the passion of Jesus; gives him
comfort, peace, and strength to endure the distress of sickness and
of the old age; forgives all his sins, if the sick could not
receive the sacrament of Penance; helps recovering his health, if
it is good for his salvation; and prepares him for a good
death.
- Slide 40
- The minister of the Anointing of the Sick is the Bishop and the
priest. Jesus gave only to the apostles, and to their successors,
the command to lay hands and to heal the sick.
- Slide 41
- Every Christian Catholic who is in danger of death because of
sickness or old age. We can receive the Anointing of the Sick many
times. We can receive it any time we are in danger of death, or
when sickness gets worse. We can also receive it before a dangerous
surgical operation. We must call the priest on time. The Anointing
of the Sick is useless if the sick person is already dead.
- Slide 42
- The matter of the Anointing of the Sick is the blessed oil. The
oil of the sick is blessed by the Bishop in the Cathedral on Holy
Thursday. It is made of olives, or of the vegetables.