Seeking Divine Mercy
The Seven Sacraments
Excerpts Of
Definitions From
The Catechism Of
The Catholic Church.
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1213 Holy
Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the
Spirit (vitae spiritualis
ianua),4
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: "Baptism is
the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."5
1315 "Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17).
1316 Confirmation
perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in
order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation,
incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church,
associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the
Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds.
1337 The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love.161 In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; "thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament."162
1338 The
three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have handed on to us the account of the institution
of the Eucharist; St. John, for his part, reports the words of Jesus in the
synagogue of Capernaum that prepare for the institution of the Eucharist:
Christ calls himself the bread of life, come down from heaven.163
1333 At
the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the
words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and
Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory
and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He
took bread. . . ." "He took the cup filled with wine. . . ." The
signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and
Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus
in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,152
fruit of the "work of human hands," but above all as "fruit of
the earth" and "of the vine" - gifts of the Creator. The Church
sees in the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek, who "brought out bread
and wine," a prefiguring of her own offering.153
Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation
1440 Sin
is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At
the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion
entails both God's forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are
expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation.38
1441 Only
God forgives sins.39 Since he is the Son of
God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has authority on earth to
forgive sins" and exercises this divine power: "Your sins are
forgiven."40 Further, by virtue of his divine authority he
gives this power to men to exercise in his name.41
1442 Christ
has willed that in her prayer and life and action his whole Church should be
the sign and instrument of the forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired
for us at the price of his blood. But he entrusted the exercise of the power of
absolution to the apostolic ministry which he charged with the "ministry
of reconciliation."42 The apostle is sent out "on behalf
of Christ" with "God making his appeal" through him and
pleading: "Be reconciled to God."43
1485 "On
the evening of that day, the first day of the week," Jesus showed himself
to his apostles. "He breathed on them, and said to them: 'Receive the Holy
Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins
of any, they are retained"' (Jn 20:19, 22-23).
1486 The
forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism is conferred by a particular
sacrament called the sacrament of conversion, confession, penance, or
reconciliation.
1 Corinthians CH4: 2 Now
it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy. 3 It does
not concern me in the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I
do not even pass judgment on myself; 4 I am not conscious of anything against
me, but I do not thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. 5
Therefore, do not make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord
comes, for he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest
the motives of our hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God.
What does this passage mean? We can not and are not to judge our
own righteousness, nor can we judge our self saved unconditionally and free of
our debts for our sins. Further, no man is saved regardless of the serious sins
he chooses to commit knowing full well his choice is sinful but believing he
has a guarantee of absolution and can
commit serious sin without fear of judgment. Only God can judge us based on our
intent and depth of our contriteness of heart and every man must, when he falls
to sin, confess his sin as he goes through life in order to reconcile to God
and amend his life if salvation is to be attained. To assume otherwise is
either ignorance or arrogance toward the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus gave the
power of forgiving or retaining sin to His Church for this reason. And only
with the contriteness of heart and commitment to amend our life does the
absolving of sin occur, as this God knows more deeply than the ordained servant
who absolves.
Sacrament of the Anointing Of The Sick
1526 "Is
any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer
of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has
committed sins, he will be forgiven" (Jas
5:14-15).
1527 The
sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a
special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the
condition of grave illness or old age.
1528 The
proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the
believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.
1529 Each
time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick,
and also when, after he has received it, the illness worsens.
1530 Only
priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the
Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating
presbyter himself.
1531 The
celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing
of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other
parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the
liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this
sacrament.
1532 The
special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and
that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the
sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through
the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.
1576 Since the sacrament of Holy Orders
is the sacrament of the apostolic ministry, it is for the bishops as the
successors of the apostles to hand on the "gift of the Spirit,"63
the "apostolic line."64 Validly ordained bishops, i.e.,
those who are in the line of apostolic succession, validly confer the three
degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders.65
1601 "The
matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a
partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of
the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant
between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a
sacrament."84