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Definition of sacrament (3 parts)
Outward efficacious sign
Instituted by Christ, entrusted to the Church.
To give grace
o Why do we need outward signs?
We are physical people and therefore we need outward signs.
o Why do the sacraments make sense?
In connection with Jesus
In connection with the way God created us
God was incarnated and worked through a human body; therefore his physical actions represent his spiritual ones. The sacraments use physical elements because creation is good and Jesus gave the sacraments to us in that way.
o What does it mean to say that the sacraments are instituted in Christ?
The sacraments are rooted in Jesus and traceable to him. Each sacrament is an extension of Jesus’ ministry on earth and allow us to take part in his life.
o Who is the prime sacrament?
Jesus
o What is the universal sacrament?
The Church: It contains and communicates the grace that She symbolizes. It is the sacrament of our union with God and the unity of the human race.
o What is Grace?
The assembly of those who love God, the means and goal of God’s plan, both the sign and instrument of God’s love for all of humanity. It helps us unite with God.
o What is sacramental grace?
The fruit of each sacrament that makes us more like Jesus. We are adopted into Jesus’ divine nature in and through the sacraments.
o How do the sacraments act as tools?
They are an assurance of grace we need to overcome sin.
o What are covenants, and how do they differ from contracts?
Covenants create a family bond rather than contracts where it is simply an exchange of goods.
o How do the Old and New Testaments relate to covenants (hint: what is the Greek translation)
St. Jerome’s translation of the Greek term for covenant. Old covenant=promise to make Israel into fam New covenant= entire world
o What was the first word used for sacraments?
Mystery
o How did St. Augustine look at the sacraments? How would our understanding of the sacraments differ from his?
Augustine defines sacraments as a sign of a sacred thing that brings something further to mind. However he misses the important factor of sacraments being efficacious signs.
o What is Donatism? Why does a proper understanding of the sacraments require the refutation of Donatism?
Donatism: heresy which claimed that sacraments performed by unholy spirits were not valid.
Sacraments derive their grace from God, and the holiness of the priest does not affect the validity of the sacrament.
o How does Aquinas clarify the sacraments?
Grace of the sacrament is not related to the holiness of the minister.
o Nominalism?
God’s revelation is ONLY in scripture/bible
o Who finally spelled the 7 sacraments?
Peter Lombard
o What Council formally declared the 7 sacraments?
The Council of Florence
o What are the three types of sacraments? Which sacraments belong to each type?
Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist
Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick
Sacraments of Service: Marriage, Holy Orders
How do the sacraments change our everyday life?
They make us holy, build up the Body of Christ, allow us to worship God fully, heal us, and nourish and strengthen our faith.
o How do we work with God’s grace
We must remain open to it, collaborate with it, and allow it to bear fruit in our lives
Why baptism is the basis of Christian life
It is the gateway to life in the spirit and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.
How does Baptism connect with our identity?
Our fundamental identity is as a child of God and to be baptized means to know yourself as loved child of the Father.
Significance of Water in Baptism
Human life begins with water and so water is required for supernatural life as well. It washes away our original and personal sin and finds a new identity in Christ. God uses the symbol of water to show what is happening to our supernatural life.
Baptism comes from…
Baptizo: plunge or immerse
Difference between the baptism given by John and Jesus
John’s baptism was for repentance and a rite of purification but Jesus’ is the sacrament that truly cleanses us from sin
Why Jesus is baptized.
To signal his sharing of true union with the sinful humanity he had come to redeem.
What are baptism by blood and baptism by desire?
By desire: someone has the desire to live as a Christian but is unable to receive the sacrament before they die.
By blood: catechumens who died as martyrs
Indelible mark/sign of baptism
permanently marks us; we belong to Jesus, cannot be repeated or withdrawn
Types of Baptism in OT
Creation: creation begins w/ water and the spirit just as the new creation in Baptism
The Flood: just as the flood cleansed the world of sin, baptism washes away sin so humans can be made anew. The dove released by Noah represents the Holy Spirit
Circumcision: brings ppl into tribe of Abraham just as baptism brings ppl into the church
Exodus: israelites had to cross jordon river (water) to enter into the promised land(Heaven).
Purification: the ancient Israelites use of water to cleanse ritual impurities is a anticipation of baptism which washes away impurity of sin
Jesus’ Baptism: How is Trintiy involved?
Father: declaration of Christ’s sonship
HS: anointing w/ spirit
Jesus’ baptism: Prototype of Chirstian baptism
representative of humanity: unites in our human flesh and sanctifies it
Pattern for human sanctification: imitate
Christ’s decent into water purified the waters of the earth and made them Holy
Original sin is deprivation of what?
Original Holiness and Justice
Effects of Baptism
Removal of Original Sin and actual sin (if present)
Sanctifying grace, which is a share in God's own life
Becoming temple of the Holy Spirit
Moral virtues of prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude
Imprinting of an indelible sign that consecrates the person for
Christian Worship
Made a sharer in the priesthood of God
Actual grace, which is the assistance from God to resist sin
The gifts of the Holy Spirit
Entry into Christ's Mystical Body, The church
Adoption by God the Father as His child
Theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity
Entry into Paradise after a life lived in Christ
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