RB Introduction

What is a sacrament?

An outward sign institued by Christ to give grace

What is grace?

• A gift that God freely gives so that we may love him, do his will, and share in his life

Why does God give us grace?

• God gives us grace due to his great love for each of us

  • God’s love is an active love, not just a concept or idea

What does God’s grace help us do?

Helps us overcome evil and sin to lead us to salvation

How did the human race lose friendship with God?

Through the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, but God promised a future salvation

How did God prepare his people for the Savior?

Through the Jewish people

How is the human race made in the image and likeness of God?

Through free-will and intellect

Why do the sacraments use material signs?

Because human beings live in a material world and communicate through material signs

Unlike the reluctance of many OT figures, how did Mary obediently follow God’s plan?

She gave a humble “yes” to God’s plan which brought about the Incarnation of Christ

Why did Christ established the Church?

To continue his saving work on earth with the sacraments being the primary means of imparting his life to the world

Why are sacraments efficacious?

They produce an effect that was not there before that God desires to bring about

Who is the principal minister of each sacrament?

Christ, meaning that the sacrament is not dependent on the personal holiness of the human minister

How does God use imperfect instruments to celebrate the sacraments?

God use imperfect men and woman to accomplish great things throughout the OT and NT

Who is available for receive actual grace?

Every person on earth regardless of religion or state of holiness

What does actual grace help us do?

Helps us perform good acts and avoid evil ones

What helps prepare us for larger temptations?

Cooperating with grace helps us prepare for larger temptations

How is sanctifying grace given?

Through the sacraments

What does sanctifying grace allow us to do?

• Allows us to share in his own life

• Transforms us into being like God if we cooperate with him

• It’s a stable disposition in our soul to live and act in keeping with God’s will

  • It doesn’t prevent us from sinning or experiencing doubts about our faith but it allows us to live a supernatural life and accomplish supernatural goals beyond our natural capacity (ex: loving as God loves)

What restores God’s life in our souls after it has been lost through mortal sin after Baptism?

Reconciliation

Why do all Christians need grace?

• They need grace to respond to their Christian vocation

What is the vocation of Christians?

• Vocations varies

• Universal call to holiness

What are the 3 divine calls associated with the sacraments?

1. Call to personal holiness

   1. Sacraments of Initiation call each person to a life of personal holiness to accomplish a mission known to God which will be worked out over a lifetime

2. Call to worship

   1. Worship God as his Church indicates in order to acquire graces necessary to accomplish the task

3. Call to correct moral attitude

   1. Moral teachings of the Church instruct Catholics about the will of Christ

What does each sacrament require?

• The three requisite requirements

  • The physical matter used

  • The correct form in which the sacrament is performed

  • The proper minister who performs it

• The receiver must also have the proper disposition to receive the sacraments

  • Proper disposition = right intention (to receive what is being offered) + correct spiritual condition (varies)

  • If we desire the proper disposition God will provide it

  • We must desire a proper disposition because God wants our free participation in his life

Are sacraments communal?

Yes

How is Jesus a sacrament?

• It is proper to call Jesus a sacrament because of the mystery of the Incarnation

• God has no body; he is pure spirit. 

• By taking on our physical form, Jesus becomes something that we can experience through our senses, and, through him, the very life of God (grace) is given to us

• Jesus is, therefore, an outward sign through which grace is conveyed. 

Besides Rome, what cities were great cities of early Christianity?

Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, and later Constantinople

Which city had the most significant authority in the early Church?

• Rome

  • had preeminent religious authority in the early Church, but various cities developed various customs, and new customs came with lands brought into the Church through missionary efforts

  • Included differences in language, architecture, sacred music, and priestly vestments

When and what is the Great Schism

• The Great Schism was the break between the West, which looked to the pope as universal shepherd of the Church, and the East, which generally adhered to the Patriarch of Constantinople

• 1054 AD

What does the Church say to the diverse rites?

It says that the rites are of equal dignity and should be prese

What orders did Jesus command his followers before his ascension?

• To spread the good news

• To baptize

  • Shows the necessity of spreading God’s word of salvation

  • Shows that Jesus is the only way to achieve salvation

What are sacraments called in the Eastern Rite?

Mysteries

Who did God send when his people strayed from the right path?

Prophets

Like Jesus, what is also a sacrament?

The Church (Sacrament of our communion of the Blessed Trinity)

How is creation sacramental?

God has always used creation to in order to communicate and understand the world around us

How can sanctifying sin be lost and weakened?

• Lost - mortal sin

• Weakened - venial sin