THEOLOGY II

• Liturgy, from late Latin liturgia or leitourgia, is a Greek composite word meaning originally a public duty.
• Confirmation is the completion of our baptismal grace, a deepening of our union with God.
• Baptism is our new birth as children of God, a beginning of a new life in us.
• The elements of liturgy are leitos (from leos = laos, people) meaning public and leitourgos, “a man who performs a public duty,” "a public servant".
• The Holy Spirit uses the liturgy to gather us together as members of Christ’s body to celebrate, to pray, to worship God, to proclaim the gospel, and to live out the Paschal mystery in our own lives.
• A sacrament is an efficacious symbol, an “effective,” or “powerful” sign that causes what it points to the idea of stopping; it does not cause it.
• Christ instituted the seven sacraments, special powers that flow his body, the Church.
• The saving effects of the Paschal mystery are Communicated through the sacraments.
• Christ himself works through the sacraments.
• All the sacraments convey sanctifying grace, that is, God’s free and undeserved favor and helps participation in God’s own life.
• The Eucharist represents the sharing of a common meal in Christ.
• Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders confer a sacramental character, a seal that relates a Christian to Christ priesthood according to a different state or function.
• If we want the sacraments to bear fruit in us, we must receive them worthily.
• The Sacraments of Initiation offer entry points into Catholic practice.
• The Sacraments of Healing provide an opportunity to reconnect with the divine, both in their daily lives and during dire times of need.
• The Sacraments of Service provide a path for Catholics to serve others in their community.
• Baptism is a one-time event (non-repeatability), symbolized by leaving an indelible mark on the soul.
• In the New Testament, John the Baptist submits as a sign of willingness to empty himself and become one of us, symbolized by Jesus being baptized in the Jordan.
• In the Old Testament, the waters of Baptism are the waters which change the face of our world, symbolized by the Flood.
• The Greek word for Baptism is "Plunge" or "Immerse", symbolizing the act of being submerged in water.
• Baptism also confers the right to special grace, symbolized by giving man the right to those special graces necessary for attaining the end, and impresses an ineffaceable character on the soul, symbolized by an indelible mark.
• Sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament through which men are ordained to the priesthood and consecrated to serve as bishops and priests.
• Sacrament of Matrimony/Marriage is the sacrament through which a man and a woman are joined together in a lifelong union.
• Infant Baptism is performed to be freed from the power of darkness, symbolized by the sign of love of parent, and is the "Door of the Church", being the first of seven sacraments and the reception of the other sacraments depends on it.
• The effects of Baptism include the remission of all Sin, Original, and Actual, symbolized by Acts 2:38, the remission of Temporal Punishment, symbolized by not only washing away sin, but also remitting the punishment of sin, and the infusion of Supernatural Grace, Gifts, and Virtues, symbolized by sanctifying grace which renders men the adopted sons of God and confers those rights to heavenly glory.
• Baptism openly joins us with those who believe in Christ.
• The symbols used in Baptism include the Baptismal Candle, symbolized by a small candle lit from the Easter candle, water, symbolized by cleansing, Chrism, symbolized by olive and balsam, a white garment, symbolized by the victory of Christ over death and his glorious resurrection, and Chrism oil.
• Baptism is the sacrament that brings about rebirth and initiates us into the Church, forgiving both original and personal sins.
• Baptism publicly identifies us with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.
• The matter, minister, and form of Baptism are water, Bishop and Priests, and the candidate in water or pouring water on their head while saying "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit".