L5: Sacrament of Baptsm and Confirmation (1)

• SACRAMENT is "an outward and visible sign of an inward and visible grace" - St. Augustine
• sacramentum tantum or the sign itself - concrete like bread and wine, we can see
• res et sacramentum or what it signifies - literally the “thing” or the reality and the sign; signified in the eucharist is the real presence of Christ. the things we see have deeper meanings.
• res tantum or the realty alone - the spiritual effect, grace. shoes the effects of what happens when we accept the things we see with deeper meanings. we are given grace. like when we accept the bread body of Christ, we become one with Christ.
• SACRAMENT is an efficacious symbol. a special sign that brings about what it symbolizes and symbolizes what it brings about. - St. Thomas Aquinas
• is a sensible sign - something perceived by the senses. (ex: water) external thing/action ← MATTER I FORM → formula of words (ex: i baptize you…)
• is a sensible sign - Sacraments, particularly, depend on signs

  and symbols which signify a sacred reality.
• instituted by Christ - only God can give grace and therefore only he can decide what means he will use to communicate with us.
• instituted by Christ - instituted sacraments by first being the sacrament of his Father through his whole life of word and action
• instituted by Christ - Jesus in his humanity is the sacrament of God’s saving love for all
• instituted by Christ - understanding christ as also the first and most important sacrament, we recognize that the sacraments are always the actiosn of christ
• instituted by Christ - Jesus Sacrament of the Father → PRIMORDIAL SACRAMENT
• instituted by Christ - Chruch Sacrament of Jesus → FOUNDATIONAL/BASIC SACRAMENT
• doesto give grace - the church has always taught that the sacraments give grace EX OPERE OPERATO - meaning that any lack of holiness on the part of the minister does not prevent grace from being offered
• to give grace - christ himself acts through his spirit when the sacraments are celebrated properly
• to give grace - effect of sacraments is two fold: 1. to draw us into a closer relationship to the church. 2. to draw us into a closer relationship to christ himself, in the spirit to the father
• all sacraments have their special graces since they all manifest the different ways in which christ comes to us meeting us all
• “it is principally through the sacraments that we obtain the grace of God. they are channels by which grace enter our souls to give them divine life and to nourish them”
• (WHAT DOES SACRAMENT DO?) they celebrate the paschal mystery; each sacrament recalls the saving deeds of Jesus
• (WHAT DOES SACRAMENT DO?) it demonstrates in the present that Jesus christ lives; the sacraments bring about an actual meeting with Jesus through signs
• (WHAT DOES SACRAMENT DO?) it prefigures our glorious future with Christ at the end of time; this point to this day in the future and because of the power of jesus and spirit they help accomplish the union
• Sacrament for short is “a saving symbolic act or a visible sign, arising

  from the ministry of Christ and continued in, by and for the Church,

  which when received in faith, fashions us into likeness to Christ in his

  Paschal Mystery, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
• (PURPOSE OF SACRAMENTS) to sanctify us
• (PURPOSE OF SACRAMENTS) to build up the body of Christ
• (PURPOSE OF SACRAMENTS) to give worship to God
• (DIVISIONS OF 7 SACRAMENTS) SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION; baptism, confirmation & eucharist
• (DIVISIONS OF 7 SACRAMENTS) THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING; reconciliation & anointing of the sick
• (DIVISIONS OF 7 SACRAMENTS) THE SACRAMENTS OF SERVICE; holy orders & matrimony