CHAPTER 4 – The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in Christ

CHAPTER 4 – The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in ChristCHAPTER 4 – The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in Christ

CHAPTER 4 – The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in Christ

INTRODUCTION

• The Gospel story of the Prodigal Son teaches us about God’s enduring love and mercy

– The one true God is a Father who offers love and forgiveness to his children

– Even when God’s children squander their inheritance, God always welcomes them back with open arms

• This chapter discusses Reconciliation, the first of the two Sacraments of Healing


ORIGINS OF RECONCILIATION

• Adam and Eve were created in a state of original holiness and justice

• They were granted the Garden of Eden with no barriers between them and God

• God gave them only one commandment—to not eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

– Genesis tells us that Adam and Eve did not obey this command


THE FIRST SIN

• The first sin may seem like a simple transgression, yet the act goes deeply into the heart of the nature of sin

– Adam and Eve questioned the justice of God and chose instead to be their own arbiters of right and wrong

– They placed their will before that of God

• This choice resulted in their loss of original holiness, justice, and complete happiness

– Consequences of Original Sin would not only affect Adam and Eve, but all their descendants


THE FIRST SIN (continued)

• The Sacrament of Baptism cleanses us of Original Sin and fills us with God’s sanctifying grace

• Even though the divine life of God is present in the soul through Baptism, all humans suffer from a weakened will due to our fallen state

– After Baptism, humans continue to struggle with living a life modeled on Jesus Christ

• Christ understood that those living a Christian life would need a means of receiving God’s forgiveness


THE FIRST SIN (continued)

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of two conversions in the Christian life

1. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we receive new life in the Spirit—made “holy and without blemish”—but we still struggle with the moral life as the effects of sin remain

2. Through the ongoing work of daily Christian life in which the baptized respond to the call of Christ “to be holy”

• This “universal call to holiness” is the vocation of all Christians

• Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are called to this ongoing conversion by reflecting upon and amending our lives


THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN

• God’s only Son was sent to reconcile a fallen humanity with himself

• The Father’s great love for mankind is evident in Scripture

– The Book of Isaiah foretells how the promised Messiah will “make himself an offering for sin”

– In Matthew, the angel tells St. Joseph that “…you shall call his name Jesus (‘Yahweh saves’) for he will save his people from their sins”


THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN (continued)

• In his public ministry, Jesus sought out sinners

• The scribes and Pharisees were scandalized that Jesus not only associated with sinners, but also claimed to forgive their sins

• The scribes accepted that Jesus could heal the sick, but to heal the soul was the work of God alone

– By claiming to forgive sins, Jesus proclaimed his divinity—this was considered blasphemous


THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN (continued)

• As Christians, we believe that Jesus is divine

– The eternally begotten Son of God has the authority to forgive sins

• The Good News of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is that he conquered sin and offered mankind hope that we may find forgiveness in him


THE INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENT

• By invoking the authority to forgive sins during his public ministry on earth, Jesus revealed his divine nature

• This authority was handed down to his Apostles

• St. Peter received authority not for the earthly city of Jerusalem, but for the New Jerusalem


HANDED DOWN BY THE APOSTLES

• From the Apostles, through apostolic succession, this authority has been handed down to their successor bishops

• Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, all bishops and priests participate in the ministry of Christ’s forgiveness


• How and when was this authority exercised?

– The way the Sacrament was celebrated evolved during the first centuries of the Church

• In the New Testament, anyone guilty of serious and unrepentant sins were excluded from the Christian community

• The Church called its own members to repentance and forgiveness and asked that sins be confessed to one another

HISTORY OF THE SACRAMENT

RECONCILIATION IN THE EARLY CHURCH – AD 5 0-4 00


HISTORY OF THE SACRAMENT (continued)

RECONCILIATION IN THE EARLY CHURCH – AD 5 0-4 00

• In following years, more formal methods of Reconciliation took place

• A person would confess a grave sin before the local bishop, in front of the gathered community, imposing a penance to be carried out publicly

– Penances were severe by modern standards and might include months of prayer and fasting

• While the penitents could attend the celebration of the Eucharist, they would be separated from the congregation and could not receive Holy Communion



RECONCILIATION IN THE IRISH AND THE BRITISH CHURCH – AD 400-700

• St. Patrick was one of the most famous Christian missionaries (d. 493)

– He established monasteries and evangelized the people of Ireland

– Out of this evangelization was the creation of a new form of Reconciliation

– Missionaries saw the need for a form of Penance that was private and repeatable




• Instead of receiving absolution after performing a long penance, sins were forgiven immediately, with penance performed afterwards

• Confession and penance were now performed privately, typically consisting of prayer and fasting

• Although still severe by today’s standards, the nature of penance was determined by the seriousness of the sin and rank of the person committing it

– If a priest and a peasant committed the same sin, the priest would receive the harsher penance




• As centuries unfolded, Irish missionaries began to evangelize other parts of Europe

• They brought with them the practice of frequent and private Confession through the ministry of a priest

– This form of celebrating Reconciliation soon became the norm throughout the Western Church

– Today’s practice of Confession has changed little since the fifth century


MORALITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

• God created us as rational beings endowed with free will

• Because of free will, we can say that sin is a result of free choice

• Sin is a personal act that damages our relationship with God

– Also damages our spirit

– Weakens the will and clouds the intellect


WHAT IS SIN?

Sin is any act, word, or desire that violates moral law

• Moral law is the law of God, which directs all of creation according to his Divine Wisdom

• Man is perfected when his actions are in accordance with the moral law

• Moral law is referred to as natural moral law when applied to human conduct


WHAT IS SIN? (continued)

• Natural moral law prohibits those evils that are easily deduced from human reason (murder is wrong), but it finds its ultimate expression in Divine Revelation as expressed in the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ


WHAT IS SIN? (continued)

• In summary, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that sin is:

– An offense against reason, truth, and right conscience

– A failure in genuine love of God and neighbor

– A word, act, or desire against moral law

– An offense against God


SIN DAMAGES OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

• Human beings were created for happiness

• Adam and Eve were created in God’s friendship, and their happiness was complete

– When they sinned, they were aware of their sin and ashamed to be in God’s presence

• The Old Testament prophets show us clearly that sin is more than a simple violation of some ethical norm of conduct—it is an offense against God


SIN DAMAGES OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (continued)

• In the New Testament the meaning of sin takes on a much more personal nature

• For salvation, God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross to redeem us from our sins

• The sacrifice of Christ was not done out of some vague concept of sin in general, but out of his infinite love for each and every person


MORTAL AND VENIAL SINS

The Bible teaches us that there are degrees of severity of sin and Tradition of the Church gives two classifications:

• Venial sin – can result from unhealthy attachment to created goods, harming the relationship between God and man

• Does not separate the individual from God• Repeated and unrepentant venial sins can lead to mortal sin

• Mortal sin – deliberate choice in a serious matter which is contrary to the will of God and breaks our relationship with him. Three conditions must be met:

1. Grave or serious matter2. Full knowledge3. Complete Consent


HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION

• Examination of Conscience

• Sorrow for Sins

• Purpose of Amendment

• Confession of Sins

• Act of Contrition

• Penance or Satisfaction


MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

• Minister is a bishop or priest

• While human beings cannot forgive sins, Jesus Christ granted his Apostles the authority to forgive sins in his name, making God’s forgiveness available in a tangible way

• As in the Eucharist, when Jesus works through the priest to transform the bread and wine into his Body and Blood, it is Jesus who is working through the physical presence of the priest to forgive the sins of those seeking forgiveness through the Sacrament


MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION (CONTINUED)

• To exercise Christ’s authority to forgive sins and say the words of absolution is a grave responsibility

• The Church has declared that confessors are bound to absolute secrecy regarding all sins that have been confessed

– Confessor is subject to excommunication if this seal is broken


IMPORTANCE OF THE SACRAMENT

• The Sacrament of Reconciliation was instituted by Christ as the means of receiving the forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism

• Some believe there is no need for the Sacrament, because an all-powerful, all-merciful God does not need to offer his forgiveness through human ministers

• God is not bound by the Sacraments and can distribute graces in any manner, but this belief diminishes the true nature of the Sacraments and the means that Christ chose to continue his saving actions in the world


PENANCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN

• The call to follow Christ is a call to conversion

– This journey begins at Baptism and lasts a lifetime

• The Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation are sources of grace, which help us along the path of Christian perfection

• The season of Lent is an opportunity for a deeper conversion through reflection and self-sacrifice


PENANCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN (continued)

• Daily practices that can bring us closer to Christ

– Prayer and reflecting on the sufferings of Christ

– Reading Sacred Scripture

– Praying The Liturgy of the Hours

– Almsgiving

– Charity toward others

– Self-denial

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CHAPTER 4 – The Sacraments: Source of Our Life in Christ