RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION

FOR ADULTSTHE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION

THE INITIAL PROCESS OF

BECOMING CATHOLIC

BAPTISM CONFIRMATIONHOLY

EUCHARIST

EVERY MAN IS BORN• In order for man to be perfected three things

must occur:

1. Generation – or birth.

2. Growth

3. Nourishment – or food

• Collins, p. 120

In the spiritual realm man is perfected by …

1. His birth into the Catholic Faith by his baptism

2. His strengthening in his faith by his confirmation

3. His nourishing his faith by the Holy Eucharist

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

The exterior washing which takes place when the water is poured in Baptism represents that interior cleansing which takes away sin by virtue of the Sacrament of Baptism(Collins, p. 124)

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

• The effect of Confirmation is that the Holy Spirit is imparted to give strength, just as He was given to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost.

• The Christian must boldly confess the name of Christ.

• The one who is confirmed is anointed on the forehead wherein is the seat of fear; so that he will not blush to confess either the name of Christ or especially the cross of Christ, which to the Jews was a scandal and to the pagans foolishness.

• For this reason he is signed with the sign of the cross.

• (Collins, p. 124)

SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

First, in the very consecration of the Sacrament, since in virtue of the above words bread is changed into the Body of Christ, and wine into His Blood; so that Christ is entirely contained under the appearances of bread which remain without a subject; and Christ is entirely contained under the appearances of wine.

Under each part of the con-

secrated Host and of the consecrated wine, Christ is totally present even after the separation is made (Collins, p. 125).

The second effect is the union of man with Christ, as He himself says:

"He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him."

And since man is incorporated with Christ and united to His members through grace, it follows that through this Sacra- nt grace is increased in those who receive it worthily

WORKS CITED

• Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church..

• 2nd ed. Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana;

Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference,

1997

• Joseph B. Collins, Ph.D. S.S., D.D. “The Catechetical

• Instruction of St. Thomas Aquinas” NewYork

• N.Y. Joseph Wagner, Inc. 1939