Sacraments

Sacraments of Initiation

The Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - are the foundations of the Christian life.  "Baptism, the Eucharist, and the Sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the 'Sacraments of Christian Initiation,' whose unity must be safeguarded"  (CCC, 1285)

Baptism: Becoming A Christian

Baptism is the First Sacrament of the Sacraments of Initiation

Are you not aware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from he dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in the newness of life. Romans 6: 3-4     

   

Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ. In accordance with the Lord's will, it is necessary for salvation, as is the Church herself, which we enter by Baptism. CCC, 1277   

     In his dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus taught that Baptism was necessary for salvation.  "No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" Jn 3:5.  After his Resurrection, Jesus met with the eleven Apostles and gave them the commission to preach the Gospel and baptize, telling them, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" Mk 16:16.  The word baptism in its origins is Greek and means "immersion" and "bath."  Immersion in water is a sign of death, and emersion out of the water means new life.  To bathe in water is also to undergo cleansing.  St. Paul sums up this truth when he says, "You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead" Col 2:12. 

     The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus.  Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist.  The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters.  Jesus' immersion in the water is a sign for all human beings of the need to die to themselves to do God's will.  Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin.  However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father.  By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin and begin to live a new life with God.

The Baptism of Adults:

     For adults today, the Church, after the Second Vatican Council, has restored the order of the Catechumenate in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).  It outlines the steps for formation of catechumens, bringing their conversion to the faith to a greater maturity.  It helps them respond more deeply to God's gracious initiative in their lives and prepares them for union with the Church community.  This process is meant to form them into the fullness of the Christian life and to become disciples of Jesus, their teacher.  This includes an initiation into the mystery of salvation, the practice of faith, hope and love, and of other virtues in a succession of liturgical rites. 

     Persons baptized into another Christian church and now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are also welcomed to participate along with catechumens in the RCIA in the process of learning about the Catholic faith and being formed in that faith.  They bring to the process of preparation their prior experience of Christian life and prayer.  For a baptized Christian, reception into full communion with the Catholic Church involves reception of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and then a Profession of Faith followed by the celebration of Confirmation and the Eucharist.

The Baptism of Infants:

     Infant Baptism has been practiced since apostolic times.  Infants need to be baptized because through this Sacrament, they are welcomed into the community of the Church, where they have access to the fullness of the means of salvation.  Their parents, godparents, and the parish community commit themselves to their ongoing formation in faith and knowledge of the tradition of the Church.  The best gift that parents can give their children is a life in the Church.

The Celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism:

    Baptisms are usually celebrated on the First Sunday of the Month, during one of the regularly scheduled weekend Masses. Baptisms are usually not celebrated during Lent. 

     Arrangements should be made at least one month in advance of the anticipated date of Baptism.  Pre-Jordan preparation meeting are required for parents prior to celebrating Baptism.  

     Contact the Parish Office 570-646-6424 for further information.

Confirmation: Consecrated For Mission

       Confirmation is the Second Sacrament of Initiation

     In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is "sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit" and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.

     The prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures foretold that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission.  Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John.  Jesus' entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit.  Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church.  After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit. 

     The Christian Scriptures report many manifestations of the Holy Spirit, two of which we note here.  John's Gospel describes an outpouring of the Spirit on Easter night when Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" Jn 20:22.  Luke's Acts of the Apostles gives another account of the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ (cf. Acts 2).  Filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles proclaimed God's mighty deeds.  Peter preached that this coming of the Spirit fulfilled the prophecy of Joel: "in the last days. . . I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh" Acts 2:17; cf. Jl 3:1.

     Those who believed in the Apostles' preaching were baptized and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.  The Apostles baptized believers in water and the Spirit.  Then they imparted the special gift of the Spirit through the laying on of hands.  "The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church" CCC, 1288, citing Paul VI, Divinae Consortium Naturae, 659.

     By the second century, Confirmation was also conferred by anointing with holy oil, which came to be called Chrism.  "This anointing highlights the name 'Christian,' which means 'anointed' and derives that from Christ himself whom God 'anointed with the Holy Spirit'" CCC, 1289, citing Acts 10:38. 

The Recipient of Confirmation:

     Each baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.  In the Roman Catholic Church, it is customary to confirm candidates between the age of discretion and about sixteen years of age.  It is not uncommon that Catholics not confirmed during this period of their lives for a variety of reasons are confirmed as adults, often on Pentecost Sunday.  The candidate, regardless of age, should be well prepared by prayer, catechesis, and be committed to the responsibilities entailed by the Sacrament.

The Mission and Witness of the Confirmed:

     Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world.  Through Confirmation, our personal relationship with Christ is strengthened.  We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service. 

     The Holy Spirit bestows seven gifts - wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, piety and fear of the Lord - to assist us in our mission and witness.  The impact of these gifts accompanies us in the various stages of our spiritual development.

     As the confirmed, we walk with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Wisdom enables us to see the world from God's point of view, which can help us come to grasp the purpose and plan of God.  It grants us the long-range view of history, examining the present in the light of the past and the mystery of the future.  It saves us from the illusion that the spirit of the times is our only guide.  The Spirit's gift of knowledge directs us to a contemplation, or thoughtful reflection, of the mystery of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - as well as of the mysteries of the Catholic faith.  We are drawn to meditative prayer, where we allow God to lead us while we rest patiently in the divine presence.

     The gift of understanding stimulates us to work on knowing ourselves as part of our growth in knowing God.  It is what St. Augustine meant when he prayed , "That I may know You , may I know myself."  When the Spirit pours fortitude or courage into our hearts, we can trust that we will be prepared to stand up for Christ and the Gospel when challenged.  As the gift of counsel or right judgment grows in us, we can sense the quiet teaching that the Spirit gives us about our moral lives and the training of our consciences.

     The gift of piety or reverence is an act of respect for the Father who created us, for Jesus who saved us, and for the Spirit who is sanctifying us.  We learn reverence for God and people from our parents and others who train us in virtue.  The Spirit fills us with this gift at liturgy, which is a masterful school of reverence, as well a through popular devotions and piety.

     Finally, the gift of fear of the Lord or wonder and awe in God's presence can infuse honesty into our relationship with God, a frankness that places us in awe before the majesty of God.  Yet this gift also imparts an attitude of grateful wonder that God loves us and that we can share in his life.

     When we are responsive to the grace of Confirmation and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit.  The tradition of the Church names twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity (cf. CCC, 1382; Gal 5:22).

The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life

The Eucharist completes Christian Initiation

     The origins of the Eucharist are found in the Last Supper that Jesus shared with his Apostles.  "In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as the memorial of his death and Resurrection and commanded his apostles to celebrate it until his return; 'thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament'" (CCC, 1337)

     The Church draws its life from the Eucharist.  This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates t he heart of the mystery of the Church.  In a variety of ways, the Church joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise, "I am with you always, to the end of time" (Mt 28:20), but in the Eucharist, through the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, the Church rejoices in this presence with unique intensity.  Ever since Pentecost, when the Church, the People of the New Covenant, began its pilgrim journey toward heaven, the Eucharist has continued to mark the passing of its days, filling them with confident hope.  (John Paul II, On the Eucharist).

The Real Presence of Christ:

     By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ jis present in the proclamation of God's Word, in the Eucharistic assembly, in the person of the priest, but above all and in a wholly unique manner in the Eucharist.  "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present" (CCC, 1374).

     Since the Middle Ages, the change of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ has been called "transubstantiation." This means that the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ.  The appearance of bread and wine remain (color, shape, weight, chemical composition), but the underlying reality - i.e., the substance - is now the Body and Blood of Christ.

     The Real Presence of Jesus Christ endures in the consecrated elements even after the Mass is ended.  Once Communion has been distributed, any remaining hosts are placed in the tabernacle.  The hosts are reserved to provide Communion for the Sick, Viaticum (Communion for the dying), and to allow the faithful to worship Christ in the reserved Sacrament and to pray in his presence. 

        Sacrament of Reconciliation:  God is Rich in Mercy

In This Sacrament of Healing We Are Reconciled to God and the Church

     The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and our bodies...has willed that his Church continue in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation  (CCC, 1421).  Because of human weakness, the new life in Christ, which we receive in the Sacraments of Initiation, is often threatened by sin.  Moreover, we all face sickness and death.  God constantly reaches out to us to reconcile ourselves to him.  Through the gifts of the Church, Jesus, our divine physician, has given us the Sacraments of Healing - Reconciliation (also known as Penance) and Anointing of the Sick - for the forgiveness of sins and the ministry to the sick and dying.    

     Divine mercy and conversion from sin are constant themes in Scripture.  God's mercy makes possible the repentance of the sinner and the forgiveness of sin.  Time and time again in the Hebrew Scriptures, the sins of the people are met with God's outreach of mercy and the invitation to be healed and return to a covenant relationship.  Even when the beloved King David lied, committed adultery and caused the death of an innocent man, he was not beyond God's mercy, to which he had a humble recourse.  Psalm 51 gives us words to express the kind of contrition and to trust in God's forgiveness that David felt after committing these sins.

Jesus Forgave Sins:

     The Gospels provide numerous examples of Christ's mission to forgive sins.  When a paralytic was lowered through the roof of a house and placed at his feet, Christ forgave the man's sins and then cured his affliction (cf. Lk 5:17-26).  When a sinful woman knelt at his feet because she had "loved much," unlike the Pharisee, who had little insight into his own sinfulness (cf. Lk 7:36-50).  Christ's parable of the prodigal son illustrates the sublime meaning of his earthly ministry, which is to forgive sins, reconcile people to God, and lead us to true happiness (cf. Lk 15:11-32).

     Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the dead to reconcile sinful people with God through the forgiveness of sins and the gift of new life with God.  Even on the Cross, he forgave those who were killing him and had mercy on the repentant thief. 

     Only God can forgive our sins.  But Jesus willed that the Church should be his instrument of forgiveness on earth.  On Easter night the Risen Christ imparted to his Apostles his own power to forgive sins.  He breathed on them, imparting the promised Holy Spirit, and said, "Peace be with you."  Jesus was actually filling them with peace that is rooted in friendship with God.  But he did more.  He shared with them his own merciful mission.  He breathed on them a second time and said: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you....Receive the holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained. (Jn 20: 21-23).

     That night Jesus gave the Church the ministry of the forgiveness of sins through the Apostles (cf. CCC, 1461).  By the Sacrament of Holy Orders, bishops and priests continue this ministry to forgive sins "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."  In this Sacrament, the priest acts in the person of Christ, the Head of the Church, to reconcile the sinner to both God and the Church.  "When he celebrates the Sacrament of Penance, the priest is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep....The priest is the sign and instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner" (CCC, 1465). 

     The Sacrament of Penance involves a conversion of our hearts to God, a confession of sins to a priest, the forgiveness of our sins, a penance to make some amends for sin, and reconciliation with God and the Church.  For those who commit serious sin after Baptism, this Sacrament is necessary for being reconciled to God and the Church.

Conversion, Confession, Forgiveness:

     The Sacrament of Penance must be seen within the context of conversion from sin and a turn to God.  Peter wept bitterly over his triple denial of Christ but received the grace of conversion and expressed it with a three-fold confession of love for Jesus. (cf. Lk 22: 54-62; Jn 21:15-19).  Paul was converted from persecuting Christians to becoming one of the greatest disciples of Christ who ever lived. (cf. Acts 9: 1-31).  These moments of conversion were only the beginning of their lifelong commitment to living in fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

     Sin harms our relationship with God and damages our communion with the Church.  Conversion of heart is the beginning of our journey back to God.  Liturgically this happens in the Sacrament of Penance.  In the history of the Church, this Sacrament has been celebrated in different ways.  Beneath the changes, there have always been two essentials: the acts of the penitent and the acts of Christ through the ministry of the Church.  Both go hand in hand.  Conversion must involve a change of heart as well as a change of actions.  Neither is possible without God's grace. 

 What Is This Sacrament Called?

     It is called the Sacrament of Conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.  It is called the Sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.  It is called the Sacrament of Confession since the disclosure or confession of sins is an essential element of this Sacrament.  In a profound sense, it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.  It is called the Sacrament of Forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution, God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."  It is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation because it imparts to the sinner the love of God who reconciles:  "Be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:20).  He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call:  "Go, first be reconciled to your brother or sister." (CCC, 1423-1424, citing Mt 5:24)

Anointing of the Sick and the Dying

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is the Second of the Sacraments of Healing

        The Gospels narrate many occasions when Jesus healed the sick.  While Jesus sometimes simply spoke some words to accomplish a healing, he often touched the afflicted person to bring about the cure.  In the Church's Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin - and sometimes even from physical ailments.  His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God.  The core message of his healings tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.

     On the Cross, Jesus bore the full weight of evil and removed its power over us.  He provided a new meaning for suffering by giving it redemptive power.  By his grace we are able to unite our pain to his redemptive passion.  St. Paul witnessed this when he wrote, "I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of h is body, that is the church." (Col 1:24).

      The Church continues Christ's healing ministry in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.      St. James describes its celebration in apostolic times:  "Is anyone among you sick?  He should summon the presbyters [priests] of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint [him] with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.  If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven." (Jas 5:14-15).

A Sacrament of Healing

      The Anointing of the Sick "is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death.  Hence as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived." CCC, no. 1514.  The Rite of Anointing tells us that there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament.  The Sacrament may be repeated if the sick person recovers after the anointing but becomes ill once again, or if, during the same illness, the person's condition becomes more serious.  A person should be anointed before surgery when a dangerous illness is the reason for intervention.  Moreover, "old people may be anointed if they are in a weak condition even though no dangerous illness is present.  Sick children may be anointed if they have sufficient use of reason to be comforted by this sacrament. 

      For those who are about to depart from this life, the Church offers the person Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and the Eucharist as Viaticum (food for the journey) given at the end of life.  These are "the sacrament that prepare for our heavenly homeland.  These rites are highly valued by Catholics as powerful aids to a good death.  Often you may hear these Sacraments given prior to death as "The Last Rites".  The special words proper to Viaticum are added to the Eucharist:  "May the Lord Jesus protect you and lead you to everlasting life.  Amen"

    When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it be God's will, the person be physically healed of the illness.  But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.  The Holy Spirit renews our faith in God and helps us withstand the temptations of the Evil One to be discouraged and despairing in the face of suffering and death.  Also, a sick person's sins are forgiven if he or she was not able to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. 

      Another effect of this Sacrament is union with the Passion of Christ.  By uniting ourselves more closely with the sufferings of Our Lord, we receive the grace of sharing in the saving work of Christ.  In this way, our suffering, joined to the Cross of Christ, contributes to building up the People of God. 

      This Sacrament also prepares us for our final journey when we depart from this life.  The Anointing of the Sick completes our identification with Jesus Christ that was begun at our Baptism.  Its grace and power fortify us in our final struggles before we go the Father's house. 

SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION

      Holy Orders and Matrimony belong to the Sacraments at the Service of Communion.  This means they are primarily directed toward the salvation of others.  The recipients of these Sacraments grow in holiness through their service to others. 

HOLY ORDERS

Bishop - Priest - Deacon

        By Baptism, all members of the Church share in Christ's holy priesthood. It is called "the common priesthood of the faithful" because the entire Church shares in it.  To build up this priesthood, Christ gives to his Church the ordained ministries of bishops, priests, and deacons through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  Only the ordained bishop and priest may be ministers of Confirmation, the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.  "The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for the service of the faithful.  The ordained ministers exercise their service for the People of God by teaching and pastoral governance.  Deacons in the Latin Church can baptize and witness the Sacrament of Marriage, as do priests and bishops. 

      The ordained bishop and priest serve the Church in the person of Christ as head of the Body.  The ordained are called to a holiness of life and an attitude of humility that conforms them to Christ whose priesthood they share.  The priest acts not only in the person of  Christ, the Head of the Church, but also in the name of the Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, especially the Eucharist. 

The Sacrament of Marriage

Covenant and Liturgical Act

      By their marriage, the couple witnesses  Christ's spousal love for the Church.  One of the the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, "Father, you have make the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church."  Through the liturgical celebration of marriage, husband and wife enter into a covenant which is also a Sacrament.

      The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract.  Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons.  The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God.  The celebration of marriage if also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church.

The Understanding of Marriage in

Contemporary Society

      There are attempts by some in contemporary society to change the definition or understanding of what exactly constitutes marriage.  Efforts to gain approval for and acceptance of same-sex unions as marriages are examples.  While the Church clearly teaches that discrimination against any group of people is wrong,  efforts to make cohabitation, domestic partnerships, same-sex unions, and polygamous unions equal to marriage are misguided and also wrong.  The Church and her members need to continue to be a strong and clear voice in protecting an understanding of marriage, which is rooted in natural law and revealed in God's law.