Tuesday, November 6, Ms. Collette and Deacon Buddy spoke about the remainder of the sacraments. The previous Tuesday we spoke of the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist (Communion). They shared that the sacraments are broken up into three groups-
1. The Sacraments of Initiation
2. The Sacraments of Healing
3. The Sacraments of Service
Do you remember what sacrament goes in each group? First we need to name the sacraments and maybe they will help determine in what group they belong- They are: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation (Confession goes with this one), Matrimony, and Holy Orders.
This something to think about this week. It is certain that in the review you all we be asked which one goes where.
Remember:
Confirmation: the decending of the Holy Spirit upon is after baptism. It seals us with the advocate(helper) that was promised to us by Jesus. The Holy Spirit is with us always.
Anointing of the Sick is not just for those who are near death. It is a sacrament for the living, giving all of us strength to get better.
Reconciliation: We used to call this confession but confession is only one part of this sacrament. When we sin we break the realationship with have with God and with the community. When we go to the sacrament we are able to "heal" the relationship through the help of the priest. At the same time we can heal relationships with those we have hurt by the things we have done or failed to do.
Matrimony: a fancy word for marriage. It is a sacrament of service because the married couple help each other to live their lives with God as the center of their relationship. It is sometimes difficult but the married couple is called to pay attention to the other person and not always on themselves. In this way they both grow in their love for each other and their love for God.
Holy Orders: This sacrament is for those men who feel the call to commit their enitre lives to the service of God. They study and are "ordained" to this service and in a special way act as Christ on earth for God's people. We call these men priests and among other things they promise not to get married in order to better focus their attention on God's people. Also, in the sacrament of Holy Orders is someone called a Permanent Deacon. The deacon also dedicates his service to God and the church but in a different way than the priest. The permanent deacon can be married and normally does not work for the church. His job is to work with the bishop and priest to bring the word and love of God to the people.
IMPORTANT: Remember that we have a special rite called the Rite of Welcome and Acceptance on Sunday, November 18, at the 10:30 Mass. This is a very special time when the community commits their support to each person seeking the sacraments of Initiation. More will be shared on Tuesday's session.
2 comments:
Deacon Buddy, after our discussion regarding the confidentiality of priest/penitent disclosures during confession, I have the following questions. Does the Church still teach a distinction between a venial sin and a mortal sin? Does the Church also still teach that if one dies with the pain of mortal sin on their soul, they cannot enter Heaven? In other words a violation of one of the Ten Commandments (murder as used in our discussion) is a mortal sin. If that person never turns themselves in to the authorities and accept the Earthly consequences of his actions, he cannot be truly repentant, will die with mortal sin on their soul, making them inelligble for admission to Heaven. Do I have this correct as the Church presently teaches?
Markjo3760- A response to your question conderning mortal and venial sin.
Yes, there is a distinction between mortal and venial sin. Sins are evaluated according to their gravity.
Mortal sin destroys charity in the hearts of humankind by a violation of God's law. It turns us away from God. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, evn though it offends and wounds charity. FYI- for sin to be a mortal sin three conditions must be met: a sin whose object is a grave matter, as in disobeying one of the Ten Commandments, it also mus be committed with full knoledge and deliberate consent. Venial sin is when someone does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when someone disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
According to paragraph 1861 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "If mortal sin is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom andthe enternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgement of persons to the justice and mercy of God."(Note: this is a direct quote. I don't believe that the sentence that speaks about exclusion from God's Kingdom means exclusion from the eternal death of hell as well. It is a rather akward sentence but we make the choice of seperation from God, not God from us.) Just remember that sin seperates us from our relationship from God.
Although you are techincally correct about what the church has to say but the church also teaches that we must continually remind ourselves that church can't and doesn't condem anyone to hell or give a "free pass" for someone to heaven. This is God's responsibility and who knows what happens to someone before they pass from this world?
Deacon Buddy
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