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It’s Day 153!!
THE SACRAMENTS OF SALVATION
THESE ARE DENSE!!
THESE ARE INCREDIBLE!!
Paragraph 1127 says, “Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work…”
The Sacraments are EFFICACIOUS which means they DO SOMETHING
They are NOT just symbols
They are symbols that ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING
Paragraph 1128 says, “...’the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.’...”
It’s not up to the holiness of the minister
You may have a bishop, priest, or deacon who celebrate the Sacraments
They may not be a very holy person
BUT…
It is NOT the bishop, priest, or deacon’s work
IT IS THE WORK OF JESUS THROUGH THE MINISTER
IT IS THE WORK OF CHRIST
The Sacraments will ALWAYS BE POWERFUL
The Sacraments will ALWAYS BE EFFICACIOUS
REGARDLESS of the holiness or righteousness of the minister
Paragraph 1129 says, “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.”
So the Sacraments are ALWAYS POWERFUL
The Sacraments are ALWAYS NECESSARY
Let’s say a prayer!!
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, you are good. And all your works are good. You lead us to your heart. You share with us your Holy Spirit. You give us your Son to be our Lord, to be our Savior, to be our Brother. Lord God, you even call us your friends. Help us. Help us to allow you to be Lord. Help us to trust you to be our Savior. Help us to walk with you as our Brother. And help us to be vulnerable enough to be your friend. Help us to be your faithful friend. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen”
So there we have it!!
These three paragraphs are POTENT
They are FILLED WITH POWER
Just like the Sacraments are FILLED WITH POWER
There are some Christians who think that the sacraments are MERELY SYMBOLS
Going back a couple hundred years, some Christians would say that Baptism DOESN’T DO ANYTHING
They would say that Baptism is a PUBLIC EXPRESSION of the faith YOU ALREADY HAVE
They would say IT DOES NOT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING
BUT…
Paragraph 1127 says, “Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work…”
That means that the Sacraments DO SOMETHING
WHICH MAKES SENSE!!
Think about this when it comes to what Scripture says
1 Peter says that Baptism SAVES YOU
Baptism DOES SOMETHING
It is not merely public expression of the faith you already have or the relationship you already have with the Lord
Baptism BRINGS YOU INTO RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
BAPTISM SAVES YOU NOW!!
IT IS EFFICACIOUS!!
Every time we encounter the Lord in the Sacraments, THERE IS POWER THERE
IT ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING!!
It is NOT simply a SYMBOL
THAT IS SO IMPORTANT!!
IN FACT…
A definition of a SACRAMENT is a SACRED SIGN THAT CAUSES WHAT IT SIGNIFIES
Paragraph 1127 continues, “They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who baptizes…”
You may say that “Father Mike” baptized you
Yes, but we say that JESUS BAPTIZED YOU
Because it is ALWAYS Jesus who is working in the Sacraments
Paragraph 1127 continues, “...he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies.”
Remember how we just defined SACRAMENTS
What does that mean?
Here is the stop sign analogy
That stop sign does not CAUSE you to stop
It does not CAUSE what it SIGNIFIES
None of us fully stop all the time at stop signs
Imagine a stop sign that existed that CAUSED you to stop
THAT is what the Sacraments are
Baptism is a sign of WASHING
It actually DOES wash away Original Sin
Baptism is a sign of BIRTH
It actually DOES make us into God’s sons and daughters
Reconciliation is a sign of GOD’S FORGIVENESS
It actually DOES forgive our sins
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is a sign of CHRIST’S BODY AND BLOOD
It actually IS the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ
The Sacraments are EFFICACIOUS
The Sacraments actually DO what they claim to do
The Sacraments DO what they point to
They DO what they are a sign of
The Sacraments are sacred signs that CAUSE what they SIGNIFY
THAT IS SO IMPORTANT!!
The next step is that the Sacraments ACT BY VIRTUE OF JESUS CHRIST
They are not based off of the holiness of the minister
Paragraph 1128 says, “It follows that ‘the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.’”
EX OPERE OPERATO is the Latin term which means “by the very fact of the action’s being performed”
BY THE VERY WORK WORKED!!
It doesn’t matter if the bishop, priest, or deacon are super holy
The minister is important because he has to be there and intend what the Church intends
BUT…
The Sacraments are not based off of the holiness or personal righteousness of the celebrant or the recipient
If we approach the Sacraments and we are not holy or righteous, THE SACRAMENTS STILL HAPPEN
Because they are based on THE POWER OF GOD
The moment the Sacrament is celebrated in the way Christ and the Church wants it to be, the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit act in and through it
NO MATTER WHAT!!
Regardless of the holiness of the individual, that Sacrament is EFFICACIOUS AND POWERFUL
Paragraph 1128 continues, “Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.”
The Sacraments happen EVERY SINGLE TIME
BUT…
Whether we experience the FRUITS of the Sacrament depends on OUR DISPOSITION
OUR OPENNESS TO RECEIVE THE FRUITS OF THAT SACRAMENT
OUR OPENNESS TO BEAR THE FRUITS OF THAT SACRAMENT
Imagine taking a shower but wearing a poncho or raincoat while you do
The power of the Sacraments are ALWAYS THERE
Here is the grace rushing out in the Sacrament
If you are OPEN to it, it will TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE
If you are NOT OPEN to it, it is like wearing a poncho/raincoat in the shower
You are not allowing the Sacrament to cleanse you
The power of God is ALWAYS PRESENT in the Sacrament regardless of the holiness of the minister or recipient
BUT…
If you want to experience the fruit of the Sacrament, YOU HAVE TO BE OPEN TO IT
Paragraph 1129 says, “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.”
THIS IS IMPORTANT!!
In John Ch 3 Jesus says, “Unless you are born again of water and of the Spirit, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.”
BAPTISM IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION!!
In John Ch 6 Jesus says, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you.”
THE EUCHARIST IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION!!
THIS IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT FOR US!!
What about those who don’t have the opportunity to experience Baptism or receive The Eucharist?
That’s another question for another time
For us right now, it is INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT that we acknowledge the FACT that Jesus, our Lord and Savior, our God Himself, said that the Sacraments are NECESSARY FOR SALVATION
We will get to to the other people later
🔼 🔼 Fr. Mike is repeating himself now about Baptism and the Eucharist so go read it up there 🔼 🔼
Sit with that for a little bit before we ask the what about questions
Does that make sense?
The fruit of the Sacramental Life is the Spirit of ADOPTION
The Spirit of the Father saying, “You are my CHILD!!”
It makes us partakers in the Divine Nature
We share in the VERY NATURE OF GOD
Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us and the Holy Spirit Himself abiding in us we become TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We now are partakers in the Divine Nature
If YOU have been Baptized, you share in the VERY NATURE OF GOD
We will look at the “what abouts” later on
The gift that God has given to each one of His baptized children IS AMAZING
Why?
Because the Sacraments are EFFICACIOUS and THEY ARE POWERFUL
Because the Sacraments are REAL EVERY SINGLE TIME
Because the Sacraments are NECESSARY FOR SALVATION
WHAT A GREAT DAY!!
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!
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