Reflection
Many times I have heard among good Catholics,
discussion about the state of the church.
They are fearful of heart. They are concerned about what will happen to
our Church and the souls entrusted to it.
Many mothers and grandmothers whom
I have spoken to, are fearful for their children who have fallen away. Their
children have been swept up by the revolutionary waters spewed from the mouth
of Satan and desire them back in the church. There are those who fear for the
upcoming synod on the family and others who predict that a schism is looming
over the horizon. Here in this passage of Isaiah our dear Lord says "fear
not". If our Lord was sleeping in the boat during the storm, why do we
fret over these things? Is not our Lord good? Instead of fear let us be strong
in faith; praying and doing penance for sinners as well as the souls in
purgatory. Let us consecrate ourselves to our Lady and strive for a greater
holiness. Through so many visionaries we are told that this time, though a time
of great sin, is a time of great graces. Why are we losing hope? It is like the
parable of the talents. For those who do not use the graces given, they will be
given to others who are prudent with there graces. Let us not be counted among them who will be
called by our Lord a wicked servant. May the Lord find us as wise virgins whose
lamps are trimmed and burning even when the bridegroom seems late in coming.
Catechesis
33 And taking him
aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he
spat and touched his tongue;
34 And looking up to heaven,
he sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, be opened
The Baltimore Catechism, in the answer to question #574
"What is a Sacrament?" Says "A Sacrament is an outward sign
instituted by Christ to give grace."
Are these three the things necessary for it to be a
sacrament? The Catechism answers " These three things, namely: 1. An outward or visible sign,
2. The
institution of that sign by Christ, and
3. The giving of
grace through the use of that sign
Are always necessary for the existence of a
Sacrament, and if any of the three be wanting there can be no
Sacrament." #575
The sacraments are baptism, Conformation, the Eucharist,
penance, extreme unction, holy orders and matrimony.
The Council of Florence in
describing the sacraments states that "the
first five of these sacraments are ordered to the interior spiritual perfection
of the individual; the last two are ordered to the government and to the spread
of the whole church." (Paragraph 695)
In this same paragraph the council
goes on to teach us "…by baptism we
are spiritually reborn and by confirmation we grow in grace and are
strengthened in the faith; being reborn and strengthened, we are nourished with
the divine food of the Eucharist. If by sin, we become sick in soul, penance,
spiritually heals us; extreme unction heals us in spirit and in body as well,
insofar as it is good for the soul. By Holy Orders the church is governed spiritual growth; by matrimony she is given bodily growth."
These sacraments instituted by our
Lord, were given to us to sustain us, strengthen us, and help us attain to a
higher perfection in Christ and in this climate we live in, we should be
receiving frequently the Sacraments of
Penance and Holy Eucharist so as to stay in the state of grace and attain
heaven. For confession we should be going at least every other week for if
"...the righteous falleth seven times..." (Proverbs 24:16) then
should we be slothful in the reception of this most wonderful sacrament? For in
this sacrament we are cleansed in the blood of our Lord and even some of the
wounds and attachments to sin are healed. Because of our attachment to sin and
the wounds caused by them, we live in darkness. Through penance, works of mercy
and the sacraments we are effectively cleaned of our inclination and desire for
sin; while at the same time we grow in our love for God, desire to do good for
Him, and grow in purity of heart, body and soul.
The reception of these sacraments
are necessary for our salvation. The council of Florence teaches "If anyone says that the sacraments of the
New Law are not necessary for salvation, but that they are superfluous; and
that men can, without the sacraments or the desire of them, obtain the grace of
justification by faith alone, although it is true that not all sacraments are
necessary for each individual: let them be anathema." (668)
Our Father in Heaven gave us these
sacraments so that we would be his sons and daughters and so that we could get
to heaven. Without them in would be impossible to achieve the eternal reward
because without baptism we could never get to heaven in the first place. As
well, we cannot only be baptized. If we were only to be baptized, we are
without a doubt going to fall into many sins from the time we gain the ability
to reason to the moment we die. Those sins, even if none were mortal, would accumulate
to be equal to a mortal sin. As a result, we would fall into hell. The
Eucharist becomes our food for the sojourn through a foreign land. For the food
that the world provides for our souls is poison (power, pleasure, wealth,
honor). The body of Christ gives more graces than are necessary to get through
the week, not to mention the day. In fact, one Holy Communion is capable of making
us saints… Our very first Eucharist received was capable of making us saints.
The question is why? That is good subject for meditation.
On a final note, frequent the
sacraments. Go to mass often and confession at least twice a week. Meditate
upon the sacraments and the great love the Father has for us to send down his
only son to give us the magnificent gifts. May God love you. God Bless.
The Church teaches: Documents of the Church in English Translation. Trans. Clarkson, John F. S.J, John H. Edwards S.J, William J Kelly S.J, John J. Welch S.J. Rockford, Illinois. Tan Books and Publishers, INC. 1973. Print.
Baltimore Catechism #3: Lesson 13 - On the Sacraments in General.2005.574;575.baltimore-catechism.web. 5 Sep. 2015.
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