The Seven Sacraments with Human Nature

The Seven Sacraments are a way of receiving Sanctifying Grace,grace has been defined as "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it the condescension or benevolence shown by God toward the human race It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved - that takes the form of divine favor, love and clemency.  Christ wishes for us to be saints and live for eternity with him. This is why he created the sacraments, so we can attain the grace necessary for salvation.  Christ make salvation available to us through the sacraments.

Have you ever felt like no matter what you do you just don't fell fulfilled? That is you body's longing for Christ. It is in our nature to seek for God. The sacraments are necessary tools for our salvation. They grant us the grace necessary for our nature to be fulfilled. So next time you have a longing for something, go to mass!

Catechumenate

The Catechumenate is the process for all those who wish to become members of the Church. Likewise, the person who is called a Catechumen while the community of such people and the actual time period until Baptism is called the Catechumenate. It originates from a Greek word which means 'learner.' This process is an undergoing of instruction and teachings of the Faith and preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation.

The original purpose of the process was to give a sort of first step in order to convert into Christianity. There has to be a time period in which people who willfully enter the Church must undergo instruction to properly know about the Faith. The Catechumen must understand what it is that entering the Church entails. Normally this process happened by initiating members at Easter Vigil, the night before Christ rose from the dead. This process then became restored by Vatican II in the process of RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults).

Baptism by immersion

To understand this, we need to understand the Rite of Baptism. The entire Rite contains the actual pouring of water, a re-commitment of baptismal promises, a white candle, and white garments. The water not only symbolizes cleansing but taking part in the Paschal Mystery. This can be seen by Baptism through immersion since the person immerses himself/herself under the Holy Water and "rises again" to new life.

While the Eastern Rite gives out all three Sacraments of Initiation in a row, the Latin rite is somewhat different. Normally, a child of the Latin rite would be baptized as a baby. Once that child reaches the age of reason (meaning seven years old), they typically receive Eucharist. When they become older (middle school through high school [leaning towards high school]), the person finalizes his/her initiation by receiving Confirmation.

What about those who become baptized later?

This is where RCIA comes in. Since the Baptism is necessary for salvation, people must enter this process. RCIA is for all older minors and adults who have not received their initiation Sacraments. However, unlike those going through the standard route, anybody who takes RCIA follows the same school of thought by receiving all three Sacraments consecutively. The Catechumen will go through the process, listening to the Word of God, forms of prayer, etc. When they are ready to receive the Sacraments of Initiation, they will be baptized on the Easter Vigil Mass through a special ceremony on that day.

So it is never too late to be saved be saved. Anyone who wants to enter the Church under the right attitude can join the Church.

Saint Andrew

Saint Andrew was one of the 12 apostles. He is patron saint of fishermen, for he was a fisherman. He became a disciple of the great St. John the Baptist, but when John pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Andrew understood that Jesus was greater. At once he left John to follow the Divine Master. Jesus knew that Andrew was walking behind him, and turning back, he asked, "what do you seek?" When Andrew answered that he would like to know where Jesus lived, Our Lord replied, "Come and see." Andrew had been only a little time with Jesus when he realized that this was truly the Messiah.

After the death of Christ, St. Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. He is said to have been put to death on a cross, to which he was tied, not nailed and it is believed that it was in the shape of an X for he believe to be unfit to die the same way Christ died. He lived two days in that state of suffering, still preaching to the people who gathered around their beloved Apostle. Two countries have chosen St. Andrew as their patron - Russia and Scotland.

Saint Andrew is without a doubt my favorite Saint. Most apostles lived non religious live previous to meeting Christ, but Saint Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist. He lived an inspiring life! Who is willing to suffer for 2 days straight for the faith of a dead person.


From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. -Luke 12:48