INPUT FOR JULY 6, 2020

(Output should be written on the comment section on or before July 13, 2020.)

Worship & Sacraments

Acts of public worship, including the Sacraments, fulfill the mission of Christ
and the Church to sanctify the people of God and glorify the Lord. "The sacraments
are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by
which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are
celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They
bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions." (Catechism of
the Catholic Church, 1131)

Sacraments of Christian Initiation

The sacraments of Christian initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and the
Eucharist — lay the foundations of every Christian life. “The sharing in the divine
nature given to men [and women] through the grace of Christ bears a certain
likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are
born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and
receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of
Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the
divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.” (CCC, 1212)

Baptism
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20).
The fruit of Baptism, or baptismal grace, is a rich reality that includes
forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the new life by which the
baptized becomes an adoptive child of the Father, a member of Christ, and a
temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact, the person baptized is incorporated into
the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the priesthood of Christ.
(CCC, 1278)
Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign which consecrates the
baptized person for Christian worship. Because of the character, Baptism cannot
be repeated. (CCC, 1279)
Since the earliest times, Baptism has been administered to children, for it is a
grace and a gift of God that does not presuppose any human merit; children are
baptized in the faith of the Church. Entry into Christian life gives access to true
freedom. (CCC, 1282)

Confirmation
“Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for
them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of
them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they
laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).
The sacrament of Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament
which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation,
incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church,
associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the
Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. (CCC, 1316)
Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on
the Christian’s soul; for this reason, one can receive this sacrament only once in
one’s life. (CCC, 1317) A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of
reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of
receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and
witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.
(CCC, 1319)
The essential rite of Confirmation is anointing the forehead of the baptized
with sacred chrism, together with the laying on of the minister’s hand and the
words: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC, 1320)
When Confirmation is celebrated separately from Baptism, its connection
with Baptism is expressed, among other ways, by the renewal of baptismal
promises. The celebration of Confirmation during the Eucharist helps underline the
unity of the sacraments of Christian initiation. (CCC, 1321)
Eucharist
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this
bread, he will live for ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:51, 54, 56).
The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church’s life, for in it Christ
associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he
pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church. (CCC, 1407)
The Eucharistic celebration always includes: the proclamation of the Word of
God; thanksgiving to God the Father for all his benefits, above all the gift of his
Son; the consecration of bread and wine; and participation in the liturgical
banquet by receiving the Lord’s body and blood. These elements constitute one
single act of worship. (CCC, 1408)
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ’s Passover, that is, of the work of
salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made
present by the liturgical action. (CCC, 1409)
It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting
through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the
same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the
offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice. (CCC, 1410)
The essential signs of the Eucharistic sacrament are wheat bread and grape
wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest pronounces
the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper: “This is my
body which will be given up for you. . .. This is the cup of my blood. . ..” (CCC, 1412)
By the consecration, the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the
Body and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread
and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and
substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity. (CCC,
1413)
As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living
and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God. (CCC, 1414)
Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant’s union
with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins. Since
receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between the
communicant and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical
Body of Christ. (CCC, 1416)
The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion
when they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do
so at least once a year. (CCC, 1417)
Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in the Eucharist the
pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his
Heart, sustains our strength along the pilgrimage of this life, makes us long for
eternal life, and unites us even now to the Church in heaven, the Blessed Virgin
Mary, and all the saints. (CCC, 1419)

OUTPUT:
Why are the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist called
"Sacraments of Initiation"?
Which of these three sacraments is the most important? Why?
1. Why are the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist called
"Sacraments of Initiation"?
The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are called
“Sacraments of Initiation” because these Sacraments disposes the individual to
become part of the faithful and from the very word “initiation” itself, it is the
process where the believer becomes formally accepted as member of the Church,
the Body of Christ. The Sacraments of Initiation are like a hierarchy, in a sense that
the person is emplaced in a series of levels. These levels possess their individual
importance and status which plays a huge importance in forming the aspirant.
The infant will first be receiving the Sacrament of Baptism which has its
fruits, namely: …” forgiveness of original sin and all personal sins, birth into the
new life by which the baptized becomes an adoptive child of the Father, a member
of Christ, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. By this very fact, the person baptized is
incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, and made a sharer in the
priesthood of Christ.” (CCC, 1278)
Then as the baptized baby grows, he/she may then receive the Sacrament of
Confirmation providing that he/she had reached the age of reason by the Catholic
Church which is to be at the age of seven (7) or beyond, “…be in the state of grace,
have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role
of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in
temporal affairs.”(CCC, 1319) It must also be known here that the candidate is
Confirmed to share the threefold office of Jesus: to speak and to teach the Word
of God, to sanctify and to worship, and to give service to God’s people, the Church.
Now the candidate is ready to receive the third and final Sacrament of
Initiation, the Eucharist. As the last level of the hierarchy, it completes the
Christian initiation, the person will now be participating with all the community in
the celebration of the Eucharist, each time he/she attends the Mass.
Such given, are the reasons why Baptism, in which our Christian identity is
given, Confirmation, in which we are sealed and strengthened by the Holy Spirit,
and the Eucharist, in which we receive the Lord through Communion, are called
“Sacraments of Initiation”.
2. Which of these three sacraments is the most important? Why?
The given texts are just rare reasons to explain and to justify that the
Sacrament of Baptism is the most important among these three.
The Sacrament of Baptism is the most important among these three because
it is the pillar of Christian life. It is the portal to life in the Spirit and leads the being
to the other Sacraments. Baptism establishes the foundation of faith which is
needed to progress in the life of a Catholic Christian. It is the root of all
Sacraments, a gateway which gives entry to the other Sacraments that they may
come in.
This is why an older person cannot still participate in the other Sacraments,
such as Confirmation and receiving Christ in the Eucharist because he is still lacking
that identity and not yet still an adopted Son of the Father, he is still weak and
fragile, he’s not yet firm and strong spiritually, he must first be formed by the
Baptismal Graces that is received through Baptism. That is also why we practice
infant Baptism; the Baptism of infants has had a long tradition in the Catholic
Church. “Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by Original Sin, children also
have need of the new birth in Baptism.” (CCC 1250)