LESSON 1:

INTRODUCTION TO THE 2 KINDS OF GRACE

SACRAMENTS Sanctifying grace – the Divine life in us
THE DIVINE LIFE IN US Actual grace – the helps to protect it and
make it grow.
“….the gift of God is life everlasting in Christ
Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23)

SANCTIFYING GRACE
“…..you…. Become partakers of the divine
nature” (2Peter 1:14)
 For St. Peter: “It makes us partakers of
the divine nature.”
 It is an abiding quality, or a habit
WHAT IS GRACE? infused into the soul, raising it to the
level of the divine, so that, while
 Grace is mystically conceived of as a
remaining human, it lives in an entirely
clear spring flowing from the pierced
new and supernatural plane.
side of Christ on the Cross.
 To enable us to act on the natural level,
 Pure with the holiness of God Himself,
God has equipped us with certain
this water cleanses the soul of sin and
faculties such as the theological virtues
heals spiritual wounds.
of faith, hope and charity, the moral
 It is a source of life and of wondrous
virtues and the gifts and fruits of the
fecundity.
Holy Spirit.
 Its freshness alone can quench the
 The soul in grace possesses not only
soul’s burning thirst.
the life of God, but the Source of that
life – the Triune God, who dwells in it as
in a temple.
JOHN 15: 1, 4 - 5
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you
remain in me and I in you, you will bear much MATTHEW 13: 44-46
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If
Grace is of inestimable worth – it is the pearl
you do not remain in me, you are like a branch
that is thrown away and withers; such branches of great price and the treasure in a field, for
are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in which man may well give up all he owns.
you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done
for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you
bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my WHAT IS AN ACTUAL GRACE?
disciples.
 It is an illumination of the mind by
which one realizes what is to be done
in view of eternal life – it is an impulse
Grace is the divine life in us given to the will, to accomplish good –
with the helps to protect it often it is both.
 The actual grace generally precedes
and make it grow.
and paves way for the sanctifying
grace.
 Grace is God’s omnipotence at work : it
The divine life flows through us, making us one is therefore powerful –enough to
with God ad immensely fruitful, just as the sap convert a persecutor like Saul in an
circulates through vine and branches, forming instant.
only one plant heavily laden with fruit.
 the divine life and advance toward the
perfection of charity.” (CCC, 1212)
LESSON 2: THE
SACRAMENTS: A
The Sacrament of Healing
PERSONAL ENCOUNTER
“The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls
WITH CHRIST THE and bodies, who forgave the sins of the
REDEEMER paralytic and restored him to bodily health, 3
has willed that his Church continue, in the
The Seven Sacraments power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and
salvation, even among her own members. This
 Baptism is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing:
 Confirmation the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of
 Eucharist Anointing of the Sick.” (CCC, 1421)
 Reconciliation
 Anointing of the Sick
 Matrimony
The Sacraments at the
 Holy Orders
Service of Communion
“Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and
Introduction Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation
of others; if they contribute as well to personal
 A sacrament is a Christian rite that is salvation, it is through service to others that
recognized as being particularly they do so. They confer a particular mission in
important and significant. the Church and serve to build up the People of
 Many Christians consider the God.”
sacraments to be a visible symbol of the
reality of God, as well as a channel for (CCC, 1534)
God's grace.

“Through the Sacraments we are surely

WHAT IS A SACRAMENT? introduced into the world of supernatural life
and Christian mysteries, certainly a mysterious
The PCP II depicts the sacraments as the center world, but none the less real.”
of Catholic life. Just as without Christ, Christian
faith is impossible, so without the sacraments,
there could be no Catholic Church.  The real meaning of the sacrament is
not only about the religious rite or
observance comparable to a Christian
The Three Division of the sacrament, but also allowing the grace
Sacraments of Christ to work in you.

1. The Sacraments of Initiation

2. The Sacraments of Healing To see the Sacraments as
3. The Sacraments at the Service of
Communion
merely a compliance as what
the Church requires is to miss
their meaning completely.
The Sacrament of Initiation
Such a view implies that in practice one sees
“The faithful are born anew by Baptism, Christ as a figure of the remote past . Who lives
strengthened by the sacrament of on only as a revered memory in men’s minds
Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the and Who has no integral place in one’s daily
food of eternal life. By means of these life.
sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus
receive in increasing measure the treasures of
According to Matthew 18:20,
“For where two or three are gathered together “A SENSIBLE SIGN”
for my sake, there am I in the midst of them.”
 We must recognize the difference
between mere indicative signs and signs
that are symbols.
 Sacraments are performative word
events. (The ministry of Jesus’ words
Men can encounter Christ as
and deeds)
in the days when He walked
this earth.
“INSTITUTED BY CHRIST”
Two Emphases of what  It does not mean that Jesus taught his
apostles in detail that there were to be
Sacraments are:
seven sacraments and how to
administer them.
 Jesus instituted the sacraments by first
First, the seven ritual sacraments are grounded being the sacrament of His Father
directly in both Christ (the primordial through his whole life of word and
sacrament) and the Church (the fundamental action, and then by establishing the
Sacrament). Church to be his basic sacrament.

Second, drawing the sacraments closer to

“TO GIVE GRACE”
everyday life, especially by recognizing the
essential role of symbol in all human life. It means that the grace that is given is not a
quantifiable thing, but God’s personal presence,
liberating actions, and loving r elationship with
Catholic Sacraments are at us through the Risen Christ in the Spirit.
once
sacraments: LESSON 3: The 1st
 Of Christ in origin and presence. Sacrament
 Of the Church in the sense of by and for
the Church. - BAPTISM -
 Of Faith as condition and on-going
expression.
 Of salvation as efficacious and
necessary means. INTRODUCTION
 Of eternal life as their ultimate goal.
The New Testament highlights the importance
of baptism for the individual believer and the
church.
The Church’s sacramental
The early Christians practiced baptism
renewal is evidenced in how it
as it had been ordained by Christ, it marked the
enlarges the older vision. personal identification with Christ, it marked
the entrance into the Christian family, and it
provided an opportunity for a public confession
There are three-part definitions of
of faith.
the sacrament:
1. A Sensible sign
2. Instituted by Christ What is baptism?
3. To give Grace
Baptism is a form of ritual purification - a
characteristic of many religions throughout time
and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian B) BAPTISM SYMBOLIZES OUR
sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost IDENTIFICATION WITH
invariably with the use of water. CHRIST’S CHURCH
.

What is the meaning of In the act of baptism, a person publicly

Baptism? identifies himself with other Christians. He is
saying, “Now I’m one of them.”
The word “baptism” is simply a transliteration
of the Greek word, baptisma, and some related In our culture, with religious tolerance,
words which have the meaning of dipping or water baptism isn’t too threatening. But in
immersing. some countries, where Christians are
persecuted, baptism separates the true
Since the object dipped or immersed believers from the phonies.
became totally identified with the substance in
which it was placed, the idea of identification is You open yourself to persecution by
central to the meaning of baptism. Jesus’ being baptized. But even if we don’t risk
baptism by John publicly identified Him who persecution, baptism should represent that sort
was sinless with sinners in anticipation of His of bold, public identification with the church.
death and resurrection as their sin-bearer.

C) BAPTISM SYMBOLIZES
In that sense, He referred to His own impending CLEANSING FROM SIN.
death as a “baptism” which He had to undergo
(Mark 10:38-39; Luke 12:50). In Titus 3:5, Paul refers to God’s saving us “by
the washing of regeneration and renewing by
For us baptism symbolizes our the Holy Spirit.” But in the immediately
identification with Christ in His death, burial, preceding words he says that God saved us “not
and resurrection; our identification with Christ’s on the basis of deeds which we have done in
church; and, our cleansing from sin. righteousness.”

The act of baptism cannot save

anyone. We are saved only God’s grace through
A. BAPTISM SYMBOLIZES faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8, 9). After Saul had been
TOTAL IDENTIFICATION WITH blinded on the Damascus road, Ananias came
CHRIST IN HIS DEATH, BURIAL, to him and said, “Arise, and be baptized, and
AND RESURRECTION. wash away your sins, calling upon His name”
(Acts 22:16).
Technically, we were “baptized into
Christ” through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
This is the work whereby the Holy Spirit places a Baptism is a public confession
person “in Christ” at the moment of salvation. of Faith
So what Paul refers to in Romans 6 is
not water baptism itself, but what it pictures, The nature of baptism is that of a public act.
namely, the baptism of the Holy Spirit When a new believer is baptized, he or she is
giving a public testimony of his or her faith in
Jesus as others are witnessing this public
At the instant we believed, we became totally identification with Christ and the Christian
identified with Christ. His death became our church.
death, His burial our burial, His resurrection our
resurrection. Going under the water symbolizes
death to our old way of life; coming up out of Jesus taught his disciples the importance of
the water pictures the beginning of a new life, living the faith in public as well as in private.
lived unto God, in the power of Christ’s Jesus challenged his disciples to confess their
resurrection.
faith before others and to walk before others as sacramental presence, uniting the “People of
his disciples (Matthew 10: 32-3; 16: 13-17, 24). God,” the Church.

Baptism presents an opportunity to the

new believer to confess before others that
The Eucharist is conceived in view of the Holy
Jesus is Lord and Savior.
Spirit’s activity in the Church. Its position flows
from Baptism and Confirmation, and like them,
its primary focus is Christ our Lord.
CONCLUSION
1. If you’ve never trusted in Christ as
Savior, I hope that you will not think BASIC DESCRIPTION OF THE
that because you have been baptized or EUCHARIST
that if you will get baptized, it will
insure you of eternal life.
2. Eternal life is the free gift God offers to At the Last Supper, on the night he was
you based on Christ’s death for your betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic
sins. You can only receive it by faith, Sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in
not by your good deeds (including order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross
baptism). throughout the ages until he should come
again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse,
the Church,
If you know Christ as your Savior but you’ve
never been baptized as a believer, I urge you to a Memorial of his death and resurrection:
do so as a confession of your faith in obedience a Sacrament of love, a sign of unity and bond of
to Christ’s command at the next opportunity charity,

a Paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed,

the mind is filled with grace,and
LESSON 4: THE
a Pledge of future glory is given to us.
EUCHARIST: CHRIST
THE LIVING BREAD OF
The specific points of this
LIFE
descriptive definition of the
Eucharist can be summarized
Introduction as follows.

When the hour came, he took his place at table  First, the Eucharist was instituted by
with the apostles. He said to them, “I have Christ.
greatly desired to eat this Passover with you  Secondly, the Eucharist is celebrated
before I suffer. . . ” Then, taking bread and with Christ by the Christian community,
giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, the Church.
saying, “This is my body to be given for you. Do  Thirdly, the Eucharist is at once both
this as a remembrance of me.” He did the same sacrifice and sacred meal.
with the cup after eating, saying, as he did so:  Fourthly, Christ himself is really present
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, in the Eucharistic celebration in multiple
which will be shed for you.” ways, but especially under the
sacramental signs of bread and wine.
 Finally, the Eucharist is the
eschatological pledge and foretaste of
The Eucharist is how Catholics worship God as
our future glory.
members of Christ’s Body, the Church. It is the
memorial of Christ’s sacrifice, the sacrament of
the Lord’s Supper, and the center of his Structure of the Mass
Introductory Rites: Entrance Hymn, Greeting,  Sacrifice-Sacrament,
Penitential Rite, the Gloria, and Opening Prayer;  Communion-Sacrament,
 Presence-Sacrament, which constitutes
the pledge of eternal life hereafter
Liturgy of the Word: Scripture Readings,
Homily, Creed, and Prayer of the Faithful
(Intercessions);
LESSON 5: EUCHARIST
AS A THANKSGIVING
Liturgy of the Eucharist: Preparation of the
Gifts, the Eucharistic Prayer, including:
WORSHIP

__ Preface, Invocation (Epiclesis) of the Holy Thanksgiving Worship

Spirit; When Filipinos on the way to Mass say they are
“going to Church,” they are actually expressing
a profound truth.
__ Last Supper’s Narrative of Institution,
Acclamation;

__ Commemoration (Anamnesis), 2nd “Just as the Church ‘makes

Invocation of Spirit; the Eucharist,’ so ‘the
Eucharist builds up’ the
Church”
__ Intercessions, great Doxology with Amen;

The Eucharistic celebration brings us together

as a community in Christ in whom we have
Communion Rite: the Our Father, Prayer for “received the means for giving worthy worship
Deliverance, Prayer for Peace, Breaking of the to God”
Bread, Communion, Prayer after Communion;

5 Essential Goals of Prayer

Concluding Rites: Final Blessing, Dismissal (cf.
CCC (1346-55).
 Thanksgiving
 praise and adoration of God,
Order of Presentation. Given this “stupendous  contrition for our sins,
content and meaning” of the Eucharist, the  petition for His grace,
following exposition begins with the Eucharist  and offering of all we have, do and are.
as thanksgiving worship carried on by and in
the Catholic community’s celebration of the
Lord’s Supper.
TRINITARIAN
This worship is directed towards God the
John Paul II’s triple description Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit.
of the Eucharist is used to
structure the following Thus the Eucharist is essentially an act: Of
exposition of the thanksgiving (eucha-ristein) to the Father
Eucharist: A memorial (anamnesis) of Christ’s Pasch
An invocation (epiclesis) of the Holy Spirit Triple Description of the
Eucharist
CHRIST THE CENTER
SACRIFICE-SACRAMENT

Sacrifice - The Eucharist is a sacrifice because

 The center of the Eucharist as
Christ is present precisely as “offering himself
Thanksgiving Worship is Christ, the
for us as a sacrifice to the Father”.
Supreme Worshipper of the Father.
 For the Eucharist encompasses Christ’s - In the Eucharist, the Death and Resurrection of
whole life of total self-giving to the Christ are not just remembered, but effectively
Father and to us. proclaimed and made present.

FILIPINO CONTEXT The Eucharist is a sacrifice

We Filipinos are moved especially by personal because it:
relationships. Thus, we may understand “Christ
as Center” better through John Paul II’s words
which can be seen as a description of our
“utang na loob” to Christ in our Eucharistic
worship.

 our “Eucharist,” our giving him thanks,

our praise of him for having redeemed us by his

death and having made us sharers in immortal
life through his Resurrection.  represents, makes present, the sacrifice
of the Cross;
 is its memorial; and
OUR SPIRITUAL WORSHIP  applies its fruit

 The Eucharist is our “spiritual worship,

holyand pleasing to God” which St. Paul Therefore the Mass is not a sacrifice separate
commends (cf. Rom 12:1). from the Cross. Rather the sacrifice of the Cross
 For all Christians, the mighty act of God and its sacramental renewal in the Mass are
is Jesus Christ in his Paschal Mystery. ONE and the SAME sacrifice.
 Through him [Christ], with him [Christ],
and in him [Christ]
 In the unity of the Holy Spirit,
 All glory and honor is yours almighty
B. Christ is the Key
Father, for ever and ever.

 For Catholics, the Eucharist is more

than just a “sign” of Christ’s sacrifice
IMMERSED IN DAILY LIFE
without the reality of that sacrifice.
 Rather, the Eucharist is the presence of
Christ’s sacrifice, because Christ’s
The thanksgiving worship is not something sacrifice IS Christ, and Christ is really
separated or removed from daily life. Vatican II present in the Eucharist.
insists on the unity of our daily acts with the  Christ is both Priest and Victim of the
Eucharist. Sacrifice of the Cross, which is
celebrated sacramentally in the
Eucharistic sacrifice.
  It is the whole Christ, Jesus the Head
and all of us as members of His Body,
that celebrates the Eucharist.
 The Eucharist, then, is “the action not
only of Christ, but also of the Church.

Understanding Christ’s New

Sacrifice Lay faithful live Christ’s
priesthood in three
dimensions:
Christ’s sacrifice radically changed the sacrifices
of the Old Covenant with their slaughter of
animals, sprinkling of blood, and the sacrificial  as a consecration to God;
meal.  as mediating God’s plan to transform
“This is my blood, the blood of the Covenant, the world; and
to be poured out in behalf of many for the  as a sacrifice of life together with Christ
forgiveness of sins” (Mt 26:28) celebrated in the Eucharist

Christ’s sacrifice was not to “Do this in remembrance of

placate the wrathful father me”
Christ’s sacrifice was in perfect, loving 1. Biblical Sense of Remembrance
obedience, revealing the Father’s own In the biblical tradition, “remembrance” is not
redeeming love for us. primarily a looking backward to recall a past
In the eyes of the Father: Christ’s sacrifice event, but rather a making present the great
meant that His beloved Son was redeeming the acts of the past which God had worked.
whole universe So the Eucharistic celebration makes present
Christ’s “exodus”, by which he once-for-all took
away sin.
For Christ himself: his death meant the way “to
pass from this world to the Father,” by “loving
his own to the end” (Jn 13:1).
Christians celebrate their
memorial:
DEATH AND RESURRECTION
 Christ’s Resurrection is both the  for deliverance from Egypt, the land of
fulfillment of his sacrificial act and the slavery, but more for the Lord’s
sign of the Father’s acceptance of his Resurrection and Ascension to the
sacrifice. Father;
 As Victim, Christ is the new Passover  for crossing the Red Sea, but more for
Lamb of the Last Supper and of Calvary. their own Baptism delivering them
He IS in his very being the one perfect from sin and death;
sacrifice of love.  for the pillar of fire illumining the desert
at night, but more for Christ the true
guiding Light (cf. Jn 8:12);
The Church Offers  for the manna in the desert, but even
more for the living Bread, given for the
life of the world (cf. Jn 6:51);
 for Moses, the “faithful servant,” but
 Christ entrusted his Eucharist to the
more for Jesus the faithful Son placed
Church.
over us, God’s house (cf. Heb 3:5-6);
  for the springs of living water in the There are two ranks of “Actual
wilderness, but more for the “spring sin”:
welling up to eternal life” (cf. Jn 4:14);
 for the Law of God (Torah) promulgated 1. MORTAL SINS - A bad sin against the law of
on Sinai, but more for the love of God God; it deprives the sinner of sanctifying grace.
poured out into our hearts by the Holy It cuts off our relationship with God.
Spirit (cf. Rom 5:5).
2. VENIAL SINS – A less serious offense against
the law of God; it does not deprive the sinner of
sanctifying grace.
LESSON 6: SACRAMENT
OF PENANCE &
There are three conditions
RECONCILIATION which must exist for a sin to
be MORTAL:

Sacrament of Penance Confession is a great gift

from God. 1. It must be a serious matter; seriously wrong.

The sacrament of Penance is the most powerful 2. The person must know it is seriously wrong.
invention of the love and mercy of God.
3. The person must want/will/choose to do it.
As a Sacrament…

Penance is an outward sign, instituted by Christ

It is up to every Catholic, especially at your age,
to give Grace.
to learn and know the difference between what
is right and what is wrong.

The Sacrament of Penance is

also called… Three (3) Elements
The Sacrament of Conversion 1. Contrition or Repentance
The Sacrament of Confession 2. Confession Satisfaction
3. Contrition or Repentance
The Sacrament of Forgiveness

The Sacrament of Reconciliation

Contrition or Repentance
The Sacrament of Contrition
It is the first step to the celebration of the
We must be aware of what is considered a sin
sacrament. “sorrow of the soul and detestation
which needs to be confessed.
for the sin committed, together with the
resolution not to sin again” (CCC 1451)

ACTUAL SIN are those sins which a person

actually commits. "Actual sin" is an act which is
against the will and law of God.
What if?
The sorrow is due to charity, that is , when one
is sorry for the offense caused to God?
There are two kinds of “Actual
sin”:
- Perfect Contrition
1. SIN OF COMMISSION – These are sins we
choose to do on purpose. The sorrow is due to fear of punishment?

2. SIN OF OMMISSION – These are sins which

happen when we fail to do good
- Imperfect Contrition or
Attrition Confession
  In other words, reconciliation brings us
eye to eye with God once more.
Confession
 It refers to the actual act of
acknowledging our sins before the The 4 Elements of a Good
Lord. Confession
 It is the act of self-accusation of sins
committed after Baptism, made to the
priest to obtain sacramental absolution.
Confession: admitting what you’ve done wrong
and telling sins to the priest.

Contrition: feeling genuinely sorry for doing it…

expressed by saying an “act of contrition”
Satisfaction
Absolution: receiving God’s forgiveness In
 It is the penance imposed on the Jesus’ name
penitent by the confessor for the sins
made known to him in confession. Penance: a task you agree to undertake to
prove you’re sorry/ make up the damage

Nature of the Sacrament

 Jesus said to Peter…
According to the Council of
 “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven
them, and whose sins you retain are Trent (Session 14)
retained.” John 20:23

The Sacrament of Penance is necessary as a

means of salvation for all who have committed
Nature of the Sacrament
mortal sins after Baptism or after their last
Necessity of the Sacrament of confession.
Penance
Jesus came into this world to forgive sins.
Effects of the Sacrament of
 The sins we commit, after Baptism,
Penance
rupture our relationship with God.
 Sin ruins our wholeness. 1. The Sacrament of Penance forgives all
 SIN causes a break and disconnection in sins (mortal and venial);
our relationship with God; a loss of 2. Reconciliation with God through
SANCTIFYING GRACE restoration of sanctifying grace;
3. Reconciliation with the Church;
Restoration 4. Remission of the eternal punishment
incurred by mortal sins;
Sacrament of Reconciliation
5. The restoration of the merits of our
Re = to do something again good works if they have been lost by
mortal sins;
Con = with 6. Peace and serenity of conscience, and
Cilia = an eyelash, or a delicate hair like spiritual consolation; and
structure that resembles one 7. The Sacramental Grace of Penance is a
spiritual force to fight temptations.
Ation = the action of doing something Source: CCC 1468-1470, 1496

 It literally means to once again re-

establish “eyelash to eyelash” contact
in a reconnected relationship.