Let Us Return to the Sacraments

 

Let me preface this post by admitting that although I was raised in the Catholic faith and attended Catholic school from grades K -8, I knew very little about the benefits of receiving the sacraments until I began studying about them at the graduate level at the age of 52. Therefore, I would be extremely overjoyed if this post sheds some light for those much younger on just how fortunate we are as Catholics to have the sacraments at our disposal.

We are privileged because Jesus instituted the sacraments for us during his earthly ministry intending them to be conduits of sanctifying grace. Sanctifying grace is what helps us to be holy. It is that marvelous, supernatural sharing-in-God’s-own-life.

It is disturbing to see friends and family members who have wandered from the practice of their Catholic Faith, who no longer baptize their children, reconcile their relationships with God by seeking His mercy, forgiveness, and peace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession,  or get married in the Church and receive the grace conferred through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, which when cooperated with helps married couples live in accordance with God’s will.

Similar to my own past experience, I believe many Catholics, including fallen away Catholics, no longer practice their Faith, including attendance and participation at Mass and the reception of the sacraments, because they no little about the richness of these awesome gifts given to us by Christ. Perhaps they were never properly taught about the Faith during the formative years, or later in life never bothered to invest the time and effort to learn more about our Catholic Faith. 

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the grace conferred through the reception of the sacraments have not come to us without an enormous price. These gifts were earned by the merits of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through his life, passion, death, and resurrection, which is the reason why they must never be taken for granted. Think about the period during which we could not attend Mass during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is important  also to remember that we must be properly disposed to receive the sacraments and willing to cooperate with the grace conferred. Taking time to learn about the sacraments and the ways in which we can cooperate with the grace they confer is a great way to start.

Believe me, we have God’s riches at our disposal within the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. In these turbulent times, the sacraments are gifts we should receive and cherish often.

Learn a little more about the sacraments by following the two links below:

USCCB / Sacraments

EWTN / The Seven Sacraments

Year of Evangelization

This is the most important invitation anyone can receive! The logo to the left is so beautiful! A depiction of our Lord Jesus Christ welcoming all to return home with open arms! Imagine!

The following explanation of the meaning of The Year of Evangelization is taken directly from the F.A.Q. page of the website Year of Evangelization - Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.

Please take some time to peruse the website and share it with others!

Thank you for visiting! May the peace of our Lord be with you always!

A Tale Of A Good Shepherd And A Lost Sheep

Recently, Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island has clashed with the Catholic Church and Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence regarding the congressman’s public support of a health care reform bill which supports public funding for abortions.

Congressman Kennedy’s public support for the right to choose abortion and his criticism of the Catholic Church’s opposition to the current health care reform bill is in clear contradiction to his claim that he is a practicing Catholic. At this juncture, the bishop would be negligent in not responding to, and caring for a sheep that has wandered from the flock into dangerous surroundings!

All of this has now made national news. Congressman Kennedy claimed in an interview dated November 22, 2009, that Bishop Tobin has forbid him to receive Holy Communion. You may read Bishop Tobin’s response to Kennedy’s claims here.

Catholics should be concerned not so much with the their ability to receive the sacraments, but with whether or not they are properly disposed to receive them. Christ’s sanctifying and saving grace is conferred through the sacraments when the recipient is properly disposed to receive that grace, i.e., receiving the Eucharist in the state of mortal is not the proper disposition toward receiving the Sacrament. The same goes for the sacrament of Confession (Penance, Reconciliation). The recipient asking to be absolved is not properly disposed to the sacrament if he or she is not sincerely contrite, and willing to repent and make every effort to avoid sin in the future.

Discussions on local radio talk shows has served to reveal that many professed Catholics, at least in and around the Diocese of Providence have much to learn about the Faith they claim to be practicing. A professed Catholic is not at liberty to pick and choose which Church doctrine he or she believes and follows, and what he or she does not believe, and thus does not follow. The Church has one teaching authority, the Magisterium, whose teachings are the true teachings received from Jesus Christ and passed on through apostolic succession over the centuries up to the present day.

We cannot profess the Catholic Faith and then do what we want concerning abortion, contraception, and reception of the sacraments etc.!

As Catholics, and I include myself, we need to spend much more time learning about and practicing our Faith, then on doing things that do little to enhance the quality of our life here on earth, much less our eternal life!

This is a wake up call for the Catholic Church. We are in dire need of better ways in which to educate the faithful and evangelize the truth. We need to pray more often and more fervently, not only for ourselves, but for our Holy Father, our bishops and priests and all the clergy and religious, all catechists, all political leaders, and everyone throughout the world who does not know Christ, or does not think that Christ is essential in their lives!

Let us pray for Bishop Tobin, that he remain close to our Lord, and continue to courageously and boldly proclaim and stand by the truth as he shepherds his flock! And let us pray for Congressman Kennedy, and all Catholics, whom have strayed and are wandering, that they may safely return home!

Lenten Parish Mission

Click on the title of this post and you will be able to hear Father William Casey, C.P.M., in his Lenten Parish Mission presentation seen on EWTN this month, present the truth about the Catholic Church as it undergoes an onslaught of attacks brought on by Satan's longstanding desire to destroy it!

Remember, the Church has come under attack many times during its past 2000 year history, but still remains and will remain until the end of the age!

Why?

Because Jesus said these words to Peter, "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." (Matt 16:18)

Fr. Casey's message is timely for all Catholics, especially for those who have drifted away! So please take a few minutes to seek the truth!