SELF-LEARNING MATERIALS

GRADE 12 THEOLOGY 3

FAITH: THE HUMAN PERSON’S RESPONSE TO GOD’S REVELATION

Objectives

 To identify the authentic meaning of faith as man’s response to God’s Revelation

 To appreciate the importance of faith in one’s life
 To live out the faith in our relationship with our neighbors by rendering justice to them.

Definition of Faith

The Act of faith is a supernatural assent of the human intellect through which a truth revealed by
God is believed on the authority of God who reveals it.

 It is a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior to commit ourselves to him by
following, knowing and loving him.

 It is confident assurance concerning what we hope for and conviction about things we do not
see (Heb. 11:1)

Characteristics of Faith

1. Total and absolute- only faith in God calls for a total and absolute adherence (CCC 150).
Christ is the example of this total and absolute commitment to God.
Already the Old Testament contrasted faith “in man in whom there is no salvation” with faith in
“the Lord who made heaven and earth . . . who shall reign forever” (cf. Ps 146:3,5-6,10; Jer
17:5-8). Only Faith in God calls for a total and absoluteadherence (cf. CCC 150). Christ himself
provides, especially in his Passion, Death and Resurrection, the best example of this total and
absolute commitment to God.
2. Trinitarian- faith is adherence to the Triune God revealed through Jesus Christ. This faith
consists in our personal conviction and belief in the Holy Trinity.
For us Christians, Faith is our adherence to the Triune God revealed through Jesus Christ our
Lord. It is our friendship with Christ and through Christ with the Father, in their Holy Spirit.
Through Christ’s witness to his Father in his teaching, preaching, miracles, and especially in
his Passion, Death and Resurrection, we come to believe in Christ our Savior, in the Father,
and in the Holy Spirit sent into our hearts. Our Faith as Catholics, then, consists in our
personal conviction and belief in God our Father, revealed by Jesus Christ, His own divine
Son-made-man, and their presence to us through the Holy Spirit, in the Church (cf. PCP II 64;
CCC 151-52).
3. Loving, Maturing and Missionary- faith is inseparable from love of God and neighbour. It
impels us to a mission to evangelize ( 1 Cor. 9:16)
Our Christian Faith is truly life-giving and mature only through love, for “the man without love
has known nothing of God, for God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). And to be Christian, this love must be
inseparably love of God and love of neighbor, like Christ’s. Such a missionary spirit is the test
of authentic Faith because it is unthinkable that a person should believe in Christ’s Word and
Kingdom without bearing witness and proclaiming it in his turn (cf. EN 24; PCP II 67-71, 402).
 This means we are all called to share in Christ’s own three-fold mission as priest, prophet and
king (cf. PCP II 116- 21; LG 10-13)
4. Informed and Communitarian- faith means believing in Jesus’ word and accepting his
teachings, trusting that he has the words of eternal life.
It must be communitarian since it is the Church that transmits to us Christ’s revelation.
5. Inculturated- we have to live our faith in God in our daily relationship
This Catholic faith in God and in Jesus Christ is never separated from the typical Filipino faith
in family and friends. On the one hand, we live out our faith in God precisely in our daily
relationships with family, friends, fellow workers, etc. On the other hand, each of these is
radically affected by our Catholic Faith in God our Father, in Jesus Christ His only begotten
Son, our Savior, and in their Holy Spirit dwelling within us in grace. “This is how all will know
you for my disciples: your love for one another” (Jn 13:35; cf. PCP II 72-73, 162, 202-11).

Three Essential Dimensions of Faith

1. Believing- faith is knowing, a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ as “your Lord and God”
Faith involves our basic convictions as Christians. “For if you confess with your lips that Jesus
is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead; you will be saved” (Rom
10:9). John sums up his Gospel with: “These things have been recorded to help you believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that through this faith you may have life in his
name” (Jn 20: 31). Faith, then, is knowing, but not mere “head knowledge” of some abstract
truths. It is like the deep knowledge we have of our parents, or of anyone we love dearly.
Christ solemnly assures each of us: “Here I stand knocking at the door. If anyone hears me
calling and opens the door, I will enter his house, and have supper with him, and he with me”
(Rv 3:20).
2. Doing- what is it to profess faith without practicing it? (Jas. 2:14). Faith is a commitment to
follow Christ (witnessing through loving service)
But besides believing, faith is also doing. As St. James writes: “My brothers, what good is it to
profess faith without practicing it?” (Jas 2:14). Christ himself taught: “None of those who cry
out ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father
in heaven” (Mt 7:21). Faith, then, is a commitment to follow (obey) God’s will for us. This we
see exemplified in Mary’s “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say” (Lk
1:38). PCP II brings out this “doing” dimension of faith as “witnessing” through “loving service”
of our needy neighbors. In our concrete situation, particularly urgent is the call for: 1) deeds of
justice and love; and 2) for protecting and caring for our endangered earth’s environment (cf.
PCP II 78-80).
3. Entrusting and worshipping- faith is trusting. It lives and grows through prayer and worship.
Faith, then, is from the heart - the loving, trusting, and hoping in the Lord that comes from
God’s own love flooding our hearts. This trusting Faith “lives and grows through prayer and
worship” -personal heartfelt conversation with God that is the opposite of mindless, mechanical
repetition of memorized formulas. Genuine personal prayer and group prayer find both their
inspirational source and summit of perfection in the Liturgy, the Catholic community’s official
public Trinitarian worship of the Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the Holy Spirit (cf.
PCP II 74-77).

Paradoxical Characteristics of Faith

1. Certain, yet Obscure- Certain because it rests on God who reveals himself in the person of
Christ, present to us in Spirit.

Obscure because we believe in is more than we can ever fully comprehend.

 2. Free yet morally Obliging-Faith is a free response (personal decision) yet we are bound, not
coerced, to God.

3. Reasonable yet Beyond Natural Reason

Faith does not conflict our reason yet it is a grace that enlightens our mind
4. An Act yet a Process
It is a personal decision. It is a way of life within the Christian community
5. A Gift yet Doing
A gift because it is a grace of God yet it is something we do
6. Personal, yet Ecclesial
It is a personal act yet is supported and intensified by the Church

Many Filipino Catholics probably learn more about Faith from their devotion to the Virgin Mary than
any other way. This is perfectly grounded in Scripture which portrays Mary as the exemplar of faith.
Through her “Yes” at the Annunciation, Mary “becomes the model of faith” (AMB 35; cf. CCC 148).
Luke stresses the contrast between Mary’s faith and the disbelief of Zachary by Elizabeth’s greeting.
“Blest is she who trusted that Lord’s words to her would be fulfilled” (Lk 1:20, 45). John Paul II writes
that “in the expression ‘Blest are you who believed’ we can rightly find a kind of ‘key’ which unlocks
for us the innermost reality of Mary, whom the angel hailed as ‘full of grace’ ” (cf. RMa 19). 156. Mary
perfectly exemplified the common definitions of faith as “full submission of intellect and will” and the
“obedience of faith” (Rom 16:26; 1:5; cf. DV 5). But she did it personally, Mary: woman of faith

Mary is the New Eve

Eve: woman of disobedience

Mary: woman of obedience through her “yes” at the annunciation

The creed

 Syntheses of faith

 professions of faith

 Creeds

 Symbols of faith

Baptism: First profession of faith (Baptismal creed); belief in the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit

Division: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Functions of creed

1. Summary of beliefs

a. for communicating the Christian message

b. for grounding its own ever deepening insight into Christ’s truth

c. for uniting Catholics in their common commitment to Christ

d. for inter-religious dialogue

2. Pledge of Loyalty

-public confessions of faith

-offers praise and thanksgiving to God

- pledge of loyalty to the Church

3. Proclamation of Identity
 -It identifies who we are and what we stand for as disciples of Christ, united in his Church

It helps the Catholics:

1. to unite us to a worshipping community

2. to guide our affective religiosity and devotional piety

3. to interpret our daily experiences in Catholic manner

4. dialogue with non- Christians

Two principal creeds

1. Apostles Creed- faith of the apostles. Originated from the apostles.

Apostles Creed is divided into three parts and twelve articles.

2. Nicene-Contantinopolitan Creed- profession of faith of the Councils of Nicaea and

Constantinople

Others:

1. Athanasian Creed or Quicumque

2. Councils: Toledo, Lateran, Lyons, Trent

3. Popes: Fides Damasi, Credo of the People of God

NATURE AND NECESSITY OF FAITH

To believe means to accept a thing as true because a reliable witness attests it. Certain sciences
postulate Faith as geography, history, and natural science; the pupil takes on faith concerning the
truths of the Christian Religion, for we must accept as true whatever Christ has taught. This belief in
Christ’s teaching we call Christian faith.

Christian faith is the firm conviction, arrived at with the grace of God that all Jesus Christ Catholic
Church teaches by the commission she has received from Him.

At the Last Supper Our Lord said, “‘this is my body’ ”, “‘This is my blood’ ” although the apostles had
the evidence of their senses that what lay before them was only bread and wine, yet they believed
that the words of Christ were true. The Holiness of the life of Christ, the numerous miracles that He
worked, His predictions that were fulfilled had convinced the apostles that He was the son of God and
that every word that He was true. St. Pauls calls faith “the evidence of things that are not seen” (Heb.
11:1)

Christian faith never renders reason superfluous, for it requires both the understanding and the will.
Pope Pius IX declared that the use of reason precedes faith, he first inquires whether the truth
proposed for his assent has actually been revealed by God.

Christian faith is concerned with many things which we cannot perceive with our senses and cannot
grasp with our understanding.

Remember: It is not true that the teaching of religion contradict the findings of science.

The physical sciences, because of their many hypotheses and theories, frequently are in conflict with
another. But there can be no contradiction between true science and religion, because the same god
who reveals the same mysteries and infuses faith, created the light of reason in the human soul, and
He cannot deny himself nor ever contradict a single truth.
Faith is absolutely necessary for salvation and for the performance of good works. Without faith there
is no salvation, as Christ clearly states: “He who does not believe shall be condemned.”( Mark 16:16)

Faith alone is not sufficient for salvation. We must conform our lives to the dictates of faith and must
profess it publicly.

The Absence and Loss of Faith

Faith is the road to heaven. Unhappily, there are many who do not follow it; either they have not
found the road, or they have wondered from it. Those who do not possess the Christian Faith are
infidels, heretics, or adherents of some false philosophy such as liberalism, modernism, rationalism or
free thought.

 Infidels are those who do not have or rejects the faith.

 Heretics are those who though baptized and retaining the name of Christian adhere to a
religious sect that repudiates some truths which must be believed as of divine and Catholic
faith.
 Those who profess liberalism, modernism, or rationalism do not have the Christian Faith.
 Indifferentism is the absence of firm religious conviction and arises from doubts concerning
matters of faith.
 Free thinkers are those who do not wish to know anything about god of religion.

Everyone who fearlessly confesses his faith before men will be rewarded both in this life and in the
next. But those who do not will suffer for their neglect.

The Sign of the Cross

A Catholic makes confession of his faith most frequently by the sign of the cross. We should
often make the Sign of the Cross especially when we rise in the morning and when we retire to rest,
before and after our prayer, before and after meals, whenever we are tempted to sin, and when we
have important duty to perform.

CATHOLIC WORSHIP
OBJECTIVES
 To understand the meaning of authentic Catholic worship
 To define and explain what liturgy is
 To render worship to God as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier through daily prayer and
liturgical worship.
INTRODUCTION
“Lord God, heavenly King,
Almighty God and Father:
We worship you, we give you thanks
We praise for your glory.”
 This expresses our Christian loving worship of the one living God
 It is natural to us, Filipinos
 It flows from our inborn gratitude for the gift of life
Worship is interior reverence and homage offered to Divine Majesty through words
and actions in public ritual

It includes
 Inner attitude of reverence and homage before the divine Majesty
  Outward expression in signs of words, actions, songs, dances usually enacted in
public ritual
Worship in the Scripture
OLD TESTAMENT:
1. Acceptable worship:
“You shall not have other gods besides me… you shall not bow down before them
or worship them” (Dt. 5:6-9)
2. True worship consists not in words on the lips but in deeds from the heart
-authentic worship means doing good and rendering justice to the poor, widow and
orphan (cf. Is. 1:11-17; 58: 1-10; Amos 5:21-24)
NEW TESTAMENT
Jesus purified worship by linking it directly with daily moral living (Jn. 4:23)
He denounced empty ritualism
WORSHIP ACCORDING TO PCP II
Worship can be expressed on different levels
1. Personal prayer and devotion
2. Group prayer
3. Official liturgical worship (the source and summit of our prayer life)- it has
communal and ceremonial/ritual qualities
Adoration: Expression of Worship
Adoration:
1. Absolute Latria: due to God alone
2. Relative Latria: any symbol of God
Veneration:
1. Absolute Hyperdulia: Due to the Blessed Virgin Mary
2. Relative Hyperdulia: images of Mary
3. Dulia: Created supernatural- excellence for angels and saints
RITUAL
Ritual in the broadest meaning, includes both secular and religious ceremonies
It is basically a social, programmed symbolic activity that has the power for
creating, communicating, criticizing and even transforming the basic meaning of
community life.
It creates social bonding and relationship
Authentic religious rituals develop personal relationship with God through
actions characterized by four constant traits:

CHARACTERISTICS OF RITUAL
1. Symbolic- using natural signs to make present the divine involving a certain
consecration thus it is:
2. Consecratory- enables the participants to share in the divine power or love
 3. Repetitive- designed to be repeated linking with the past and the religious event that
ritual is celebrated
4. Remembrance

CHRISTIAN PRAYER

Learning Objectives:
To know the real meaning of prayer
To live our prayer life to our social relationship
To develop the students’ prayer life

FILIPINOS AND PRAYER

Filipinos are known for being “spirit oriented”: Noted for openness to the sacred, transcendent
dimension of life
Result: this characteristic provides a sound cultural basis for Christian life
From these we learned:
1. God is the creator and Lord of all
2. Christ is our Savior
3. Mary as our spiritual mother
Religious and devotional practices:
 play a key role in the faith-life of the Filipinos
 yet separated from the totality of life
“In the Philippines, worship has unfortunately been often separated from the totality of life” (PCP II
167)
 Separation of prayer life and moral life (split spirituality)
 Gap between private devotions and piety and the Church’s liturgy
Spirituality, morality Need: renewal in worship (active and affective worship)

MISCONCEPTIONS ON PRAYER

PRAYER IS NOT:

1. A private and individualistic thing

2. Obligation impose to us

3. Doing a favor to God- promising extra prayers to gain special favors

Remember: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5)

CHRISTIAN PRAYER

It is a loving, conscious, personal relationship with God, our all loving, good Father, who has
adopted us through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit (CFC 1475)
It is an “intimate conversation with God, who we know, loves us” (St. Teresa of Avila)

Remember: Authentic prayer is always Trinitarian

PRAYER IN SCRIPTURE

(Old Testament (Is. 58:6-9)

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:

Setting those bound unjustly…

Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;

Sharing your bread with the hungry,

Sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;

Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning back on your own.

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn…

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,

You shall cry for help, and he will say:

“Here I am!”

Authentic prayer, then, is always rooted in the heart, and related to neighbor in loving
compassion and service.
In the Book of Psalms, we can find the master work of the Spirit’s instruction in prayer

In the Book of Psalm we can find:

1. Joy of the believer (Ps.1:1-2)

2. Praise of the Creator (Ps.8:2)
3. Longing for God (Ps. 42:2)
4. Sorrow and contrition (Ps. 5:1-3)
5. Trust and confidence in the Lord (Ps. 23:1)
*Christian prayer, then, is directly addressed to God, our Creator
New Testament
Spirit’s action is shown first in Jesus’ own prayer (baptism, choosing of his apostles, transfiguration,
passion and on the cross), then in the prayer of his disciples
and Lord, while involving and intrinsic relation to one’s neighbor.

 Last Supper- the great priestly prayer

 Jesus is both perfect model and teacher of prayer

Spirit unites us to Christ since he leads us to pray:

1. Only the grace of the Holy Spirit that links us interiorly to Christ making us his disciples

2. We have to accept and cooperate with this grace by FAITH

FORMS OF PRAYER KINDS OF PRAYER

1. Vocal prayer: it comes from the mind and heart and is
1. Adoration
spoken by lips
2. Thanksgiving 2. Meditation: attentive reflection on the mysteries of
faith
3. Contemplative prayer: loving communion with God as
we look at him and listen to him in simple faith and
 3. Petition

4. Contrition

5. Offering

WHY DO WE PRAY? HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?

1. To adore God We should pray with:

2. To thank God
3. To obtain forgiveness from God
4. To ask graces and blessing
LEVELS OF PRAYER
1. Private or personal prayer
1. Attention
2. Conviction of our own helplessness
and our dependence upon God
3. Great desire for the graces we beg of
him
4. Loving trust in his goodness
5. Perseverance

 rosary
"Why do you sleep? Rise and
 novenas
pray that you may not enter into
 devotion to patron saints temptation.“ (Lk. 22:26)
 meditations etc
2. Public or communal prayer

These levels of prayers are complementary

LITURGY
OBJECTIVES
 Explain the importance of liturgy in Christian worship
 Create their own Paschal Autobiography to show their journey towards moral life
 Celebrate liturgy with full conscious and active participation.

COMMON CONCEPTIONDS OF LITURGY

Liturgy: “rubrics” or what priests do around altar in ceremonial worship
Liturgy meant everything that all Christian did in taking part in God’s work, the divine plan to
sum up all things in Christ which includes divine worship, proclamation of the word of God and
service to neighbor
Liturgy: As official public worship
Meaning of Liturgy
 Etymologically, liturgy came from a Greek word Leitourgia which means “public duty or work or
a public worship”.
Today’s Understanding
It is the “official public worship of the Church”
PCP II stresses on the “full, active participation of the whole People of God and the essential
inner connection of liturgy with social action”

VATICAN II’s UNDERSTANDING

Liturgy is an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ in which our human sanctification is
manifested by sign perceptible to the senses and is effected in a way proper to each of these signs,
so that full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, by the head and his
members
In the broadest and deepest sense:
Liturgy is the proclamation, manifestation and celebration not only of Christ and His Paschal
Mystery, but also of the Church’ s own mystery and mission as universal sacrament of salvation, and
of the whole world and the temporal order, consecrated and ordered to its Creator and Final Goal

Vatican II’s Understanding

The liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church (preaching of the Gospel, inviting
all to faith, conversion, observance of Christ’s commandments and works of charity, are
explicitly mentioned)
The Council affirms that “liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of the Church is
directed, and the fountain from which all her power flows” (SC 9-10)
Essential Qualities
 Trinitarian and Paschal
 The Church’s liturgical prayer is directed to the Father, through His Son, in the Holy
Spirit
 The liturgy celebrates the actual salvation worked by the Blessed Trinity.
 Ecclesial
 Liturgy is the prayer of the Church gathered in assembly, an ecclesial activity celebrated
by the whole CHRIST, Head and members
 It is the action of Jesus Christ the Priest and at the same time an activity of the
community.
 Sacramental
Liturgy celebrates the Church’s prayer through a pattern of symbolic, ritual movements,
gestures and verbal formulas that create framework within which the corporate worship
of the Church can take place
Examples: natural symbols and humanly produces symbols
 Ethically oriented
The liturgy relates directly to moral life since it empowers the people of God to full Christian
discipleship
Concretely liturgical worship and Christian morality, both personal and social, go together.
 Eschatological
the liturgy makes present Christ’s saving Paschal Mystery whereby He inaugurated God’s rule,
the Kingdom
The liturgy commemorates Christ’s past saving Mystery, demonstrates the present grace
effects brought about by Christ, and points to the future glory yet to come, which is operative
now.
Liturgical Calendar and Seasons
The Church Year is divided into different seasons;
a) Advent Season
b) Christmas Season
c) Lenten Season
d) Easter Season
e) Ordinary Season or Season of the Year
ADVENT SEASON
Advent Season – the Church begins with her calendar year with this season.
 -Four Sundays before Christmas.
 It is usually starts on Sunday nearest to November 30.
Theme: a preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth. The second coming of Christ.
 Implications
1. Spiritual preparation for the celebration of the birth of Christ (Christmas)
2. Preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus
The Liturgical color: purple or violet. (symbolizing the sovereignty of Christ.)

CHRISTMAS SEASON
– shortest season in the Church calendar. Starts on Dec. 25.
Ends on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Theme: celebration of the manifestation of Jesus to the world (recalling his real birth, epiphany, the
presentation of the Lord at the Temple, and the Baptism at the Jordan River)
Sunday after Christmas Day is the Feast of the Holy Family and the following Sunday is the
Feast of the Epiphany
Sunday after Epiphany is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which is the first Sunday of Ordinary
Time.
The liturgical colors: White and Gold symbolizing joy in the light of day.

LENTEN SEASON
Starts: on Ash Wednesday. -A time for penance.
 This corresponds to the forty day-fasting of Christ in the desert and his temptation, and the
forty-year journey of Israel from slavery to a new community.
Theme: Triumph of Jesus over Suffering and Death.
Colors used in this season are Violet, White or Gold and Red.
On Maundy Thursday, the color White or Gold
Red- Palm/Passion Sunday and the next three days of Holy Week.
Easter Season – center of the Christian life
Most important event celebrated in the Church year.
Starts at the first Sunday after the first full moon of springtime – that is March 22 and April 25.
Easter is the season of Joy and the sign of Hope, joy for Christ’s triumph over death and hope for
resurrection for all Christians.
The liturgical color: White or Gold.
Pentecost Sunday: Red
Red color reminds the congregation of fire—the symbol of the Holy Spirit.
The Sunday after Pentecost is the Trinity Sunday the color again is White or Gold.
Ordinary Season: longest season in the Church calendar
Consists of 34 Sundays, the last of which is the Solemnity of Christ the King.
Then the Advent Season follows on the following Sunday (First Sunday of Advent).
The liturgical color: Green which symbolizes hope and growth.
Liturgical Colors
1. White or Gold
2. Red
 3. Green
4. Purple or Violet
5. Pink CHRIS
White or Gold – represents purity and joy. TMAS
Used in the following seasons: White
ADVENT ORDINARY TIME
1. Christmas Violet Green

2. Easter
3. Feast of Jesus and Mary
LENTEN
4. Feasts of Angels and Confessors ORDINARY TIME
SEASON
Green
Violet
5. Solemnities EAST
Red – symbolizes fire and blood which means martyrdom. ER
Used in the following seasons: White
1. Pentecost
2. Feasts of the Apostles and Martyrs
3. Feasts or commemoration of the passion of our Lord (Holy Week) and the Sacred Relics
(Feast of the Holy Cross)
Green – symbolizes hope and growth.
It is used during the Ordinary Season except on Feasts which require different colors.
Purple or Violet – it is a penitential color which symbolizes sorrow and repentance.
It is used in the Advent and Lenten Season.

SACRAMENT & SACRAMENTALS

OBJECTIVES
To differentiate sacraments from sacramentals
To lead the students to constant reception of the sacraments
To ask God’s grace through by receiving the sacraments

Meaning of Sacrament
Etymologically, sacrament came from Latin word “sacramentum” which means a pledge of
loyalty to the Roman Emperor.
The words ‘sacra’ means sacred and ‘mentum’ meaning “thing”, or “sign”

The Church understanding of the Sacraments can be viewed under the following aspects:

a.) The Sacraments as Acts of Christ

The Catechism defines sacrament as “an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.”
Christ is truly alive and active in the sacramental liturgy.
He alone instituted them and entrusted them to the Church.
b.) The Sacraments as Acts of the Church
Christ acts within the Church through her members, the ordained ministers and the lay
faithful.
The Sacraments are also acts of the Church for through her Christ is active and alive in
the celebration of the sacraments..
Hence the sacraments are efficacious channels of God’s grace because in them Christ Himself is at
work:
Christ is the one baptizing, he is the one acting in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace
that each sacrament signifies. Thus in the case of a minister administering the sacrament not in the
state of grace, the effectiveness of the sacrament is not lost.The liturgical expression “ex opera operato”
(literally: “by the very fact of the action’s being performed”), explains this.

-It means that the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the
recipient but by the power of God.

c.)The Sacraments as Signs of Faith

The sacraments are signs of faith since they symbolize the faith of the community that
celebrates them.
Without faith there is no sacrament and no grace. The Sacraments are special moments of
dialogue between Jesus and us. Without faith no such dialogue is possible.

d.) The Sacraments as celebrations of life

The sacraments celebrate the mystery of daily life as graced by the presence of God.
Our Christian life is sanctified by Christ everyday but most especially in the celebration of the
sacraments.

Sacrament therefore is the effective sign of grace instituted by Christ.

SACRAMENTS

Ancient Classification:

A. Sacraments of the Dead

1. Baptism

2. Confession and reconciliation

B. Sacraments of the Living

1. Confirmation

2. Eucharist

3. Anointing of the sick

4. Matrimony

5. Holy Orders

SACRAMENTS: MODERN CLASSIFICATION

Healing
Initiation 1. Confession
1. Baptism
2. Anointing of the sick
2. Confirmation
3. Service
3. Holy Eucharist
4. Matrimony
5. Holy Orders

SACRAMENTS: MATTERS AND FORM

The outward sign of the sacraments is composed of two essential parts: thing and word

matter: things (remote) and actions (proximate) used in the sacraments

form: words used in the sacraments

MEANING OF SACRAMENTALS
Sacramentals are holy things and actions of which the Church makes use to obtain for us spiritual
and temporal favors from God.

Sacramentals are instituted by the Church for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church,
certain states of life and the use of things helpful to man.

Unlike the sacraments, sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way
sacraments do.

But through the prayer of the Church they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to
cooperate with it.

Unlike sacraments, sacramentals may be presided over by lay people though not all.

VARIOUS FORMS OF SACRAMENTALS

Blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) Exorcism, Marian devotions, novenas

THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM

OBJECTIVES
 Explain Baptism as a Sacrament of initiation
 Live the faith received in baptism
 Thank God for the gift of faith and forgiveness through prayers
Common Understanding
Social event
Registration to the Church
 Nominal Catholics- Catholics only by name not in actions and deeds. This results mostly from
being baptized because of the prevalent “socialization process”[ we are by tradition Catholics
here], not by personal conviction and commitment to Christ.
 Baptism is a sacrament which man, being washed with water in the name of the Three Divine
Persons is spiritually reborn
NAME OF THE SACRAMENT
1. Baptism- Gk. Word baptizein meaning to plunge or to immerse
2. Washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit
3. Enlightenment

THREE KINDS OF BAPTISM

1. Baptism of Desire
2. Baptism of Blood
3. Baptism of Water

FOUNDATION
Biblical Foundations
a. Gen.1:2 – water has been the source of life and fruitfulness; Scripture sees it as
“overshadowed” by the Spirit of God.
b. 1 Pt. 3:20 – in Noah’s ark, a few, that is, eight persons were saved
through water.
c. crossing of the Red Sea
d. crossing of the Jordan River
e. Ez. 36:25
f. Jesus’ Baptism – in order to fulfill all righteousness; a manifestation of his self- emptying. (Mt. 3:13,
15; Phil. 2:7)
g. blood and water – which flowed out from the side of Jesus are types of Baptism and Eucharist.
(Jn.19:34, 1 Jn. 5:6-8), from then on it is possible to be born of water and spirit (Jn. 3:5)
Effects of Baptism
1. New life in union with Christ
2. Removal of the original sin
3. Incorporation into the Church
4. Sharing in Christ’s mission
5. Indelible spiritual character
EFFECTS OF BAPTISM
New Life in union with Christ
- described as dying and rising with Christ in Baptism.
- symbolized by being immersed into and coming out of the water.
Removal of the Original Sin
- symbolized by the washing with water
- “original sin” -the sinful state resulting from the first sin.
- freedom form sin means indwelling of the Holy Spirit through gifts and fruits.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of the Lord
Theological Virtues
1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Charity
Moral Virtues
1. Temperance
2. Justice
3. Prudence
4. Fortitude
Fruits of the Holy Spirit
1. love 6. Generosity 11. longanimity
2. joy 7. Faithfulness 12. modesty
3. peace 8. gentleness
4. patience 9. self-control
5. kindness 10. Humility

Incorporation into the Church

- we become members of the Church
- brings about Christian responsibilities.
Sharing in Christ’s Mission
- three-fold office of Christ:
a. prophetic - preaching
b. priestly - worship
c. kingly – service
Indelible Spiritual Character
- a seal that can never be erased by mortal sin or even by death.
- thus renders the Sacrament of Baptism non-repeatable.
Ministers and Recipients
a. ordinary ministers = bishops, priests, deacons
 b. extraordinary ministers = any person may baptize (in cases of necessity) using the prescribed
formula for baptism
Anybody who are not yet baptized
Symbols and Meanings
1. Anointing with Chrism – sign of the royal priesthood and enrolment into the company of the
People of God.
2. White Garment – symbol of their new dignity and new life with Christ.
3. Lighted Candle – shows their vocation to live as befits children of light.
Necessity of Baptism
Necessary for salvation, without, no one can enter the Kingdom of God
Types: baptism by water, by blood and by desire

MATTER AND FORM

Matter
Remote matter: true and natural water
Proximate matter: immersion, outpouring sprinkling of water
Form: “Name…I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
OBJECTIVES

 To understand the nature and effects of the sacrament of Confirmation

 To be faithful defenders of our Church
 To develop intimate communion with God through personal prayers and witnessing

DEFINITION

-A sacrament by which, by the imposition of hands, anointing and prayer, a baptized person is filled
with the Holy Spirit for inner strengthening of the supernatural life and for the courageous outward
confession of faith.
 Confirmation makes us soldiers of Christ. It is the sacrament of Catholic Action. Christian warfare,
fighting under the standard of Christ, is also altruistic. It is the apostolate considered under the
aspect of struggle and sacrifice. In apostolate, the individual is bond to encounter so many
obstacles and so many perils. Every person who fights for the cause of Christ; he gives testimony
to Christ by his militant actions. In Confirmation he is commissioned officially and is charged
sacramentally with the duty of extending his activities to others.

A sacrament of the fullness of grace and as “that sacrament in which strength is conferred on the
regenerate. St. Thomas Aquinas

-Gives us the Holy Spirit in a special way, to make us strong and mature Christian, witness of Jesus
Christ, lay apostles of the Catholic Church.

-Also known as laying on of hands or chrismation (anointing with chrism)

EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION

1.Strengthening the Gifts of Baptism

2.Unites us more firmly to Christ
3.Makes our bond with the Church more perfect
4.Special strength to become witnesses of Christ
Biblical Foundation

Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17

"Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent
them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for
it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit."
Matter, Form, Minister
Matter - Holy Chrism Oil
Form - “(Name) be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Ministers - BISHOPS – ordinary ministers
PRIESTS - extraordinary minister ( in case of necessity)
Recipient - Every baptized person who is not confirmed, at the age of discretion (about 11 or 12), or
the danger of death.
The candidate for Confirmation must receive the sacrament in the state of grace.
Sponsor- should not stand for more than one or two candidate. Confirmation entails the relationship
between the confirmed person and the sponsor, in virtue of which the sponsor is obliged to take a
special and perpetual interest in the welfare of his godchild and see to it the he or she receives a
Christian education and that he or she leads a Christian Life.
 A sponsor must himself confirmed, not be a member of a heretical or schismatic sect.
 The sponsor must be physically touch the candidate during the act of Confirmation either
personally or by proxy.

Essential Rite

Anointing the forehead of the baptized with the sacred chrism together with the laying on of the
minister's hand and recitation of the form.

Necessary to complete the baptismal grace.

The Holy Spirit as a source of all good gifts helps us see what is right and give us the courage to
avoid what is wrong.
The Holy Spirit guides us in our lives and makes us trust in God, especially in times of temptation and
problems. Through the Holy Spirit, we become more like Christ: loving and kind. (CFC, 1283,
1315)

The following are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit Short Reflection

Fear of the Lord A reverent worship of God, who is holy, almighty and Lord of all.

Piety Our Obedience and faithfulness to God both in words and actions
because we are God’s children.

Courage or Fortitude Strength of mind, heart, spirit in living out our Christian faith amidst
difficult.

Counsel Ability to listen and understand God’s will in the daily events of our
lives.

Knowledge Capacity to have an understanding of God’s love where discovers

more about Jesus.

Understanding Ability to put ourselves into the situation of other persons so that
we can know better how to help and support them.

Wisdom Capacity to judge what is right from wrong and thus, do what is
righteous in every situation.
 SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
OBJECTIVES:

 Understand the meaning of ministerial priesthood

 Respect the priests as the “other-Christ”
 Pray for the priests of the Church
Vocation
• The vocation of every Christian is to response to Christ’s call
• Characteristic: Trinitarian (grounded in the Father’s free loving choice, who blesses us in his
Son and sealed us with the Holy Spirit
• Church: the “begetter and educator of vocation”
• What is true to Christian vocation is also true to priestly vocation
• “The call by the sacrament of Holy Orders received in the Church, to place oneself at the
service of the People of God with a particular belonging and configuration to Jesus Christ, and
with the authority of acting in the person of Him who is head and the shepherd of the Church.”
JPII

Definition and Nature

• Holy Order is the “sacrament of apostolic ministry”
• Through it the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the
Church to the end of time
• Order – a group or governing body.
• Ordination – incorporation into an “ordo” (order);
• the liturgical rite by which a person is set apart and prepared for the ministerial
priesthood.
• The sacramental act that integrates a man into the order of bishops (episcoporum),
priests (presbyterorum), and deacons (diaconorum)

Biblical Foundation
1. Old Testament – God chose one of the twelve sons of Israel, Levi, and his descendants, and
set them apart for liturgical service where He
Himself was their inheritance.
(Lev. 8:1-12).
- imperfect sacrifice
2. New Testament
Four Basic Dimensions of Christian Ministry
1. Disciple
2. Apostle
3. Presbyter
4. Presider at the Eucharist

Christ as the Unique Priest

• Christ is the unique high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:10), holy, blameless,
unstained (Heb. 7:26), by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified.
• Why unique?
• Jesus is unique mediator of the New Covenant between God and man
• Because of his being (God-made-man)
• Because of his actions
• Because of his whole life
• Christ Shares His Priesthood
• “With the definitive sacrifice of the cross , Jesus communicated to all his disciples the dignity
and mission of priests of the New and eternal Covenant” (cf. Mk. 3:14-15)
Kinds
Two Kinds of Priesthood
1. Common priesthood of the faithful through Baptism
Because we were baptized and confirmed, we belong to the Church and share in her mission.
When we offer worship to God, do what is right, andbring others closer to God, we share in the
priesthood of Christ.
2. Ministerial priesthood through the Holy Orders
They differed yet ordered to one another
 Because they are called priests, some men minister to the needs of the community as servant-
leaders. (CFG 1960,1963)

Degrees of Holy Orders

1. Deaconate
2. Priesthood
3. Episcopate

Role of Each Order

Role of the Bishops:
– To teach
– To govern
– To sanctify
– Successors of the apostles who receive the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
They serve as the head and shepherds of the Church.
Role of the Priests:
– Co-workers of the bishops in the building of the parish community. They preside over
the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Reconciliation, Marriage and Anointing of
the Sick.
Role of the Deacons:
– To serve the People of God in liturgy, in preaching and in works of charity
(CFC, 1985)

Vow of Ordained Priest

All ordained priest take the vow of celibacy, that is, not getting married, and the vow of
obedience. Religious priests also have the vow of poverty.

Vow of Celibacy
• Celibacy – the renunciation of the right to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
- St. Paul: enabling the person to serve Christ with greater freedom

Vow of Obedience
 Obedience- serving god humbly by being faithful to their calling and mission. They gave to
their superiors their filial obedience and love.

Vow of Poverty
 Poverty- giving up their desire for riches and material possessions so that each of them may
become witness to a life where God in one’s ultimate desire. This is to be shown in their simple
lifestyle and their great concern for the poor.

Sacrament of Holy Orders

• Symbols and Meanings:
Matter: laying on of hands – along with the anointing of chrism is the sign of being
chosen, anointed, empowered and ordained to serve God’s people.
Form: consecratory prayer
Minister: the local ordinary (bishop)

Recipient: a baptized man (vir)

Effects

Indelible character- An indelible mark is the permanent alteration of soul. Nothing can remove this
indelible mark once it is received. In fact, indelible marks remain in eternal life. The indelible mark that
both bishops and priests receive configures their souls to Jesus Church. Therefore, we say that
bishops and priests act in persona Christi capitis. The indelible mark that deacons receives
configures their souls to Jesus Christ the servant. Flowing from their indelible marks, men who
receive the sacrament of holy orders are able to perform certain functions that are meant to build up
the Church. A bishop is a successor of the Apostles.
 Grace of the Holy Spirit
The Sacrament of Holy Orders impart a special eternal grace that allows the ordained
man to carry on Jesus’s work and act as a mediator between people and God.

THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

OBJECTIVES
 Acquire deeper understanding of the important factors necessary for a mature life-long
commitment
 Reflect the principles drawn from the scriptures concerning God’s plan for human sexuality and
share their thoughts with their classmates
 Distinguish sex from human sexuality
 Integrate love and human sexuality in the context of marriage.

BASIC REALITIES OF MARRIAGE

HUMAN AND SECULAR REALITY

 Innate and natural

 Important and significant
SACRED REALITY

 Superior power connected to getting marriage

 It is connected to divine
 A mysterion or sacrament: sign of a higher and sacred reality which entered
salvation
MARRIAGE IS A HUMAN INSTITUTION

 Officiumnaturae (duty of nature) since it is directed to procreation

 Nature demands that human beings should perpetuate or continue their species
MARRIAGE IS DIVINE INSTITUTION

 It is from God and its ends, laws, blessings (CastiConubii)

MARRIAGE AS STATE

 Exist by giving and accepting the consent, by which creates the situation or the
state of being married (permanent and stable)
MARRIAGE AS EVENT

 It is not stagnated, the life of the couple moves on

 Thus it is a continuous event, lifelong process to fulfill God’s plan
MARRIAGE IS CONTRACT

 “Contract” is an agreement entered into by two parties or person to do something

for or exchange something with each other
 Marriage is a contract because it is the agreement between man and woman to
give to and to accept from the other.
MARRIAGE AS COVENANT
 “Covenant” means a pact, an alliance or partnership that man and woman from
to commit themselves to lifetime of togetherness for their own good, and for the
creation and education of children

This commitment is made out of their love for each other.

MARRIAGE AS SOCIAL INSTITUTION

 Marriage is a deeply personal affair between two persons in love

 Yet it introduces the couple a community (marriage is a social institution)
 There is a communitarian and public dimension
MARRIAGE IN SCRIPTURE

1. For procreation
2. Covenant
3. Fidelity and tenderness of the spouse
4. Efficacious sign of Christ’s presence
5. Marriage is indissoluble
6. Vocation

CHRISTIAN DIMENSIONS OF MARRIAGE

(1) As a Contract, (2) As a Covenant, (3) As a Sacrament, (4) As a Celebration and a Vocation

Family Code of the Philippines:

“A special contract of permanent union between man and woman entered into in accordance with law
for the establishment of conjugal and family life. It is the foundation of the family and an inviolable
social institution whose nature, consequences and incidents are governed by law and not subject to
stipulations”

MARRIAGE AS CONTRACT

 Author: Naturally, marriage must always be seen in reference to God as its author
 Requirement: As contract, marriage requires the “will”
 Through the free, mutual act of consent given, man and woman enter into the conjugal union.

MARRIAGE AS COVENANT: ENDS

Contract: involves pledge, rules and penalties: focus is on the matter agreed on by the parties
making the contract.

Covenant: it centers on the persons; its motivation is love.

 Thus it is a love-covenant, which immediately brings into highlight the biblical dimension of
marriage.
 Biblically:Covenant is the relationship between God and man (Gen. 17:1) characterized by
love, sacrifice forgiveness and faithfulness.

ENDS OF MARRIAGE:

 The good of the spouses- fidelity and openness to the fertility

 Good of the children

MARRIAGE AS A COVENANT: ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES

1. Unity or exclusiveness: enriched by the spouses faithfulness

2. Indissolubility or permanence: enriched by the spouses’ struggles for lastingness
3. Openness to fertility: enriched by fruitfulness in the married life
MARRIAGE AS SACRAMENT

Christ raised marriage to a sacrament to make it essentially different from marriage as a natural
institution

Biblical Foundation
Jn. 2: 1-11, Mt. 19:31, Cor. 7:9, Eph. 5:32
Sacrament is a sensible sign instituted by Christ to give grace. It is an efficacious sign of invisible
grace
Basic Elements:
The sign or its symbolic element (sacrament)
The saving grace it provides (effect)
The saving presence of Christ
Marriage as symbol
 It speaks of the basic aspects of human existence: life and love
 Christians have always accepted the symbolic element of marriage (marriage is natural
institution and a sacrament)
Sign- element of the sacrament of matrimony: mutual gift and acceptance of each other.
Pius XI: the valid matrimonial consent between man and woman as willed by Christ is a sign of grace
(CC 1930)
Marriage as a Sign of the Saving Presence of Christ
The husband and wife become a reminder of the presence of Christ
Why?
Because marriage would not be possible except through, with and in Christ (CFC1990)
Marriage as Saving Grace

Effects of marriage: (1) indissolubility and (2) the grace of the sacrament proper to marriage
By the grace of the sacrament: marriage bond is further strengthened and the indissolubility of
marriage receives new meaning
The couples were also strengthened and consecrated for duties and dignities.
 Validity of Marriage
Valid marriage between baptized man and woman is by that fact is a sacrament
 It must be held in the Church
No valid marriage except the sacrament of matrimony
Through the sacrament of matrimony, the couple receives grace for it is a channel of grace

MARRIAGE AS CELEBRATION AND VOCATION

Wedding ceremony- momentous event for the couple
Why?
- fulfillment of their dreams
- final answer for their longing to be one
- a moment of triumph
- a moment of gratitude
- a moment filled with emotions (joy and
excitement)
Ceremony
- the Church requires the submit themselves to the standard rite (liturgical form)

Why marry in the Church?

- it is a requirement
- a public declaration of their love-
commitment before Christ and his Church

Ministers: couple
Role of Church’s minister:
- Expression that marriage is ecclesial reality
- Witness

Celebrated within the mass- connection of

matrimony in the paschal mystery of Christ
Vocation- “calling”

Marriage is a call by God to come to a closer union with him and with His Church
- call to holiness
- way to holiness
Vocation: a gift and a mission

Gift: a source of joy,

a source of blessings
a source of gratitude
a source of grace for husband and wife
Vocation: a gift and a mission

Gift: a source of joy,

a source of blessings
a source of gratitude
a source of grace for husband and wife

REMOTE PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE

1. Personal Growth and Maturity

2. Christian Maturity
3. Sexual Maturity and Chastity
4. Maturing in Love

OBJECTIVES
 Acquire deeper understanding of the important factors necessary for a mature life-long
commitment
 Reflect the principles drawn from the scriptures concerning God’s plan for human sexuality and
share their thoughts with their classmates
 Distinguish sex from human sexuality
 Integrate love and human sexuality in the context of marriage

PERSONAL GROWTH AND MATURITY

 Maturity:
is that stage of growing up when a person may be described as “grown up”, an adult, mature
or of age
with this, a person develops powers of the body and mind to understand the implications of
what he/she wants
 Christian Maturity
Personal Growth and Maturity
Christian Maturity
Sexual Maturity and Chastity
Maturing in Love

Importance of Christian Maturity

the couple’s marriage becomes a “marriage in and with Christ”
How to attain?
1. To do what is possibly can to improve one’s personality in terms of maturity
2. To look to Christ and His grace
Sexual Maturity
Person: either male or female is a sexual being
GOD’S DESIGN FOR HUMAN SEXUALITY
Bible: -no detailed meaning of sexuality
-gives the origin, purpose and final orientation of our sexual nature
Sex:
Not a shameful thing
It is a divine gift ordained to life, to love and to fruitfulness (FC 1981)
It is good, beautiful and holy
At the service of and for the sake of eternal values
Any other use of sex is desecration of something holy (de Torre, 1988)

SEX AND HUMAN SEXUALITY

SEX: refers to a biologically based need that is naturally oriented towards the generation of new life
although not exclusively
AIM: genital activity; procreation and love
SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP: refers to our being with other sexual beings due to the need to “relate with
other human beings,” to communicate and to commune with them
SEXUAL MATURITY: is the emotional and physically satisfying capacity to form stable relationship
with the opposite sex
SEXUAL DEVIANT BEHAVIOR:behaviour of those who have been unable to form relationships with
the opposite sex in equal terms and who cannot give and receive love on a wholly satisfying way
SEXUAL HEALTH: is the integration of the somatic, emotional, intellectual an social aspects of
sexual well-being, in ways that are positively enriching and that enhance personality, communication
and love

MALE AND FEMALE DIFFERENCES

MALE FEMALE
 Logical Get easily upset
 Less emotional More emotional sympathetic and caring
 Loners and keep things to themselves Want company and like to talk
 Express their thoughts clearer Beat around the Bush
and direct to the point
 Sense of fulfillment in marriage and in work Marriage and family life centered
 Less religious, patience and endurance More religious, patient and can endure
and persevering
 Learn love through sex Learn sex through love

Virtue of Chastity
The Morality of Pre-Marital Sex
Education in Chastity
CHASTITY
 It is a virtue by which we learn to control and regulate our own sex drive
 With purity and modesty as its guardians
 It is the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in
his body and spiritual being.
 “You shall not commit adultery”: forbids married persons to enter into sexual union with
someone other than their spouse
 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife”: forbids lust of concupiscence
 This struggle requires purification of the heart, practicing temperance and modesty
MORALITY OF PRE-MARITAL SEX
 A salient point in the education of chastity is the morality of pre-marital sex
Morality of pre-marital sex
 Is sex worth waiting for?
 Why wait till marriage?
 A couple who exercised abstinence and discipline before marriage are those who enjoy stable
and lasting relationship
 If love is true, then, it is willing to wait
 St. Paul says: love is patient
Pre-marital sex: sin of fornication, is a carnal union between a unmarried man and woman
 Contrary to the dignity of persons
 Contradicts the plan of God for human sexuality
 It is a grave scandal if there is a corruption of minor
 Sexual activities among unmarried are considered morally evil
EFFECTS
 The woman sins against God as an accomplice
 Fear of pregnancy
 Sense of shame and insecurity
 Pre-marital sex becomes hardly satisfying
 Often both a physical and emotional let-down
OTHER EFFECTS
 Great number of engaged couples break their engagement
 Likely ends in divorce or in adultery after marriage
REASONS:
 Many young men lose the desire to marry girls who have been easy with them
 The man loses of respect for the girl
 Unfaithfulness to one’s fiancée and fiancé before marriage can lay the groundwork for
unfaithfulness of another kind after marriage
MATURING IN LOVE
Love:
 First and greatest commandment
 It is a decision and not just a feeling
 Commitment, care and concern for the other
Elements of Love:
1. Care- shown by active concern for the life and growth of the beloved
2. Responsibility- ability to respond to his or her needs, expressed or unexpressed
3. Respect- ability to see a person as he is.
4. Knowledge- active in-depth consciousness of another person’s real image, leading to genuine
communion

Mature love: Qualities of mature love

 A love that endures Altruistic
 Able to overcome crises, difficulties, Freeing
disappointments and serious problems Honest
 A kind of love required for marriage to work Happy, sad and neutral
Empathetic

LOVE OF FRIENDSHIP
Friendship
True friendship
 One of the greatest treasures in this world
 Necessary requisite of marriage
  It develops through an ongoing process
 (In Marriage) Must be nurtured for it to grow and endure
Different Ways of Looking at Friendship—
Abbot J. Nimeth
 True friend brings joy into life, and pours back into the soul of his self-respect
 Friend inspires, encourages, gives room to grow and helps to think more graciously
 Friend gives warmth, understanding, trust and love
 Friendship is the privilege of being yourself and still being accepted.
 It is a means to appreciate the person, recognizing his gifts and talents and encouraging him to
use his talents in every possible way

Aristotle:
 A friend is a single soul dwelling in two bodies
 This means that the permanence and stability in friendship are only possible and sure when
two people are friends by virtue of the good in one another
St. Thomas:
 Love of friendship as the highest form of love and places it in opposition to the love of
concupiscence

Qualities of True Friendship

 Must be morally helpful to both parties (draws closer to a life of virtues and to God)
 There must be a genuine basis of agreement between two parties (harmonious relationship
between the parties)
 Self-sacrificing (tested through the amount of sacrifice one can offer for the sake of the friend)
Other Qualities of Friendship
 Ability to listen (what he says or trying to say)
 Trustworthiness (loyalty)
 Reverence (subject to be cherished, be loved and respected)
 Receptiveness (open to others)
Friendship in the Bible
 Exodus 33:11
 Deut. 13:6
 Ps. 25:14
 Jn. 15:14-15
 2 Sam. 1:26
Friendship in Marriage
 Permanent bond continues to grow and mature in friendship
Why?
1. Trust (you are important)
2. Evolves slowly (process)
3. Patient (developing commonality and complementarity)
4. Not competitive (no need to surpass the other)
5. Open-ended (growing)
6. Outgoing (enables us to be what we want to be)
7. Playful (to be who we are)

HUMAN LOVE IN ITS FULLNESS

 Human love finds its fullness in conjugal love which requires commitment
 Giving unconditional love
 Fidelity, understanding, kindness, compassion, respect and support
 Conjugal love, if it is to grow, requires “common life”
 Sharing bed, board and lodging
 Demands selfless love in everything
It is a result of a long and difficult process
 THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
OBJECTIVES
 To learn the significance of Sacrament of Reconciliation in Christian life
 To appreciate the forgiving love of God
 To ask God’s forgiveness through constant reception of the sacrament of reconciliation

“Those who approach the Sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense
committed against him, and are at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have
wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example and prayer labors for their conversion.”
Biblical Foundations
1. Mt. 16:19 = Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
2. 1 Cor. 5: 4-5 = reconciliation was to be done by the power of the risen Lord and when
the community was gathered together.
Indulgences- means to remit the temporal punishment due to sins that have already been forgiven
Kinds:
a. plenary – remission of all
b. partial – remission of a partMinister – a priest who has the faculty to absolve in accordance
with the Canon Law; except in the danger of death.
Matter – sins as confessed by the penitents
Form – “I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Prayer of Absolution).
“He that hides his sins, shall not prosper, but he that shall confess and forsake them, shall obtain
mercy.” (Prov. 28:13)
The Notion of SIN
- moral attitude, action, or refusal to act, that leads us into evil
- separates us from our true selves, our neighbors, the community and God- often becomes
“compulsive” and “addictive”, and weakens our power of resistance.
Determinants of the gravity of SIN
1. Nature of the act
2. intention
3. circumstances
Classification of Sin (according to its effect)
1. Mortal – sin unto death (grave matter, sufficient knowledge, full consent)
2. Venial – excusable sin, weakens our love relationship with God
EFFECTS
Forgiveness of sins
Reconciliation with God and Reconciliation with the Church

THE SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK

OBJECTIVES
 To learn the significance of Sacrament of Anointing of the sick in Christian life.
 To appreciate the healing mercy of God
 To ask God’s healing through constant reception of the sacrament of anointing.

SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK

SICKNESS

Serious illness brings out our powerlessness and radical limitations

We become dependent on others, feel useless and isolated from them and from the
community
Can bring us to mature faith, since it helps us to understand the mystery of suffering and to
bear pain more bravely

Sickness / illness –
-had often been seen as a punishment for misconduct
also regarded as an occasion for turning to transcendent powers.
Christian Attitude to Sickness
Part of God’s plan
Sign of the oppressive presence of evil
We need special help of God’s grace
Sickness can take on creative, saving and transforming meaning and value

Cure and Healing

Cure – usually refers to the medical pursuit of the eradication of disease or defect.
Healing – refers to the holistic care that touches the body, mind, and spirit of the sick person.

Christ the Physician

By forgiving sin and healing the sick and infirm, Jesus showed that “God has visited his
people” (Lk. 7:16)
Cleansed the lepers (Lk. 17:12-19)
Gave sight to the blind (Mk. 10:46-52)
Healed the deaf-mute (Mk. 7: 31-37); the Paralytic (Mk. 2:3-12) etc.
Christ’s healing is sign of more radical healing over sin and death: salvation of the whole
person
Thus it involves faith in Jesus, following him in loving obedience to God the Father
It is grounded on his Paschal Mystery

The Healing Church

Jesus passed his healing ministry to his apostles: “they anointed the sick with oil and worked
many cures.
1. Mk. 6:11-13 - the apostles healed many sick people through anointing.
2. Mk. 16:18 - authority to heal
3. 1 Cor. 12:9-10 - different gifts of the Holy Spirit.
4. James 5:14 - the power of the Church to forgive and heal sickness

Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will
raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one
another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

Definition
It is a sacrament in virtue of which the sick believer, by the anointing with oil and the prayer of
the priest, receives the grace of God for the supernatural salvation of his soul and often also
for the natural healing of his body.

Anointing of the Sick

Symbols, Meanings, Ministers and Recipients

matter – olive oil blessed by

the Bishop on Holy Thursday (infermorum)
form – (forehead): “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help you
with the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
form – (hands): “ May the Lord who frees you from your sin save you and raise you up.”
Ministers: priests and bishops
Recipients: all Christians who have reached the age of reason and are seriously ill, or in
danger of death from accident or old age.
VIATICUM
Holy Viaticum – “with-you-on-the-way”
the holy communion given to the dying Christian. Pictures Christ as leading and
accompanying the Christian into the heavenly banquet.
It is the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection
“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on
the last day” (Jn. 6:54)
It prepares us to heavenly homeland.
EFFECTS

1. Particular gift of the Holy Spirit- strengthening, peace, courage to overcome the difficulties in
times of sickness
2. Forgiveness of sins
3. Union with the passion of Christ
4. Ecclesial grace
5. Preparation for the final journey