2. SACRAMENT OF INITIATION
1. What are the sacraments of Initiation?
The sacraments of Initiation are
BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION and Eucharist. These
sacraments, by drawing us toward full stature in
Christ, empower us to carry out our mission as
Christians in both the church and the world.
2. What are the effects of the sacraments of Initiation?
2.1. Freedom from the power of darkness
2.2. Receive the Holy Spirit, who
2.2.1. makes us adopted sons and daughters of the Father
2.2.2. incorporates us into the Church, the People of God.
2.2.3. with whom we celebrate the Eucharistic memorial of Christ Paschal Mystery
3. 3. Do the sacraments parallel our natural human growth?
Yes, Catholic tradition has compared the stages of human natural
development with those of Christian spiritual life. Thus it relates;
a. physical generation with Baptism, our spiritual regeneration;
b. growing into maturity with Confirmation:
c. physical nourishment with the Eucharist, the Bread of Life;
d. physical & psychological healing with Reconciliation & Anointing;
e. community realities of family life and leadership with Matrimony and
Holy Orders.
4. What is the value of such a comparison?
Comparing the similarities between our natural growth process
with the sacraments help us appreciate how intricsic our Christian
spiritual growth is to our full human “self-becoming”.
But the comparison also bring out the uniqueness of the
sacrament as encounter with the risen Christ, our Lord and
Savior, through whom we share God’s own life of love as members
of his Body, the Church.
4. 5. What is the sacrament of baptism?
Baptism is the sacrament of which:
a. brings as new life in Chirst and forgiveness of sins through water
and the Spirit.
b. Incorporating us into the Church, and
c. By sharing in the Trinitarian divine life as adopted sons and
daughters of the Father, in a progressive way that looks ever to the
future.
6. How does baptism bring us new life?
Baptism unites us to the risen Christ:
a. Through the biblical symbol of water and the Holy Spirit, and
b. By making us share in Christ’s baptism of his Paschal Mystery.
Both themes are presented in the Readings of the Easter Vigil’s Liturgy.
(They start with the genesis account of creation, prefiguring our new creation in
Christ. Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his only son, prepare us for the
sacrifice of Christ, God’s only son. The exodus deliverance of Chosen People
form Egypt, the land of slavery, through the Red Sea, sysmbolizes our own
deliverance from the slavery of sin through the waters of Baptism.
Finally, Baptism itself is presented as a dying-rising with Christ in his Paschal
5. 7. How does baptism takes away original sin, and
every personal sin in adults?
Baptism’s sensible sign of washing with water symbolizes and
effects a cleansing from all sin and rebirth to new life by the
Spirit. To be in a state of sin means that God’s Holy Spirit is not
dwelling within us. Therefore, the coming of Holy Spirit
removes sin. It is the spirit that frees us from sin.
8. Since some effect of original sin remain, how can
baptize be said to “remove” original sin?
Baptism “removes” sin by symbolizing and effecting our
saving solidarity with Christ, within the Spirit-filled community
of his body, the Church.
We are thus strengthen in the life long struggle against sin
through the loving embrace of the Spirit, jopoining us to the
Risen Christ, our savior, and the one another, as member of his
Body the Church.
6. 9. How does baptism incorporate us into the church?
Baptism unite us in Christ with the other members of
Christ’s Body, the Church. “for in one Sprit we were all baptized
into one body… all given to drink the one Spirit” (1 Cor 12: 13).
It is our with the Baptized One, the Risen Christ, that make
us “Church”. As members of Christ’s Body, we share in his
mission serving as Prophet, Priest, King.
10. Why is Baptism called the “sacrament of faith”?
Baptism is rightly called the sacrament of faith because in
asking to be baptized we are asking Go’s church for the gift of
Faith. Only within the community of believers, Christ’s
Body, and enlightened by the grace of the Holy Sprit, can we
respond fully to the Gospel of Christ.
7. 11. How does the rite of christian initiation of adults
(RCIA) shed new light of baptism?
The RCIA shows that the fruitful reception of baptism
demands proper disposition of soul. Far from being merely
passively received, baptism is really a prayer-event that
involves a radical conversion of heart, whose lasting effectivity
depends on the continuing cooperation of the baptized with
grace.
12. How does baptism effect a “sharing in the divine
life”?
Baptism effects a sharing in divine life through the coming
of the holy spirit, through their holy spirit. Through their holy
spirit, spirit of the father and the risen Christ are present in the
baptized. Hence they share in trinitarian life of live, exercise
through the virtues of faith, hope and charity.
8. 13. Is baptism necessary for salvation?
Christ, the unique Mediator and Way of salvation, affirmed
the necessity of faith and baptism, but since God will’s ‘all to
be saved’ (1Tim. 2:4), the grace needed for salvation is offered
to all.
“For since Christ died for all, in a manner known only to
only to God, the possibility of being made partners in Christ’s
Paschal Mystery” (GS 22)
14. What is the meant by the baptismal seal or
character?
3 Sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders)
imprint a permanent spiritual seal or “character” on the
soul, making a specific relationship to Christ and the Church.
9. 15. Why do we baptized infant?
Infants are baptized in “the faith of the church or concretely in
the faith of the parents. Infant baptism highlight the truths that
baptism is:
a) a free gift of God, not something merited by us;
b) the beginning of our faith life;
c) a gift given through the parents Christian faith-life.
16. What is the sacrament of confirmation?
Confirmation is the sacrament in which, through the power of
Holy Spirit, a baptized person is drawn in to closer union with the
Church and endowed with strength to actively spread the Gospel.
17. What is the origin of the sacrament of the confirmation?
Confirmation was originally part of the expanded rite of Baptism.
But as the Church grew in size, the gift of the sprit by the “laying on
of hands,” which in a way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the
Church, was formed into a separate sacrament.
10. 18. How is the sacrament of confirmation conferred?
Confirmation is conferred by laying on of hands over the head
of the candidates, the anointing of the forehead with holy
Chrism, and the prayer;
“Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit."
19. What are the effect of sacrament of confirmation?
Confirmation strengthens and confirm the grace of
Baptism, strengthening and confirming the mission to give public
witness to Christ and the Church. The “witness” flows from
permanent “character” imprinted by the sacrament on those
confirmed. is the proper age conferring Confirmation?
20. What
Within ongoing discussion regarding the best time for
conferring the sacrament, there are good reasons for confirming
around the age of discretion or later, which is the more common
Church policy in the Philippines. More important than the exact
age at which to confirm is the careful preparation needed, for
both the candidates and their parents and sponsors.
11. 21. How is confirmation related to Christ and the Church?
As Primordial Sacrament, Christ himself is the confirmed one in
the Holy Spirit, as shown throughout his earthly life, especially in his
Paschal Mystery.
But this Spirit of Lord Jesus is met in his Body, the Church, the
confirmed church, inaugurated at Pentecost.
22. How are godparents/sponsors for baptism and
confirmation to be chosen?
In the Philippines, social relation between families often play
a dominant role in the choice of godparents and sponsors. While
natural in a predominantly catholic country, its “secularizing”
tendency must be balance by an equal insistence on proper faith
norms for godparents and sponsors.
12. Faith norms indicate sponsors should be:
1. Sufficient mature persons, at least 16 years old
2. Good living Catholics who have been confirmed
3. Capable and sincerely intending to help the newly
confirmed to faithfully live out the duties of the
Christian Life.
14. Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes (cognitive process)
resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios.
Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or
an opinion of choice. (Wikipedia)
