Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
March/April
The 7 Sacraments
Easter Service is the time for
The Rite of Election
The Three Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church
The Sacrament of Baptism: The removal of the stain of original sin and becoming a Christian, a son or daughter of God the Father.
The Sacrament of Confirmation: The seal or completion of baptism; the reception of the mark of God the Holy Spirit and His seven sanctifying gifts.
The Sacrament of Holy Communion: The reception of the God the Son in the Holy Eucharist; the body, blood, soul, and divinity of the Incarnate Jesus Christ.
So we see that the three Sacraments of Initiation follow a Trinitarian formula: being received into the divine life of the Triune God through each of the Divine Persons.
The Other Four Sacraments that Guide Us through Life
From here we can understand the other four sacraments. Once we are received into the Church through the three Sacraments of Initiation, our life within the Church doesn’t stop there. We also regularly receive...
The Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance which restores us when, during the course of our life, we through sin fall from the grace we have received in our baptism. Serious sin cuts us off from God’s grace (called a grave sin because it kills God’s divine life in the soul), while sacramental confession restores it.
Next comes the question of our state in life as Christians living in the world. The vocational sacraments are
The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and
The Sacrament of Holy Orders
These sacraments impart God’s divine life to those living out a life-long call to marriage or the priesthood.
Finally, at the end of our lives comes sickness and death and the corresponding
The Sacrament of Healing, also called Anointing of the Sick, Extreme Unction, or Last Rites.
It is when we receive the prayer and blessing of the Church to strengthen the soul as we transition from this life to the next. The sacrament is also administered to those who are seriously ill or in danger of death.
THE ROLE OF THE PRIEST
The sacraments, as external rites, are performed by the priest who acts in persona Christi. This means that the priest, in virtue of apostolic succession, acts in the very person of Christ as he administers the sacraments to the faithful. The sacraments impart divine life into our souls through the power and authority of Jesus Christ in the person of the priest.
The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are injections of divine grace to help us live our lives, from birth to death, in harmony with the will of God, which is intended for our happiness and well-being in this life. They are marvelous gifts of God intended to purify our souls and bring us to eternal life with Him in heaven, and we should be very grateful for them!
The Rite of Election
This Rite is formally known as The (Combined) Celebration of the Rite of Election of Catechumens and the Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates Who are Preparing for Confirmation and/or Eucharist or Reception into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church.
http://www.catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/sacraments/
https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/understanding-the-7-sacraments-the-big-picture/
Questions often asked about priest being able to marry:
Did priest every marry?
Why don't priest marry now?
During the Second Council of the Lateran, church laws were amended or changed (1123 (1st)- April 1139 AD (2nd)):
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Canons 6, 7, 11: Repeated the First Lateran Council's condemnation of marriage and concubinage among priests, deacons, subdeacons, monks, and nuns.
Amendment:
CANON 21
Summary. Clerics in major orders may not marry, and marriages already contracted must be dissolved.
Text. We absolutely forbid priests, deacons, subdeacons, and monks to have concubines or to contract marriage. We decree in accordance with the definitions of the sacred canons, that marriages already contracted by such persons must be dissolved, and that the persons be condemned to do penance.
Popes that were married:
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Saint Peter (1 Corinthians 9:5): The three Synoptic Gospels (Mathew, Mark, and Luke) recount how Peter's mother-in-law was healed by Jesus at their home in Capernaum
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Pope Felix III (483-492) Married and widowed before he was elected as pope.
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Pope Hormisdas (514-523) Married and widowed before he took Holy Orders
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Pope Adrian II (867-872) Married to Stephania before he took Holy Orders, she was still living when he was elected Pope and resided with him and their daughter in the Lateran Palace
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Pope John XVII (1003) Married before his election as Pope
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Pope Clement IV (1265-1268) Married before taking holy orders
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Pope Honorius IV (1285-1287) Married before he took Holy Orders, widowed before entered the clergy
One very interesting and infamous pope:
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Pope Alexander VI aka Rodrigo de Borja:
(1492–1503) Had a long affair with Vannozza dei Cattanei while still a priest, but before he became pope; and by her had his illegitimate children Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, Gioffre Borgia, and Lucrezia. A later mistress, Giulia Farnese, was the sister of Alessandro Farnese, and she gave birth to a daughter (Laura) while Alexander was in his 60s and reigning as pope. Alexander fathered at least seven, and possibly as many as ten illegitimate children, and did much to promote his family's interests – using his offspring to build alliances with a number of important dynasties. He appointed Giovanni Borgia as Captain General of the Church, and made Cesare a Cardinal of the Church – also creating independent duchies for each of them out of papal lands.
Currently Canon Law states:
Priest and Nuns are to be married to the church
Current rules say priestly celibacy allows priests time and energy to focus completely on their flock and to emulate Jesus, who was unmarried, more faithfully.
The roots of celibacy requirements go back to Jesus Christ: According to the Bible, he was an unmarried virgin. In the Bible, Jesus is often likened to a bridegroom whose bride is the Church.
Many of the early martyrs and church fathers emulated his life of chastity.
The first head of the Catholic Church (effectively the first pope), Peter, was married, as were many of the other apostles during Jesus' time. But in the New Testament, marriage was seen as a holy option for those who would otherwise have trouble controlling their sexual urges.