Theological Foundations II

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Theological Foundations II

• Lecture 3
• Sacraments of Initiation

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Last Week

• Sacrament
• Sign
• Instituted by Christ
• To Communicate Grace
• Sacraments
• Make present the saving action of Christ in the
  past
• Causes a past event to be really present to us
  here and now.
• Exodus 17 and Numbers 20
• Matter and Form
• Matter something visible / tangible
• Form something spoken
• Efficacious
• Effects what it signifies
• Ex opere operato / Ex opere operantis
• Objective sacrament
• Subjective disposition of the recipient

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Determinate Nature of Sacraments

• Can there be any combination?
• Can you use any words? Any material substance or
  symbol?
• Can you change the words to I baptize you in
  the Name of the Creator, and the Redeemer, and
  the Sanctifier?
• Can you change the material thing? Missionaries
  to Japan wanted to use rice bread rather than
  wheat bread for the Eucharist.
• No, Christ instituted the Sacraments
• Particularity
• God didnt just become a human, he became a male,
  Jew, in 1st century Palestine.
• He didnt just use any food or drink to transform
  into His body and blood.
• Differently?
• He could have told his disciples to, baptize in
  the name of the Triune God.
• Fact of the matter He did not
• Sanctification of man is in the power of God who
  sanctifies, so it is not for man to decide what
  things should be used for his sanctification, but
  this should be determined by Divine
  Institution. - St. Thomas Aquinas
• We are limited, God is not

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Why are there 7 Sacraments?

• Natural Life
• We are born
• Baptism
• We mature and grow up
• Confirmation
• We need nourishment to sustain us
• Eucharist
• Sickness
• We get an illness and need some cure
• Reconciliation
• We need to get ourselves healthy and prepared
• Anointing of the Sick
• Community
• We need to have people in office to look after
  the community
• Holy Orders
• We need to make sure there is always a good
  supply of members
• Marriage

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Instrument of God

• Question
• What happens if the minister of a sacrament is in
  the state mortal sin?
• In persona Christi
• God is one transforming soul through grace, but
  He does it through the minister.
• Analogies
• Writing Utensil
• Water through pipes
• Baptism
• Sign
• Matter Water
• Form I baptize you in the name of the Father,
  and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

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Scriptural Foundations

• Old Testament prefiguring
• Noah and the flood
• World was full of sin
• God purified the world thru flood waters
• Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt through
  the Red Sea.
• Attachment to Egypt Attachment to Sin
• Passing thru the Red sea Passing thru Baptism
• Life of Christ
• Luke 321
• Christ is a perfect model of holiness
• He sanctifies baptism
• The Great Commission
• Mt 2818-20
• Our Lord explicitly instructs His apostles to go
  out and baptize.

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Baptism and the Crucifixion

• Saving event of the past made present
• Makes present the saving death of Christ.
• We must go through His death if we are to share
  in His eternal life.
• Rom 63-4
• Do you not know that all of us who have been
  baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his
  death? We were buried there with him by baptism
  into death, so that as Christ was raised from the
  dead by the glory of the Father, we too might
  walk in newness of life.
• CCC 1227
• The believer enters into communion with Christs
  death, is buried with him, and rises with him.

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Effects of Baptism

• We are freed from the power of the Devil and Sin
• Water is a symbol of purification, we are washed
  clean.
• Guilt both Original Sin and personal sin
• Punishment we are freed from the punishment due
  to sin
• We are made Children of God
• Sacrament of Regeneration
• As children of God, we share in the Divine nature
• Participation in the life of the Trinity Holy
  Spirit
• We become members of the Church / The Body of
  Christ
• Responsibilities of membership within the Church
• Same Father brothers and sisters
• House rules obedience to the head of the Church
• Mission participate in mission of Church /
  evangelization
• Benefits Sacraments / authentic and safeguarded
  Word of God
• Baptismal Character
• Indelible mark / seal

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Necessity of Baptism

• John 35
• Amen, Amen, I say to you, no one can enter the
  kingdom of God without being born of water and
  Spirit.
• What about those who never had opportunity to be
  baptized?
• Baptism by blood
• Those who are not baptized, but suffer death on
  behalf of the faith.
• Baptism by desire
• Those who explicitly desire baptism, but die
  before they can be baptized.
• Ignorance of the Gospel
• They didnt desire baptism explicitly, but they
  are seeking truth and the will of God insofar as
  they understand it.
• Children who die before baptism
• Church entrusts these children to the mercy of
  God.
• Two principles to remember
• Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of
  being made partakers of PM.
• Sacrament of Baptism is our only guarantee.

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