A long, long list of vocabulary (3)

Reconciliation

Penance- Penance (poenitentia) designates (1) a virtue; (2) a sacrament of the New Law; (3) a canonical punishment inflicted according to the earlier discipline of the Church; (4) a work of satisfaction enjoined upon the recipient of the sacrament. These have as their common centre the truth that he who sins must repent and as far as possible make reparation to Divine justice. Repentance, i.e., heartfelt sorrow with the firm purpose of sinning no more, is thus the prime condition on which depends the value of whatever the sinner may do or suffer by way of expiation. (New Advent)

Confession- acknowledging sins and acting the sacrament of reconciliation in which you tell a priest your sins and are absolved by God.

"something (“ion”) spoken (“fess”) in the presence of or with (“con”) someone else".-(Wikepedia)

Examination of Conscience- “all the thoughts, words, and deeds of the soul are brought to the surface, examined, and considered in conformity with the law of God” (Bishop Fulton Sheen, “The Sacrament of Penance”)

Absolution- “It is Christ Himself who, in the moment of absolution, forgives sins through the priest, because a sin is an offence against God and only God can forgive it.” (Confession PowerPoint) It is the washing away of sin in the sacrament.

 

Sin- a moral evil or act against God that poisons the body and soul

 

Mortal Sin- a severe sin that rejects the relationship with Christ. An act done in knowledge of its severity and causing spiritual death.

 

Venial Sin- a sin not resulting in the complete separation from God but still poisons the body and needs to be confessed.

 

Sacramental Seal- When a person unburdens his soul and confesses his sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Penance, a very sacred trust is formed. The priest must maintain absolute secrecy about anything that a person confesses. (Catholic Education Resource Center)

 

Concupiscence- the propensity or inclination to sin

 

Grace of Reconciliation-

1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace." (CCC)

 

Who forgives sin?-God

 

What is the role of the priest?- the person “empowered by God with authority to forgives sins…train[ed] [by] the human heart to heal the wounds of others, and then seal his lips forever that what he has learned as God’s representative be never revealed to men” (Bishop Fulton Sheen “Sacrament of Penance”).

 

How often should one attend confession?- At minimum once yearly but if one has committed a mortal sin you must go before you receive the Eucharist. Otherwise, go as often as needed.

 

Who administers the sacrament?- Bishop or Priest

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Anointing of the Sick

Original Sin- Sin inherited in birth from Adam and Eve, eating of the tree prohibited by God because they were infused with doubt that God was withholding something from them and was therefore their master. Original sin is cleansed in Baptism but disintegrates intellect, will and emotions leaving us with the propensity to sin, otherwise known as ‘concupiscence’.

Who Administers the sacrament?- A Bishop or Priest

Who can receive the sacrament?-

1514 The Anointing of the Sick "is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived."¹³⁰

1515 If a sick person who received this anointing recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person's condition becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced. (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Celebration of the Sacrament-

1517 Like all the sacraments the Anointing of the Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration,¹³² whether it takes place in the family home, a hospital or church, for a single sick person or a whole group of sick persons. It is very fitting to celebrate it within the Eucharist, the memorial of the Lord's Passover. If circumstances suggest it, the celebration of the sacrament can be preceded by the sacrament of Penance and followed by the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the sacrament of Christ's Passover the Eucharist should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey, the "viaticum" for "passing over" to eternal life.

1518 Word and sacrament form an indivisible whole. The Liturgy of the Word, preceded by an act of repentance, opens the celebration. The words of Christ, the witness of the apostles, awaken the faith of the sick person and of the community to ask the Lord for the strength of his Spirit.

1519 The celebration of the sacrament includes the following principal elements: the "priests of the Church"¹³³ - in silence - lay hands on the sick; they pray over them in the faith of the Church¹³⁴ - this is the epiclesis proper to this sacrament; they then anoint them with oil blessed, if possible, by the bishop. (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Grace Received-

1520 A particular gift of the Holy Spirit. The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death.¹³⁵ This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God's will.¹³⁶ Furthermore, "if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."¹³⁷

1521 Union with the passion of Christ. By the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ's Passion: in a certain way he is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the Savior's redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.

1522 An ecclesial grace. The sick who receive this sacrament, "by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ," "contribute to the good of the People of God."¹³⁸ By celebrating this sacrament the Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the sick person, and he, for his part, though the grace of this sacrament, contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all men for whom the Church suffers and offers herself through Christ to God the Father. (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Four Main Effects-

1.      1520 A particular gift of the Holy Spirit. The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and anguish in the face of death.

2.      This assistance from the Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God's will.¹³⁶ Furthermore, "if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."¹³⁷

3.      Furthermore, "if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."¹³⁷

4.      1521 Union with the passion of Christ. By the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ's Passion: in a certain way he is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the Savior's redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Apostolate- the office or mission of an apostle

Oil of the Sick- the olive oil blessed by the bishop of a diocese for use in the sacrament of anointing of the sick. Commonly abbreviated O.I. (oleum infirmorum, oil of the sick) on oil stocks used by priests. (Catholic Culture)

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Introductory Unit

 

Heart- “It is a muscle, but it is a strange muscle because it is a hollow muscle that contains in itself something other than its fivers, and also because unlike other muscles it isn’t directly dependent on my will and decision…Thus, the heart is the sign that our being is received, but also that our being is offered. It is the sign that I have not given myself life, but also that I need to offer it if I don’t want simply to lose it, because all the blood that flows must be shed” (Fabrice Hadjadj, “What is the Heart”).

 

X and Arrows-

The horizontal line is human history and the arrows are the various arrows attempting to reach the X or the unknown. Christians claim the unknown is God and that He has entered the world through his son, Jesus Christ. (“3. The Christian Claim: The Unknown Has Entered the World”)

 

Desire- unlimited dependence on things we want to become happy. There are four main desires, desires of Love, Justice, Beauty, and Truth.

 

Reality- The world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them: "he refuses to face reality". (Google)

 

Four Truths of the “I”-

1.      I didn’t make myself

2.      I have unlimited desires

3.      My abilities are limited

4.      Everything I do is to attain happiness

 

Religious Sense- the nature of reason expresses itself in the ultimate need for truth, goodness, and beauty. These needs constitute the fabric of the religious sense, which is evident in every human being everywhere and in all times. So strong is this sense that it leads one to desire that the answer to life's mystery might reveal itself in some way. (Google) Luigi Giussani wrote a book about the religious sense, the desire or looking for the answer to life.

Ontology- from the word roots, ‘ontos’-“being”, existence and ‘logos’-word, “reason”;meaning. Ontology is the study of being or existence.

 Being- being is existence which is structured by the four truths of “I”.

I Confess (Extra Credit Assignment)

Christ bears the cross and the Priest was bearing the difficulty of keeping the seal of confession

           Only God can forgive sins and he does so through man, or a priest. Confession is a divine institution therefore it is God’s will that priests hear confessions and through priests God forgives sins. The priest remained faithful to his vow of not revealing anything from a confession because he understood the sacrament of Penance. The priest understood that he was just a body to fill the ears of God and receive the humiliation from the man who committed the murder. Had he revealed the information the confession would no longer be between the murderer and God.

            The end of the movie demonstrates that Hitchcock understood the sacrament of Penance and captured the difficulty of the seal of confession well. I read an article in which a Deacon studying to become a priest looks at the movie with admiration. He likes how Hitchcock is able to show that it is no easy task to bear the vows of a priest but it is possible to keep those vows. Hitchcock must have viewed God in an understanding light and understood his power and figure over priests, particularly the main character of the movie. Though it seems difficult, the priest never loses his truth and vow to God.

            While I was watching the movie I was really hoping that the priest would not break his seal. I would have been disappointed with Hitchcock if he had let the priest do so. Therefore, I would have ended the movie in a similar way in that respect. However, I would have liked there to be more concrete resolution. I would have liked either the wife to incriminate her husband or the husband to have confessed to the police himself. I wanted justice, not in a harsh way but just for closure purposes. However, the key part was that the priest never broke the seal of confession and was known by the audience to be not guilty. 

In-Class Essay Critique

           The first issue is the point of view and the perspective that the essay takes. The perspective is from someone outside of Christianity, not even someone very well-educated on the topic that is written about. Writing from the opposing view may help see the concepts in a different way but this essay failed to do so accurately. The ideas presented are distorted and do not line up with the focuses that have been presented in class.

            The next issue is the essay’s relativity to the prompt that was provided. A quote by Luigi Giussani was provided and a few questions to aid in developing a focus or topic. This essay seemed to diverge from that path and take its own path that was inaccurate and strange. The essay created an analogy about the relationship between God and reality. The analogy might have initially had a clever intention, but looking back on it, it was not good.  It was trying to get at God’s covenants with his people in the Old Testament and how each time they failed; God gave people another chance until he sent his son, Christ. However, the way the argument was put forth was weak and not well planned or reflected upon.

            Overall, the essay seems sort of cynical or at least negative towards Christianity. The analogy was clever but executed poorly and inaccurately. Compared the works and things the class has addressed, this essay seemed to negate most things. The point of view taken kindled the negative approach and helped create a cynical view. The essay got on a roller coaster ride but was not harnessed securely to the seat and took a fall to imminent death.

A Universal Call to Holiness

Universal Call to Holiness

“…If I need something, I chase after it if it goes away”

            I take numerous things for granted and I see this quote parallel with that because it correlates with the phrase, “You don’t know what you have until it is gone”. For instance, Jesus Christ lived on earth for approximately thirty-three years and then he was gone. At first the Apostles were at a loss and kept themselves locked up in a room until Christ came and told them not to be afraid but to go out and teach. In a way they began ‘chasing’ Christ because they wanted to attain his state of divinity or perfection. This is the Universal Call to Holiness, to ‘chase’ after Christ and the perfection and beauty he embodies.

“Has the Church failed mankind, or has mankind failed the Church?” “…Both, both, because first and foremost it is mankind who failed the Church, because if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away. No one chased after it…The Church began to fail mankind, as I see it…because she forgot who Christ was, she did not rely on…, she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is.”

            T.S. Eliot finds fault with Catholics and the Church because they have failed to respond and encounter holiness. Instead of attaining perfection and beauty or truth, the same truth and beauty that Jesus possessed, mankind has remained stagnant in his desires and evil. For everyday Catholics this implies the necessity for improvement and a reinvigoration to the call to holiness. Instead of continuing to submit to the antagonist of beauty, that is, evil, Catholics must reject evil and look to the epitome of truth, Jesus Christ. Catholics are at an advantage too because they already possess the initial grace given to them at Baptism. To take it just a step further and make the effort to become perfect is the solution to the call to holiness.

“…she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is.”

            Shame is weakness. Christ endured persecution to the point of death on the cross and he expects us to be able to endure pain and tribulations with hard hearts. To be ashamed of saying who Christ is punctuates the inability to dedicate ourselves to the cause. To say who Christ is without shame is to take on the challenge of receiving blows and derogatory comments but still holding the message above pain and showing confidence in what we are fighting for. This is also incorporated in the call to holiness because it is another facet of perfection. Perfection encompasses purity of heart, compassion, love, obedience, and conformity to Father’s will. The ultimate goal is to love God and love our neighbor. God sent his son who was the perfect model of perfection. He possessed all the facets of perfection and loved his neighbor. He said who his Father was with no shame and expects his followers to do the same in his name.

Universal Call to Holiness

            The goal is to imitate Christ because he was perfect. Likewise, his mother, Mary, followed the call to holiness and sets the same example as her son. There were/are others to, the ones called saints who were able to embrace holiness and work for perfection in their lives. The

Church is holy because Christ is holy, therefore as members of the Church in Baptism, the Church’s members are also holy. In order to achieve the level of holiness Jesus had we have to “become what we are”. We are the Church and the Church is holy. The arrow always points to the “X” which for the case of Catholics is the Father, Son and Spirit. The arrow points in an infinite direction upward because the nature of the call to holiness is everlasting. Perfection is a high goal, a goal that will make us happy and hard in our hearts. No matter how difficult, to be united with God is truly worth it.

"She Went by Gently"-Paul Vincent Carroll, Responses

A gift of Baptism is the ability to love others as God loves us. How is this ability seen in the women’s treatment of the girl?

God loves unconditionally and irrevocably with commitment and self-sacrifice. He does not judge anyone on the basis of any discriminatory factors such as race or cultural background. In a similar way the woman is able to love everyone around her. She expresses love even for the girl who was bearing a child because of promiscuous behavior. She expresses it in her firm but kind actions toward the girl. The woman comforts her in a time of distress and encourages a continuation of life and reform. Then the woman baptizes the child so that the child may too have the ability to love in its life.

At the end of the story the woman says in regard to the infant, “I saved him.” What does she mean by that statement?

The woman has saved the infant through Baptism meaning that the infant has been cleansed of original sin and welcomed as a child of God and member of the Mystical Body of Christ. In addition with reference to the first question, she has bestowed upon the infant an ability to love as God loves. The infant is given not only the life from his mother but also life from the Baptism because now the infant can grow in the Church and love with commitment. I saved him. The woman saved the infant in the spiritual sense dictated by the church.

The author describes the journey of the woman to her own home. What is the purpose of this section of the story? What is he trying to convey about the woman through his descriptions?

This section of the story elaborates on a deeper level the woman’s connection with God and her spiritual sense that she applies to all the things in her life from feeding her husband to the scenery around her. She is able to pinpoint God and his goodness in everything and holds no contempt for anything. She has such spiritual awareness that she can look at the stream and the flower and interpret it as she did in relation to Baptism. The author is conveying her thorough understanding of the sacrament of Baptism and also the importance of this sacrament. The end emphasizes the woman’s faith and love.