PREPARING FOR RENEWAL

A sacrament is defined as an outward sign, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, which communicates grace. The form of each sacrament is the words by which it is celebrated, and the matter is the element(s) used in its celebration. In the sacrament of baptism, the words are, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The matter is water, which must be applied by the minister as he says the words, either by pouring it on the one who is baptized or by plunging him or her into the water.

Just as she did in discerning the divine inspiration of the books of the New Testament, which took a few centuries to be universally acknowledged as they are today, so the Church discerned over time the seven liturgical celebrations of the Church that are unique in their infallible communication of grace to those who receive them. These liturgical rites were not officially defined as sacraments, according to our understanding of them today, until the eleventh century. Nevertheless, they were celebrated in the life of the Church from the very beginning and have graced all of her children with salvation.

The first of the sacraments, of course, is holy baptism, which is the doorway to the other sacraments, especially the holiest of holies, which is the Eucharist. The liturgies of Lent are moving us inexorably towards the renewal of our baptismal vows on Easter. In this journey we accompany the catechumens of the Church throughout the world who are preparing for their baptism within the Easter Vigil. Many of the Biblical readings on Sunday and at daily Mass during this season are passages which present baptismal themes like covenant, enlightenment, new birth and saving grace, and in some of them the presence of water is prominent.

The prayers of Lent speak of repentance and conversion as the essential preparation for the annual celebration of the paschal mystery and the renewal of baptismal promises. Directed to the Father in the Name of Jesus, they ask that our solemn observance of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus will have a great and lasting effect in our lives. In the name of the congregation the priests asks the Heavenly Father to help us all to follow the same path as that of catechumens, who intensely yearn to be conformed to Christ as they prepare for their initiation into the Catholic Church. The prayers of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours reveal the promise that the Christian faithful who take advantage of this graced time will experience greater joy in the Easter festivities and be better prepared for their passage into eternity.

Every sacrament of the Church confers the grace it signifies on the one who receives it, since, by the action of the Holy Spirit, it is Christ who gives it through the agency of the Church’s minister. Through baptism we receive: forgiveness of Original and personal sins; filial adoption (we become God’s children); transformation into a temple of the Holy Spirit; initiation into the Body of Christ, which is the Church; communion with the saints; a share in the life of the Holy Trinity; a promise of resurrection to eternal life; and a share in Christ’s mission as priest, prophet and king. These effects become more powerful in our lives as we live our baptismal commitment to be disciples of Jesus. We must always remember that the fruit of the sacraments becomes more efficacious in us according to our spiritual and moral disposition. Since our Lenten practices will make us fruitful in these gifts, how could we ask for more from this holy season?