Distance Learning # 2

Sacraments- Introduction- Fulton Sheen
   In this article the main topic of discussion is the "divine sense of humor."And in this article they say that a "divine sense of humor" is when you are able to "see through things." The article brings into play many examples of those who possess a "divine sense of humor" but the main example he uses is the incarnate Lord, Jesus. The only things that the Incarnate Lord took seriously was the soul. Our Lord has a divine sense of humor because he revealed to us that the world is sacramental and a sacrament includes two things: something that can seen, touched or tasted and something that cannot be seen by the flesh. But the problem with us today is that we have losses our "divine sense of humor". Because of this we can no longer understand the natural world. This is because we have committed two major errors. The first one being that we cut ourselves off from the almighty God and when we do that we can not identify the simple things such as a snowflake being a reflection of the glory of God. The second error is that we have mushed God in with other "Idyllic" characters, causing God's existence to be lessened. Ultimately when we do things like this we become soulless.

Sacraments- Bible is a Sacramental- Fulton Sheen
   In this article talks about how the bible is a sacrament. This is because it has a foreground and a background. This meaning that that on the foreground the bible consists of many stories, characters and objects but as we take a look at the background it is all centered around God. Sacrament is also known to mean "mystery", and through the bible the mystery of God is shown. If men were pure spirits there would be no need for christ using human natures or material things for the communication of the divine. But because they are Jesus uses sacraments to reveal to us.

Sacraments-Seven Conditions of Life and efficacy of the Sacraments - Fulton Sheen 
  Seven Conditions of Life
  In this article it talks about how the physical or the natural life requires seven conditions, five of which refer to the person as an individual, and the other two as a member of society. The five conditions of leading an individual life are: (1) to be born; (2) to nourish himself  (3) must grow to maturity (4) In case where the person is wounded, they must have their wounds bound and healed; and (5) In case they have a disease the traces of the disease must be driven out. As a member of society two further conditions are required: (1) He must live under government and justice in human relationships, and (2) He is called to cultivate the human species.

   Over the human life, there is the divine Christ-life. The seven conditions of leading a personal Christ-life are the following: (1) We must be spiritually born to it, and we do this through the Sacrament of Baptism; (2) We must nourish the divine life in the soul, which is the Eucharist; (3) We must grow to spiritual maturity and assume full responsibilities as members of the spiritual.army of the Church, which is Confirmation; (4) We must heal the wounds of sin, which is Penance; (5) We must drive out the traces of the diseases of sin, which is the Anointing of the Sick; (6) We must live under the spiritual government of the Church, which is Holy Orders; (7) We must prolong and cultivate the Kingdom of God on earth, which is Matrimony.

   Every sacrament has an outward or visible sign. But the sacrament also has a form. Three things then are absolutely required for a sacrament: (1) Its institution by Christ; (2) An outward sign; and (3) The power of conferring the grace or divine life purchased for us by the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. 

The Power and Efficacy of the Sacraments
   The sacraments derive their power and efficacy from the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Our Lord. Blood sacrifice is required to bring us the seven- fold sanctification. This is because blood is the life of man: when man gives up his blood, he gives up his life.

The Application to the Sacraments
    Calvary is like a reservoir of divine life or grace. From it, there flow seven different kinds of sanctification for man in different stages of his spiritual existence. Each of these seven channels is a sacrament by which the power of the Risen Christ is granted on souls by a spiritual and effective contact. This divine life comes into the soul when we receive the sacraments, unless we put an obstacle. The sacraments do not confer grace as magical signs; they communicate it only because they are in contact with the Risen Christ.

   What makes the difference between the sacraments is how each is applied to us. The Christ-life affects us in a different way at different points of time. And because of this the blood of Christ applied at different moments of life results in a different kind of power.