Introductory Chapter
THE SACRAMENTS – Source of our Life in Christ
1. Introductory Lesson –
for first day of class
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Syllabus
Instructional cycle
Instructional policy
Materials
Homework Assignment
Reading:
 Pp. 2-5.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Anticipatory Set
Opening Prayer: Mt 28:18-20.
Discussion:
Who is speaking? What does the speaker claim?
Who is being addressed? Specifically, what things are they commanded to
do?
What is the on-going relationship between the speaker and those the
speaker addresses?
Given the reference to “the close of the age,” what does this imply about
the speaker’s intentions in regard to successors of those he is immediately
addressing?
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
BASIC QUESTIONS
What is grace?
How did humanity lose its friendship with God?
What is the role of the Jews in the salvation of the world?
KEY IDEAS
Grace is a power God gives humanity so we may love him, do his
will, and share his divine life.
Humanity lost its friendship with God through the sin of Adam and
Eve but God immediately promised a future salvation.
God prepared humanity for the promised savior through the Jews.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Introduction
What way did Christ himself provide for new believers to enter the
mystery of his own life and have a real encounter with him?
Baptism.
What body did Christ found to continue his saving work on earth,
and what specific means did he establish to convey his grace to the
world?
The Church and the Sacraments.
What does it mean to study something in a systematic way?
Extension: It means to study something step-by-step in a logical order.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
THE ROLE OF GRACE IN SALVATION HISTORY
What is the traditional catechism answer to the question, “What
is a Sacrament?”
A Sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.
What is the most basic definition of grace?
It is a gift given to us by God.
According to 2 Peter 1:3-4, in addition to helping us escape sin,
what else does God’s grace do for us?
It allows us to “become partakers of the divine nature.”
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Guided Exercise
Perform a paragraph shrink on the paragraph beginning, “God loves
his creation” (p. 3).
Read the passage silently, identify the main idea and the two to four
most important details, and then rewrite the passage in one or two
sentences.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
ADAM AND EVE AND THE FIRST SIN
What is the recurring story of God’s grace in the Scriptures?
Man turns away from God, and God reaches out to man to bring him back
to God.
What does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God?
It means intelligence, self-knowledge, the ability to reason and love, and
the freedom to choose.
What role did God intend for Adam and Eve in the Garden?
To participate with God in his creation and to share in his friendship.
What is the Protoevangelium?
Literally, it means “first Gospel.” It is the first announcement of the
Messiah, which God made after the sin of Adam and Eve.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Guided Exercise
Focused reading on the paragraph beginning, “However, Adam and
Eve misused” (p. 4) using the following focus question:
What was at the core of the sin of Adam and Eve?
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to interpret Genesis 3:15 in the light of Mary
and Jesus.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
GOD CONTINUES TO LEAD HUMANITY BACK TO HIM
What does it mean to say that the period of human history from
Adam and Eve to Christ is a time of preparation?
God was preparing humanity for the coming of Christ.
How did God use the Jews to prepare the world for the coming
of Christ?
He formed a people through Abraham to whom he gave a covenant,
the moral law, a land, prophets, and a savior.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Closure
Write a paragraph explaining the period of salvation history from
Adam and Eve until the Christ.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Homework Assignment
Reading:
Pp. 6-10 (Through “Sacraments as Signs”).
Questions:
Study Questions 1-4.
Workbook Questions 1-13.
Practical Exercises: 1.
2. Grace and the First Sin (pp. 2-5)
Alternative Assessment
Work in groups of three or four to identify examples of the effects
of Original Sin in today’s world.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Anticipatory Set
Opening Prayer on the story of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26–38).
Discuss the Annunciation in light of Isaiah’s prophecy (7:14) quoted
on page 5.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
BASIC QUESTIONS
How was Mary unlike many Old Testament figures?
How did Christ intend to continue his work on earth?
Why does God communicate to us through physical signs?
KEY IDEAS
Unlike the reluctance of many Old Testament figures, Mary gave a
humble “yes” to God’s plan which brought about the Incarnation of
Christ.
Christ founded a Church to continue his saving work on earth with
the Seven Sacraments as the primary means of imparting his life to
the world.
God’s Sacraments use material signs because human beings live
through material things and communicate through material signs.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
MARY’S “YES” TO GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION
How was Mary’s “yes” to God different from Adam and Eve’s,
Abraham’s, and Moses’ responses to God?
Our first parents said “No” to God; Abraham disbelieved him; and
Moses hesitated. Mary simply said “yes” in her reply, “Let it be done
to me according to your word.”
What happened at the moment of Mary’s “yes”?
The Son of God became incarnate in Mary’s womb.
How is Christ himself the living sacrament of God?
If a Sacrament is an outward sign conveying grace, then Christ is the
visible sign which brings us God’s grace.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Guided Exercise
Based on the final two paragraphs on page 6, complete the following
graphic to identify in bullet points what Christ accomplished for us.
Christ’s Accomplishments
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Christ’s Accomplishments
Reestablished us as sons and daughters of God.
Repaired the damage of sin.
Perfectly fulfilled the will of the Father.
Established the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
Revealed to man the eternal mysteries of God.
Showed us the way to human perfection.
Perfected the Old Commandments with the Commandment of Love.
Perfectly atoned for sin.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
CHRIST FOUNDS THE CHURCH AS AN INSTRUMENT OF
GRACE
Why didn’t the Apostles immediately begin to carry out the
commands Christ made at the Ascension?
They were afraid. Extension: Christ also told them to wait for the Holy
Spirit.
What was the immediate effect of the coming of the Holy Spirit in
terms of the Sacraments?
Three thousand were baptized that very day.
What is the primary way that Christ chose to convey grace to the
world after his Ascension?
Through the Sacraments.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Guided Exercise
Conduct a Think/Pair/Share on the following question:
If someone were to say that Christ did not institute Seven Sacraments and that there
is no basis for the Catholic Church’s Sacraments, what could you tell them, based on the
side bar on the bottom of page 7?
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Even though people administer the Sacraments, who really acts
in them?
Christ creates us anew, forgives our sins, and gives us spiritual
nourishment.
How is the Church also a Sacrament?
The Church is a visible sign that conveys grace to persons.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
SACRAMENTS: TRANSFORMING ACTIONS OF CHRIST
What was the original meaning of the word sacrament?
The word “sacrament” is derived from the Latin word sacramentum, the initiation
oath taken by soldiers upon entering the Roman army in which they pledged
allegiance to the emperor and promised to devote their lives to the empire and
their fellow soldiers.
How does the Christian meaning of Sacrament transcend the term’s
original meaning?
Unlike the Roman sacramentum, which was a human oath, the Christian Sacraments
actually transform the person receiving them to a new life and destiny.
What does it mean to say that the Sacraments are efficacious signs?
Extension: Efficacious means able to bring about an effect. The Sacraments
actually do what they signify. For example, Baptism is a sign of washing which
actually cleanses us of our sins.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
SACRAMENTS AS SIGNS
How is the human being dependent on material things?
Our bodies are material and everything we receive into our intellects comes through
the senses.
What is the role of signs and symbols in human life?
We need signs and symbols to communicate and to understand our world. We also
use these to understand the spiritual world.
Extension: Speech and written language are both symbolic systems. The sound
/wahyn/ and the word wine are symbols that stand for the material substance made
from fermented grapes.
In what sense can it be said that creation itself is a Sacrament?
In God’s direct interventions in history, he uses materials things to make his will
comprehensible: for example, in the use of the rainbow with Noah’s covenant,
circumcision in Abraham’s covenant, and stone tablets in Moses’ covenant. In
addition, God uses material or physical signs in each of the Sacrament.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
How are the Christian and the unbeliever different when it comes
to the meaning of Christian signs?
A believer can see material things as a sign of something greater, namely
God.
How is Christ a sacramental sign?
If one saw Christ directly, one would see a man. But he is actually also
the King of the Heaven and earth and the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Guided Exercise
Based on the Eucharistic hymn, Adoro te devote (p. 20), how does God
use physical signs to reveal a spiritual reality?
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Closure
Work with a partner to complete Practical Exercise 2 (p. 23) on how we
learn through the physical and how God respects this.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Homework Assignment
Reading:
Pp. 10–14 (“Sacraments as Efficacious Signs” through “Sanctifying
Grace”).
Questions:
Study Questions 5–11.
Workbook Questions 14–19.
Practical Exercise 2.
3. Material Things as Instruments of Grace (pp. 6-10)
Alternative Assessment
Free write for five minutes on some idea in this lesson that you found
hard to understand.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Anticipatory Set
THE KING AND THE GARDENER
A gardener worked on the king’s estate. He loved his job and cheerfully set about
planting new trees, trimming the hedges, and designing new and creative floral
arrangements in many bright and beautiful colors. The King would often come out
on his balcony in the morning and observe him working. In time, he developed an
affection for the cheerful gardener. However, the gardener, being a simple and
common man from the local village, was not educated in the finer techniques of
gardening. The King would often see him committing unintentional mistakes or
simply doing things in a way that might easily be improved. One day the King
called the gardener to the palace. He told the gardener that he was impressed with
the job that he was doing and his willingness to serve the king. He asked the
gardener to move into the palace, and together they would plan a garden that
would be the greatest in the land.
How does “The King and the Gardner” illustrate the gratuitous nature of God’s grace, which
elevates us in some way to God’s level and helps us perform good acts and avoid evil ones?
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
BASIC QUESTIONS
How are the Sacraments efficacious signs?
Who is the minister of every Sacrament?
What are actual graces?
What is sanctifying, or habitual, grace?
How is sanctifying grace restored after mortal sin?
KEY IDEAS
The Sacraments are efficacious signs, meaning they produce an effect, which was not
there before, which God desires to effect.
Christ is the principle minister of each Sacrament, so the Sacrament is not dependent
on the personal holiness of the human minister.
Actual graces, available to every person on earth regardless of religion or state of
holiness, are particular helps God gives us to perform good acts and avoid evil ones.
Sanctifying grace, given through the Sacraments, is a sharing in God’s own life and it
transforms us into being like God, if we cooperate with him.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the way to recover from mortal sins, which
destroy God’s life in our souls.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
SACRAMENTS AS EFFICACIOUS SIGNS
What is an efficacious sign?
It is a sign that produces something that was not there before.
In the Sacraments, who invisibly produces the effects that the
physical signs signify?
Christ.
What does each Sacrament produce?
The particular grace relevant to that Sacrament: for example, the gift
of forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Guided Exercise
Complete the following graphic to clarify what Baptism signifies and
effects.
The Waters of Baptism
Signifies
Effects
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
The Waters of Baptism
Signifies
Life.
Cleansing.
Drowning (death).
Effects
The baptized becomes an adopted son
of God and a member of the Church.
The person is cleansed of sin.
The “old man” dies and a new creation
is born.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
SACRAMENTS AS ACTIONS OF JESUS CHRIST
In what two senses is Christ the primary actor in each Sacrament?
Christ acts through the physical sign and through the human minister of
the Sacrament.
When one receives a Sacrament, what Person does he encounter?
He encounters the Person of Christ. Extension: When one confesses to
a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, one is really confessing to
Christ, and when the priest recites the words of absolution, it is really
Christ speaking.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
SACRAMENTS AS ACTIONS OF JESUS CHRIST
Why is the personal holiness of the minister of a Sacrament desirable but
not necessary?
Every person should be holy, especially one who is acting in the Person of
Christ, but Christ acts through the minister despite his personal degree of
holiness.
Why is Christ as principal minister of the Sacraments comforting to the
faithful?
We can be confident that we receive grace through the Sacraments without
worrying about the dispositions of the person celebrating the Sacrament.
How is God’s use of imperfect instruments in the Sacraments consistent
with the Sacred Scriptures?
Throughout the Scriptures, God uses imperfect men and women to accomplish
great things.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
THE NECESSITY OF THE SACRAMENTS
Guided Exercise
Work with a partner to define and give an example of both sanctifying and
actual grace.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Actual Grace
What are some reasons we sin?
Laziness, conformity, or peer pressure are three of many reasons we sin.
Extension: Anger, lust, greed, envy, fear, and pride are some other major
reasons.
Does actual grace force us to do the right thing?
No. It enables us to do the right thing if we choose to.
To whom is actual grace available?
Every human being on earth, whether a Christian or not.
Practically speaking, why is it important to cooperate with God’s grace in
small things?
If we rely on God’s help in small temptations, he will give us the grace to
overcome larger temptations that may come our way.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Sanctifying Grace
Why is sanctifying grace also called habitual grace?
Because it is a stable disposition in our soul to live and act in keeping with God’s will.
Does sanctifying grace prevent us from sinning or experiencing doubts about
our faith?
No.
What kind of life does sanctifying grace give us?
God’s own life so we can be his children and temples of the Holy Spirit.
What does sanctifying grace allow us to do?
To live a supernatural life and accomplish supernatural goals beyond our natural
capacity, for example, by loving as God loves.
Why did God not design sanctifying grace to force us to be good or prevent us
from sinning?
Because he wants our unrestricted and uncompromised love.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
What is the effect of venial and mortal sins on sanctifying
grace?
Venial sins weaken the active power of sanctifying grace, while mortal
sins destroy our relationship with God.
How can we restore sanctifying grace to our souls after a mortal
sin?
Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Why does the Church recommend frequent Confession?
In order to obtain grace to avoid future sins and to keep smaller sins
from growing into more serious ones.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Closure
Write a paragraph explaining the difference between actual and
habitual grace.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Homework Assignment
Reading:
 Pp. 14-18.
Questions:
 Study Questions 12-15.
 Workbook Questions 20-29.
 Practical Exercise 5.
4. Efficacious Signs of Sanctifying Grace (pp. 10-14)
Alternative Assessment
Work with a partner to complete Practical Exercise 5 on the relevance
of the worthiness of the minister of a Sacrament.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
Anticipatory Set
Class discussion on Practical Exercise 4 (p. 23):
Mass is “boring.”
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
BASIC QUESTIONS
 What do the Sacraments call us to?
 What are the three requisite elements in each Sacrament?
 What is the importance of personal disposition in receiving the
Sacraments?
KEY IDEAS
 The Sacraments call us to personal holiness, worship, and a correct
moral attitude.
 Each of the Seven Sacraments has three requisite elements: the physical
matter used, the correct form in which the Sacrament is performed, and
the proper minister who performs it.
 We must be properly disposed to receive the Sacraments worthily.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST
Why do all Christians, especially those entering adulthood, need
grace?
In order to respond to their Christian vocation.
What are the three divine calls of the Sacraments?
To personal holiness, to worship God, and to a correct moral attitude.
What is the communal value of the Sacraments?
Baptism makes us a member of the community of the Church, the
Eucharist unites us together in Christ, and Confession reconciles us
with God and neighbor.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS
Matter, Form, and Minster
Guided Exercise
Complete the following graphic to understand better the three elements
of each Sacrament.
Element
Three Elements of a Sacrament
Explanation
Example
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
Element
Matter
Form
Minister
Three Elements of a Sacrament
Explanation
The physical thing which is
the visible sign of God’s
grace.
The words and actions by
which the matter becomes
an efficacious sign.
The person through whom
Christ acts to make the
sacrament effective.
Example
Water is the matter of
Baptism.
Laying on of hands for Holy
Orders.
The bishop or priest in the
Sacrament of the Eucharist
or couple themselves in
Matrimony.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
RECEIVING THE SACRAMENTS WITH THE PROPER
DISPOSITION
Can persons self-administer Sacraments?
No. One cannot baptize oneself, or confess to oneself, or ordain oneself.
What does it mean to have a proper disposition to receive a
Sacrament?
It means we must have the proper intention―that is, intend to receive
what the Sacrament can give―and be in the proper spiritual condition to
receive it.
What dispositions are preconditions both for the Sacraments and
for the life in Christ for which the Sacraments are intended?
An awakening of faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to God’s will.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
How do we obtain these preconditions?
We simply must want them, and God will provide them.
Why is it necessary for us to desire them?
Because God wants our free participation in his life.
What is the effect of the Eucharist on an atheist?
No more than any comparable piece of bread.
What is the effect of the Eucharist on a person in the state of
mortal sin?
He commits the sin of sacrilege, “profaning the body and blood of
the Lord.”
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
THE EASTERN
CATHOLIC
CHURCHES
Guided Exercise
Complete the following
graphic to become
familiar with the
Eastern Catholic
Churches.
The Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church
Besides Rome, what were the great cities
of early Christianity?
Which city had preeminent religious
authority in the early Church?
How did diversity of worship develop in
the Church?
What was the Great Schism?
What is the origin of what we today call the
Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church?
How does the Roman Catholic Church
view diversity in rite of worship?
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
The Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church
Besides Rome, what were the great cities
Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch, and later,
of early Christianity?
Constantinople.
Which city had preeminent religious
Rome.
authority in the early Church?
How did diversity of worship develop in
Various cities developed various customs
the Church?
and new customs came with lands brought
into the Church through missionary efforts.
What was the Great Schism?
It was the break in 1054 between the West
which looked to the Pope as universal
shepherd of the Church and the East, which
generally adhered to the Patriarch of
Constantinople.
What is the origin of what we today call the The churches in the east which stayed with
Eastern Rite of the Catholic Church?
Rome at the time of and after the Great
Schism and which retained their own rites
of worship.
How does the Roman Catholic Church
The various rites are all of equal right and
view diversity in rite of worship?
dignity and should be preserved and
fostered (CCC 1203).
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
Closure
Using the completed graphic “Three Elements of a Sacrament,” write
a well-organized paragraph on the terms matter, form, and minister
as they relate to the proper celebration of the Sacraments.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
Homework Assignment
Questions:
 Study Questions 16-18.
 Workbook Questions 30-38.
 Practical Exercises: 3-4, 6-7.
5. Responsibilities toward the Sacraments (pp. 14-18)
Alternative Assessment
From time to time, atheists and others deliberately and publicly profane
the Eucharist.
Work in groups of three or four to develop arguments non-Catholics
can understand why this should not be done.
The End