May 2, 2010
Anointing of the Sick
Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. James 5:14-15
Healing in the early Church was aimed at the restoration of the sick person to complete health of mind, body and spirit. As a sacrament, the Anointing of the Sick was the means by which the ill, elderly and the dying encountered God. This epistle of James became the first model for the healing activity of the early Church.
You will note that James asks “Is anyone among you sick? He does not ask “Is anyone among you dying?” There is no evidence that the early Church believed that the sacrament was only for those preparing for death… the graces of the sacrament were to be bestowed among those who were in need of healing. Thomas Aquinas, in 1274, in Summa Theologica, stated that the sacrament was only to be administered to those preparing to die. The sacrament became popularly known as “Last Rites.” This was to last until the Vatican II reforms. The Vatican II Council sought to restore the sacrament to its original purpose, to that of healing. Unfortunately, even after 40+ years, many of the faithful still hold to the Anointing of the Sick as being the sacrament of dying. Many families and ill persons wait until the last minute to request an anointing, sometimes it is too late.
Don’t wait! The graces received from an anointing are truly powerful! Anointing can bring comfort, strength and peace to those who are awaiting serious surgery or are ill, as from cancer, HIV, or other such illness. I received an anointing shortly after a diagnosis of cancer in 2007. The sacrament brought me the strength to face cancer surgery and treatment. I knew that God was with me, giving me peace ad strength when I had none. The graces I received are still with me today.
Let us lift up those who are ill in prayer. Let us pray that they will not wait to receive an anointing. Let us pray for God to bring them strength and healing. This week let us remember how fragile life is and not wait until too late to allow God into our hearts. –God Bless, Holly Clark
Source and Recommended reading:Understanding Sacramental Healing, John Kasza
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sacrament of Confirmation
April 25, 2010
Confirmation
This coming Friday Sacred Heart Parish will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation for more than 80 kids in the Confirmation program here and from St. Rose. Very often Confirmation is treated as a rite of passage as if a candidate is becoming an adult in the Catholic faith. This leads people to believe that Confirmation is a “graduation” of sorts when in actuality it is a beginning of a lifetime faith journey.
The sacrament of Confirmation is really about strengthening our faith. It is a continuation of the work begun in Baptism. Confirmation should be thought of as a beginning rather than an ending (or graduation from religious ed). Confirmation brings the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to us so that we have the tools to learn in the faith, grow in the faith, and be members in the Body of Christ. In The Sacramental Mystery, author Paul Haffner believes that confirmation should be done before the teenage years (when most parishes confirm) so that they may use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring them through the tumultuous teenage years.
When examining the Rite of Confirmation, one will find no questions asking the candidate “Do you really want to be a Catholic?” Instead, from the very beginning, we see questions that are very familiar… such as “Do you reject Satan and all his works?” The questions in the rite are the same ones asked in the Rite of Baptism. In Confirmation the promises made at baptism are renewed and strengthened. Confirmation amplifies the graces received in Baptism.
Baptism and Confirmation are twin sacraments. They cannot be separated. When one is baptized it is expected that s/he will also be confirmed. Each sacrament fulfills its meaning in the other. This twinning is analogous to Easter and Pentecost. Pentecost completes the Easter message of hope and resurrection in Christ. The appearance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost puts a seal on the Paschal Mystery; just as confirmation puts a seal on the baptized person when the bishop says “(name) be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Let us remember the confirmation candidates in prayer this week. Let us pray that they will see Confirmation as a beginning rather than an ending and let us ALL make a commitment to lifelong learning beyond confirmation so that we may grow closer to Jesus.
God Bless… Holly Clark
Confirmation
This coming Friday Sacred Heart Parish will be celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation for more than 80 kids in the Confirmation program here and from St. Rose. Very often Confirmation is treated as a rite of passage as if a candidate is becoming an adult in the Catholic faith. This leads people to believe that Confirmation is a “graduation” of sorts when in actuality it is a beginning of a lifetime faith journey.
The sacrament of Confirmation is really about strengthening our faith. It is a continuation of the work begun in Baptism. Confirmation should be thought of as a beginning rather than an ending (or graduation from religious ed). Confirmation brings the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to us so that we have the tools to learn in the faith, grow in the faith, and be members in the Body of Christ. In The Sacramental Mystery, author Paul Haffner believes that confirmation should be done before the teenage years (when most parishes confirm) so that they may use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring them through the tumultuous teenage years.
When examining the Rite of Confirmation, one will find no questions asking the candidate “Do you really want to be a Catholic?” Instead, from the very beginning, we see questions that are very familiar… such as “Do you reject Satan and all his works?” The questions in the rite are the same ones asked in the Rite of Baptism. In Confirmation the promises made at baptism are renewed and strengthened. Confirmation amplifies the graces received in Baptism.
Baptism and Confirmation are twin sacraments. They cannot be separated. When one is baptized it is expected that s/he will also be confirmed. Each sacrament fulfills its meaning in the other. This twinning is analogous to Easter and Pentecost. Pentecost completes the Easter message of hope and resurrection in Christ. The appearance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost puts a seal on the Paschal Mystery; just as confirmation puts a seal on the baptized person when the bishop says “(name) be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Let us remember the confirmation candidates in prayer this week. Let us pray that they will see Confirmation as a beginning rather than an ending and let us ALL make a commitment to lifelong learning beyond confirmation so that we may grow closer to Jesus.
God Bless… Holly Clark
The Eucharist
April 18, 2010
The Eucharist
In the most blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church.
-Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.2
This past weekend we began welcoming our second graders to the Lord’s Table. I look into their faces and think what a gift we have in Jesus. I am also remembering Fr. Moran who would make every child feel special to Jesus and to him.
The Eucharist is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation, the other two being Baptism and Confirmation. In the early Church, Baptism was followed by Confirmation and then First Holy Communion. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and is the culmination of Christian initiation. You may be asking yourselves, if this is true, why is Confirmation after Eucharist? In the early Church, the faithful would get their children baptized and then would wait for the Bishop to come around to confirm their children. This could be months or perhaps years between visits to the parish. The end result was that fewer and fewer persons were confirmed because parents couldn’t always get their children to the bishop and thus very few Catholics were receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Eventually, it was decided that to get more people to the Lord’s table that parish priests could allow the Sacrament of the Eucharist to precede Confirmation. This is where we are at today in most parishes.
At the Second Vatican Council, the bishops restored the original order of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. There is a movement in some parts of the world to restore the Sacraments into their proper order to mirror the intentions of the early Church.
This week I would like you all to reflect back to your First Communion. What did it mean to you to receive Jesus for the very first time? What was it like for you when you first experienced the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Today, as we receive the Eucharist let us thank Jesus for His Holy Sacrifice and to pray for all our young children as they encounter Jesus on a personal level for the first time. And, in memory of Fr. Moran, who so loved celebrating the Eucharist with children, let us welcome each child as he did: “Jesus loves you… and so do I.”
God Bless… Holly Clark
The Eucharist
In the most blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church.
-Vatican II, Presbyterorum Ordinis, 5.2
This past weekend we began welcoming our second graders to the Lord’s Table. I look into their faces and think what a gift we have in Jesus. I am also remembering Fr. Moran who would make every child feel special to Jesus and to him.
The Eucharist is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation, the other two being Baptism and Confirmation. In the early Church, Baptism was followed by Confirmation and then First Holy Communion. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and is the culmination of Christian initiation. You may be asking yourselves, if this is true, why is Confirmation after Eucharist? In the early Church, the faithful would get their children baptized and then would wait for the Bishop to come around to confirm their children. This could be months or perhaps years between visits to the parish. The end result was that fewer and fewer persons were confirmed because parents couldn’t always get their children to the bishop and thus very few Catholics were receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Eventually, it was decided that to get more people to the Lord’s table that parish priests could allow the Sacrament of the Eucharist to precede Confirmation. This is where we are at today in most parishes.
At the Second Vatican Council, the bishops restored the original order of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. There is a movement in some parts of the world to restore the Sacraments into their proper order to mirror the intentions of the early Church.
This week I would like you all to reflect back to your First Communion. What did it mean to you to receive Jesus for the very first time? What was it like for you when you first experienced the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Today, as we receive the Eucharist let us thank Jesus for His Holy Sacrifice and to pray for all our young children as they encounter Jesus on a personal level for the first time. And, in memory of Fr. Moran, who so loved celebrating the Eucharist with children, let us welcome each child as he did: “Jesus loves you… and so do I.”
God Bless… Holly Clark
Self Discovery Through Baptism
April 11, 2010
Self Discovery Through Baptism
As I sit in my Liturgy and Sacraments class, I wish you all could be with me learning about our faith. Over the next few weeks I would like to share with you my insights into the sacraments of our faith.
The Sacrament of Baptism is about healing broken relationships. When Adam and Eve faltered in the Garden of Eden, they damaged their relationship with each other, God and the cosmos. When God gave us Baptism He gave us a way to mend these broken relationships. Christ’s redeeming action upon the cross heals us through Baptism and we are again made whole and all is right with God, ourselves and the universe.
In Baptism we find ourselves reunited with God’s graces. God desires that all become his adopted sons and daughters, saved through baptism. In Baptism our past is washed away… what ever separated us from receiving and loving God is washed away and we find ourselves blessed with God’s graces. We are no longer blind to God’s love for us.
Our relationships with ourselves and others are also healed in Baptism. At the Fall, human relationships were broken. In Baptism we are called together to share Christ’s Mission: to bring good news to the poor, to heal the sick and the lame, to free the oppressed. We are called to be a new creation in Christ. We are ready to live a life of grace thus fulfilling our mission as priest, prophet and king. We are called to serve one another for the common good.
Through Baptism, we are now consecrated for Christian worship, ready to live a Christian life and we embark on a path of self-discovery… We ask what is God’s plan and how do we fulfill his plan of salvation for us. We ask what gifts do we have to offer God and our fellow Christians and what can we do to help ourselves and others to live a life of faith. This self discovery is rooted in Baptism… our old self melts away and new self, full of grace appears, ready to accept God’s loving plan for us.
Let us pray this week for those parents attending our Baptism Preparation Class today. Let us also reflect upon our own baptism and how we live out our baptismal promises in our own lives.
God Bless, Holly Clark
Self Discovery Through Baptism
As I sit in my Liturgy and Sacraments class, I wish you all could be with me learning about our faith. Over the next few weeks I would like to share with you my insights into the sacraments of our faith.
The Sacrament of Baptism is about healing broken relationships. When Adam and Eve faltered in the Garden of Eden, they damaged their relationship with each other, God and the cosmos. When God gave us Baptism He gave us a way to mend these broken relationships. Christ’s redeeming action upon the cross heals us through Baptism and we are again made whole and all is right with God, ourselves and the universe.
In Baptism we find ourselves reunited with God’s graces. God desires that all become his adopted sons and daughters, saved through baptism. In Baptism our past is washed away… what ever separated us from receiving and loving God is washed away and we find ourselves blessed with God’s graces. We are no longer blind to God’s love for us.
Our relationships with ourselves and others are also healed in Baptism. At the Fall, human relationships were broken. In Baptism we are called together to share Christ’s Mission: to bring good news to the poor, to heal the sick and the lame, to free the oppressed. We are called to be a new creation in Christ. We are ready to live a life of grace thus fulfilling our mission as priest, prophet and king. We are called to serve one another for the common good.
Through Baptism, we are now consecrated for Christian worship, ready to live a Christian life and we embark on a path of self-discovery… We ask what is God’s plan and how do we fulfill his plan of salvation for us. We ask what gifts do we have to offer God and our fellow Christians and what can we do to help ourselves and others to live a life of faith. This self discovery is rooted in Baptism… our old self melts away and new self, full of grace appears, ready to accept God’s loving plan for us.
Let us pray this week for those parents attending our Baptism Preparation Class today. Let us also reflect upon our own baptism and how we live out our baptismal promises in our own lives.
God Bless, Holly Clark
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