Section 1
THE BEGINNING OF FAITH
Looking for Something
The beginning of faith both surrounds and lies within every human being. The awesomeness of creation raises questions:
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you set in place—what is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him? (Psalm 8:4-5 NAB).
But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or the plants of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? (Job 12:7-9).
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing (Isaiah 40:26).
Not only do the wonders of the created world speak to us of an unseen Creator, but our own hearts testify that there is something more. In searching for this “something more,” however, it is possible to wander off in directions away from the LORD. This is disastrous, unless we learn from our mistakes and finally find the true God. The author of Ecclesiastes seems to have followed all of the wrong paths he could think of before finding that they all reached a dead end:
And I applied my mind to search and investigate in wisdom all things that are done under the sun. . . . I thought of beguiling my senses with wine. . . . I undertook great works. . . . I amassed for myself silver and gold. . . . I got myself male and female singers and all human luxuries. . . . Behold! all was vanity and a chase after wind (Ecclesiastes 1:13,2:3,4,8,11 NAB).
All is vanity because we all must die:
[Man] shall see that even the wise die, the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their homes for ever, their dwelling places to all generations (Psalm 49:10-11).
By God’s grace we may eventually discover that the paths which, on the surface seem to lead to happiness, in fact lead to death. But our hearts continue to whisper, “There is more!” Is there one path that is true? Can we ever hope to find it?
St. Paul tells us that not only can we find God, we have no excuse if we don’t find Him, since His stamp upon creation is clear:
What can be known about God is plain to [men], because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
Only those who do not want to find God will fail to find him:
From one stock he made every nation of mankind to dwell on the face of the earth. . . . They were to grope for him and perhaps eventually to find him (Acts 17:26,27 NAB).
God has planted an inner urging within us. Because we are made by Him, because we are like Him, we are drawn to Him:
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him (Genesis 1:27).
This yearning for God is expressed well by the Psalmists:
As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God? (Psalm 42:2-3 NAB).
O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is (Psalm 63:1).
The LORD has made a promise:
“Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
You shall seek the LORD, your God; and you shall indeed find him when you search after him with your whole heart and your whole soul (Deuteronomy 4:29 NAB).
Difficulty of Being Saved
After receiving assurance from God that we will find Him if we seek after Him with our whole being, it is important to emphasize “if we seek after Him with our whole being.” Apparently we are likely to mislead ourselves on this point since Jesus had several words on the difficulty of being saved:
“Enter through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear, and many choose to travel it. But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it!” (Matthew 7:13-14 NAB).
Someone asked him, “Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?” He replied: “Try to come in through the narrow door. Many, I tell you, will try to enter and be unable” (Luke 13:23-24 NAB).
In both of the above Scriptures Jesus says “Try—strive.” A better translation would be: “With everything you’ve got, make a great effort to enter by the narrow gate.” Note, He does not directly answer the question, “Will many be saved?” but says, “Try to enter through the narrow gate.” It is still a sobering response.
If the just man is saved only with difficulty, what is to become of the godless and the sinner? (1 Peter 4:18 NAB).
Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:24-27).
Except for the free gift of God’s grace, it is impossible for us to get into the kingdom of God. Praise be to God that it is His utmost desire to have mercy on us!
The Power of God’s Word to Save
The word of God, whether spoken or written, has power, power to change our hearts.
The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
It has power because of its source—the word comes from the mouth of God.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10-11).
God sent His word for our salvation, and His word is able to save us:
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. . . . It pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:18,21).
I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith (Romans 1:16).
Humbly welcome the word that has taken root in you, with its power to save you (James 1:21 NAB).
No less than an angel of the Lord told the centurion, Cornelius:
“‘Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, known also as Peter. In the light of what he will tell you, you shall be saved, and all your household’” (Acts 11:13-14 NAB).
Not only can God’s word bring us to the beginning stages of faith, but also to maturity:
From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
Yet can the word apart from The Word, Jesus Himself, bring salvation?
You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life (John 5:39-40).
To this very day, when the old covenant is read the veil remains unlifted; it is only in Christ that it is taken away. Even now, when Moses is read a veil covers their understanding. “But whenever he turns to the Lord, the veil will be removed” (2 Corinthians 3:14-16 NAB).
Faith
We have already discussed what we mean by faith in the Overview above. By far the largest category of Scripture quotes are those which speak of salvation as a free gift of God that we receive through faith. Faith in what or in whom? The Scriptures are clear: it is faith in Jesus Christ and in the Gospel He proclaims which bring salvation.
The jailer asked Paul and Silas,
“Men, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31).
John gets to the heart of the matter in his Gospel:
Yes, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him avoids condemnation, but whoever does not believe is already condemned for not believing in the name of God’s only Son (John 3:16-18 NAB).
In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus beautifully describes four types of heart-responses to the Gospel. He explains the first as follows:
“The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12-13).
From this last quote we see the beginning steps of faith: 1) hearing the word; 2) believing the word; 3) being saved.
We also see that we have an enemy, the devil, who tries to short-circuit the whole process at the very beginning by stealing the word from the hearts of those who have heard it before it has a chance to grow. It is sobering to realize that we have an enemy who is so full of malice that he tries to hurt God by working actively to keep His children from Him.
The following Scriptures show that faith, forgiveness and love all lead to salvation:
Jesus said to the woman who was a sinner who
wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. . . . “Your sins are forgiven. . . . Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:38,48,50).
To Simon, the Pharisee, who was judging the woman in his heart, Jesus said,
“I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47).
No human initiative, no human action or ritual can save us:
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love (Galatians 5:6).
Baptism
Baptism is an immersion of the body in flowing water. Just as water cleanses the body, so Baptism washes the soul from sin. It is an act of faith to believe that this spiritual cleansing takes place through the physical pouring of water.
The story of Naaman the Syrian may be an Old Testament version of Baptism. Naaman traveled to the prophet Elisha in hopes of being cleansed of leprosy. Elisha told him to wash in the Jordan River:
He turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean (2 Kings 5:12-14 NAB).
Immediately before Jesus’ public life,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins (Mark 1:4-5).
John was the most powerful prophetic figure in centuries. Expectations were high. Was he the Messiah? John told them:
“I baptize you in water for the sake of reform, but the one who will follow me is more powerful than I. I am not even fit to carry his sandals. He it is who will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11 NAB).
And “then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him” (Matthew 3:13). The Fathers of the Church teach that all the waters of the earth were sanctified when Jesus was baptized. From that moment on, everything was new!
Just before ascending to the right hand of the Father, Jesus commanded,
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
In Mark‘s Gospel, Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples include:
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).
The definitive Scripture verse on the necessity of Baptism for salvation is in the Gospel of John:
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).
The Apostle Peter mentions the link between baptism and salvation by making an analogy to Noah’s ark, in which
eight persons were saved through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).
There are several examples in the Acts of the Apostles of baptism immediately following belief. This indicates that baptism is the normal response to belief in the Gospel.
After Peter’s exhortation on the day of Pentecost, his hearers asked,
“What are we to do, brothers?” Peter answered: “You must reform and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven: then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:37-38 NAB).
But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:12).
Faith in Jesus Christ automatically brings us into relationship with other believers. We are not baptized as isolated individuals. When we are baptized into Christ, we are also baptized into His Body, the Church:
By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many (1 Corinthians 12:13-14).
Is it possible for one who is not baptized to be saved? St. Paul suggests that it is:
When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse them or perhaps excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus (Romans 2:14-16).
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As indicated in the Scriptures, the Catholic Church considers Baptism to be the gateway to salvation. As the water is poured over the baptized, every sin is “washed away” and the Holy Spirit rushes in, making him a new creation in Jesus.
Baptism is normally absolutely necessary for salvation. But if a person who desires (or would desire) Baptism is not able to be baptized, either because of ignorance or death, we are confident that God is able to pour out His saving grace anyway. Baptism is seen as so essential to salvation that we even make sure to baptize infants, drawing on the faith of the parents and of the whole Church.
The Catholic Church teaches that the grace of Baptism is completed or perfected by Confirmation. In Confirmation, our bond with Christ and His Church is strengthened and deepened by the Holy Spirit, and we are better equipped to live the faith and spread the Gospel:
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).
The outward signs of Confirmation are the anointing of the forehead with perfumed oil and the laying on of hands, both signifying the Holy Spirit.
The LORD, speaking of David, said to Samuel:
“There—anoint him, for this is he!” Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and from that day on, the spirit of the LORD rushed upon David (1 Samuel 16:12-13 NAB).
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Baptism and Confirmation are both sacraments. What is a sacrament? The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1131) teaches that a sacrament is:
- an effective sign of grace
- instituted by Christ
- entrusted to the Church
- gives divine life
- draws on the power of Jesus’ Paschal mystery
- a visible rite which makes present the graces it signifies
The anointing of the Holy Spirit flowing over the Head (Jesus) runs down over the whole Body (see Psalm 133) and then over the whole creation, making them sacred. Ever since the Word of God became flesh, grace has been breaking through into our world by means of the signs given to us by Jesus. A sacrament is a visible sign, something that can be seen, touched, tasted or smelled. It is something tangible, incarnational. A sacrament consists of signs and symbols, words and actions using materials such as water, oil, bread and wine.
The very act of celebrating the rite makes present the grace of each sacrament regardless of the personal holiness of either the minister or the recipient. However, an adult recipient must receive the sacrament with the proper dispositions for it to be effective and fruitful. He can place no obstacle in the way of the grace flowing from the sacrament. First, he must intend to receive the grace of the sacrament. Further, the attitude of his heart must be open to receiving God’s grace. The sacraments are not magic; they must be received in faith, just as it was an act of faith for Naaman to plunge himself into the Jordan. The recipient must have an attitude of co-operating with the grace received, intending to increase in faith and love, hoping to become more and more like Jesus in character.
The sign of each sacrament corresponds to the grace given; that is, when we pour water in Baptism our souls are cleansed from sin, and when we eat the bread and wine of the Eucharist Jesus feeds us with His Body and Blood, and so on.
Jesus also gave other signs, such as the washing of feet, which are like the sacraments. Guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, however, the Church has discerned over the ages that there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Eucharist, Holy Orders, Matrimony, and the Anointing of the Sick. Even though there are many other signs, some performed by Jesus in the Gospels and some not, which can be vehicles for grace, only these seven are sacraments. The others we call sacramentals. The Church teaches that the sacraments are necessary for salvation. In this book we have demonstrated this from the Scriptures for several of the sacraments individually.
Just as our natural life is marked by significant times, birth, death, and marriage or other vocational choice, so is our spiritual life. The sacraments of initiation, Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, accompany us in our spiritual birth. The sacraments of healing, Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, are for the times we are physically or spiritually sick or dying. The sacraments in the service of communion, Matrimony and Holy Orders, are there to sanctify our choice of vocation in life, our choice of how we will bring Jesus’ love to others.
Some of the sacramentals, besides washing of feet, are: the sign of the cross, containing the central mysteries of the faith, the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, and the mystery of the cross; holy water, a reminder of the water of the new birth of Baptism; blessed oil, a sign of anointing of priests, prophets and kings, and also a sign of healing as a divine medicinal balm; laying on of hands, a sign of the giving of the Holy Spirit; blessed candles, signifying the Light of Christ; blessed objects of all kinds; blessings of persons, and many others.
Truth
As we saw in Acts 2:38 above, every baptized person has received the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of truth.
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).
Another word for truth is reality. The truth we are speaking of here is the truth based on knowing Jesus, Who is the Truth, Who is the ultimate Reality. We know this kind of truth when we encounter it, because an inner witness, the Holy Spirit, has convinced us in our hearts. The Spirit of truth is the Spirit of Jesus, for Jesus has said,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
If we receive His truth we will be saved:
Jesus then went on to say to those Jews who believed in him: “If you live according to my teaching, you are truly my disciples; then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NAB).
In Christ
you too were chosen; when you heard the glad tidings of salvation, the word of truth, and believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit who had been promised. He is the pledge of our inheritance, the first payment against the full redemption of a people God has made his own, to praise his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14 NAB).
If one believes the word of truth, he will be saved; if one does not believe the truth, but a lie, he will not be saved:
The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved, through sanctification by Spirit and belief in the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-13).
God our Savior
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).
St. Paul instructs us:
Let us profess the truth in love and grow to the full maturity of Christ the head (Ephesians 4:15 NAB).
Profess, live the truth in love. We must have both: truth without love is not the Truth; love without truth is not Love. The proof of this? Jesus is Truth (John 14:6). Jesus, being God, is Love (1 John 4:16). Jesus, being God, is One and cannot be divided (see, for instance, John 5:18, John 10:35-38 and Deuteronomy 6:4).
Acknowledge My Sin
Part of the truth is that we have all sinned. Before we can turn away from sin, we have to recognize we have done evil in God’s sight and admit it:
As long as I would not speak, my bones wasted away with my groaning all the day, for day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,” and you took away the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32:3-5 NAB).
If we say, “We are free from the guilt of sin,” we deceive ourselves; the truth is not to be found in us. But if we acknowledge our sins, he who is just can be trusted to forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrong (1 John 1:8-9 NAB).
Not only must we confess our sins to God; it is good to acknowledge our sins to our Christian brothers and sisters:
Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed (James 5:16).
Sooner or later the truth becomes known whether we confess it or not:
“Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2).
It is better that we see the truth about our own sins so we can do something about them than for everybody but us to know about them.
Contrition and Repentance
Contrition is a sorrow for our sins, a sorrow deep enough that we want to change the way we live. It is a true change of heart, not lip service.
Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Job was seized with this kind of sorrow when he encountered God in the whirlwind:
I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6).
King David was filled with grief when the prophet Nathan came to him after his sin with Bathsheba. He realized that
the sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise (Psalm 51:17).
St. Peter was saved from the depths of despair by a look of love from Jesus:
Peter responded, “My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.” At the very moment he was saying this, a cock crowed. The Lord turned around and looked at Peter, and Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him, “Before the cock crows today you will deny me three times.” He went out and wept bitterly (Luke 22:60-62 NAB).
Repentance is the actual change of the way I live, turning away from sin and turning toward God:
When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness, and does what is lawful and right, he shall live by it (Ezekiel 33:18-19).
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7).
No feelings of sorrow, however deep, bring salvation unless accompanied by real changes in our lives. John the Baptist warned the multitudes that came out to him:
“Give some evidence that you mean to reform. . . . Every tree that is not fruitful will be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:8,9 NAB).
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In the Catholic Church, we distinguish between initial conversion, contrition and repentance, and subsequent need (after Baptism) for conversion, contrition and repentance. After Baptism, we are still all too prone to sin, even seriously. The ordinary means for seeking reconciliation with God and the Church after Baptism is through the sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance. None of the other sacraments (except Baptism) can be worthily received without first confessing all mortal sins in the sacrament of Penance.
Mortal sin is serious business. Three conditions must be met for a sin to be so lethal as to destroy the life of the soul. 1) The sin must objectively be seriously wrong; that is, a violation of the Ten Commandments; 2) the person must have full knowledge of the seriousness of the action; 3) the person must freely and fully consent to the sinful action, knowing how wrong it is.
The sacrament of Penance was instituted by Jesus on the evening of the resurrection.
Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you. . . .” And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:19,22-23).
In the sacrament of Penance, the penitent, full of sorrow for his offenses against God and his brothers and sisters, confesses his sins to a priest. The priest, representing both Jesus and the Church, applies the healing balm of God’s forgiveness, mercifully and justly. To repair the damage to the sinner’s oneness with himself, with God and with neighbor, the priest imposes an appropriate penance.
God cannot forgive us unless we are contrite of heart. Contrition is sorrow for one’s sins, hatred for them, and the resolution never to sin again. Without true conversion of the heart, no sins can be forgiven. “‘Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much’” (Luke 7:47).
The penitent should prepare for the sacrament of Penance by making an examination of conscience. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1454) recommends basing our examination of conscience on the following Scriptures: Matthew ch. 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount; Romans ch. 12-15; 1 Corinthians ch. 12- 13; Galatians ch. 5; Ephesians ch. 4-6.
Even though it is strictly necessary to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation only when in mortal sin, it is strongly recommended to confess regularly, at least monthly. This bears fruit in continually deeper conversion to Jesus Christ, making us more and more effective bearers of the Gospel to the world around us.
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The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick also removes sin. This sacrament is appropriate whenever one is in danger of death due to sickness or old age. It finds its foundation in the following Scripture:
Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (James 5:14-15).
It is Jesus Who heals in the sacrament, perhaps physically, certainly spiritually. The sick person is given the grace to suffer with peace and courage, uniting his suffering with the saving work of Jesus’ Passion. This offering of one’s suffering in love for the sake of others brings benefit to the one offering and to the whole Body of Christ. The sick person, should he not be healed physically, is prepared for passing over to eternal life.
The sacramental sign is the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person with oil. The meaning of the anointing with oil becomes clearer when we recall that olive oil was considered to have medicinal qualities in New Testament times (recall the Good Samaritan who poured oil and wine on the wounds of the man who had been beaten—see Luke 10:34).
On Fire with Love for Him
When we first come to the Lord in faith, He fills us with a new fire and a new love that we are sure will never fade.
[They] welcomed the message with great enthusiasm. Each day they studied the Scriptures to see whether these things were so (Acts 17:11 NAB).
As part of the conversion process, we may be struck with sorrow at how we have offended God. This deeply felt sorrow is then translated into fiery zeal to live for God:
See what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! (2 Corinthians 7:11).
But it is possible for the fire of youth to slowly ebb away. Jesus chided the Church at Ephesus for exactly this reason:
“I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent” (Revelation 2:3-5).
A fire, whether a tiny candle flame or a raging forest fire, is a fire. Every fire has a burning intensity, producing heat and light. Jesus’ own Heart is burning with love for us. If our love cannot be described as fiery, do we love at all? Judge from Jesus’ words to the Church at Laodicea:
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16).
Because we have this tendency to cool off with the passing of time, we have to take steps to fan the fire of our love. St. Paul exhorts the young man Timothy:
I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you (2 Timothy 1:6).
St. Peter is aware of the power of constantly calling to mind the basics of our faith to re-fire us:
I intend to recall these things to you constantly, even though you already understand and are firmly rooted in the truth you possess. I consider it my duty, as long as I live, to prompt you with this reminder (2 Peter 1:12-13 NAB).
Without fire from the beginning to the end of the Christian life, our love dwindles and grows cold, and we are in danger of arriving at the end of our lives with no taste for the “Love Who is not loved”:
We desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:11).
Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord (Romans 12:11).
Life and Death Combat
Several scriptures refer to entering the kingdom of God by force or violence:
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
“The law and the prophets were in force until John. From his time on, the good news of God’s kingdom has been proclaimed, and people of every sort are forcing their way in” (Luke 16:16 NAB).
Fight the good fight of faith. Take firm hold on the everlasting life to which you were called (1 Timothy 6:12 NAB).
This seems to go beyond zeal or fire—the spiritual life is a combat. We are in a life and death war with enemies who are out to shame, degrade and kill us. We can distinguish three foes in this war: the desires of our own flesh, the lure of the world, and the devil. We must wage a ferocious fight, wielding the weapons of light, with each of them.
We have tendencies within us toward both good and evil. The tendency toward evil is often called “the flesh” in the Scriptures:
Beloved, I beseech you . . . to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul (1 Peter 2:11).
Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when its is full-grown brings forth death (James 1:14-15).
As with all spiritual battles, we are more likely to be successful in this one the sooner we resist the enemy: the best strategy is to “nip it in the bud.”
The world, that is the part our culture which is opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, surrounds us with a continual invitation to sin. It is a sort of peer-pressure that conspires with our fleshly desires to lead us away from God. We must fight it with all our strength:
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4).
If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world (1 John 2:15-16).
Besides being tempted to sin by the world, we are hated by the world and can expect to be persecuted by those who are of the world:
If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. . . . If they persecuted me, they will persecute you (John 15:19,20).
In addition we have a mortal enemy in Satan, a fallen angel, who with cunning and power deliberately does everything he can to destroy us. As we see in the Book of Job, the devil has power to afflict us physically and emotionally, whether as individuals or whole societies:
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10).
His most effective weapon, however, is not brute power, but deceit. He is the master of illusion and lies, able to make evil compellingly attractive:
“[The devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
We must hold fast to the truth in its purity to deflate the temptations of the devil. If we have committed our lives to Jesus and His kingdom of light, we are safe from the malice and snares of Satan and his devils:
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:11-12).
Single Hearted
Fervent love is always focused on the beloved in a total way. One who is divided is not in love:
“No man can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be attentive to one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24 NAB).
For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:7-8).
Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. . . . Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind (James 4:4,7-8).
Jesus Himself was always focused on His Father, always of one heart:
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ . . . was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes (2 Corinthians 1:19).
He taught us to be like Him:
“Blest are the single-hearted; for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8 NAB).
“Whoever puts his hand to the plow but keeps looking back is unfit for the reign of God” (Luke 9:62 NAB).
Whenever the treasure of our hearts is someone or something other than the Lord, we are engaging in a form of idol worship:
“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37).
We would do well to heed King David’s advice to his son, Solomon:
“Know the God of your father, and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off for ever” (1 Chronicles 28:9).
The Body and Blood of Christ
After Jesus’ disciples had been with Him for a time, He said to them:
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:51- 52).
Jesus did not retract His statement, but intensified it. He
said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. . . .” Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it” (John 6:53-54,60).
Faced with the possibility of losing many of those who had been following Him, Jesus did not take back His words, but rather commented,
“There are some of you that do not believe. . . .” After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him (John 6:64,66).
Jesus did not run after them, trying to clear up a misunderstanding over words. Rather, Jesus said to the twelve,
“Do you want to leave me too?” (John 6:67 NAB).
At the last supper Jesus revealed the mystery of His Body and Blood:
During the meal Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take this and eat it,” he said, “this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them. “All of you must drink from it,” he said, “For this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, to be poured out in behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28 NAB).
St. Paul, in a teaching contrasting true and false worship, asks,
Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16 NAB).
The great importance that the early Christians gave to the “breaking of the bread” is clear from another teaching of St. Paul:
Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27 NAB).
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