Distance Learning # 2

     The first article I read was called "These are the Sacraments - Seven Conditions Of Life". This article explains that people grow and develop in the church just as they do in society. Christians grow and develop in the Church through the Sacraments. You are born into the Church through your Baptism. Then, we nourish ourselves trough the Eucharist, taking the body and blood of Christ at mass. We spiritually take our responsibilities of the Church through Confirmation. We heal ourselves by asking for forgiveness from God through Penance. We pray and bless those that are sick through the Sacrament of Anointing Of The Sick. Some live spiritually with God and the Church through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. We get married with others through God in the Sacrament of Matrimony.

     The second article I read was called "These are the Sacraments - What the Sacraments Bring to Man". This article talks about how Jesus Christ died on the cross to bring us to a higher life. It is upon us to look for that higher life. It explains a story about a tadpole that thought that the world was only water.  If the tadpole would have looked for a higher life then he would see more than water. We use the sacraments to experience Christ. The Sacraments provide us with divine life and grace.

     The third article I read was called "These are the Sacraments - The Bible Is Sacramental". This article explains that the Bible itself is Sacramental. The words and deeds of Jesus are Sacramental and that is what the Bible is filled with. The Bible is the word of God. The Bible gives the sacraments a background meaning. In the Bible, a sign is always a symbol. All symbols are signs but not all signs are symbols.

     The last article I read was called "These are the Sacraments - A Divine Sense Of Humor". This article was an introductory to to the sacraments. It explained to us what they mean and what the symbol to us on Earth. It also explained that in order for one to understand a sacrament, he or she must have a divine sense of humor. When they say divine sense of humor they mean that the person is able to see over and above things here on Earth. The divine sense of humor relates to our understanding of the Sacraments. The divine sense of humor helps us understand the visible sign of the invisible God.