Acquiring the Merits of Christ’s Resurrection


Dear Catholic Exchange:

I often find it hard to understand and to explain the mystery of death into new life. Could you please shed some light on this for me?

Thanks,

Alan

Dear Alan,

Greetings in Christ! Christ’s death and Resurrection—and its relationship to us—is dealt with extensively in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 596658, a section that is worth reading in full. The intimate, intertwined connection between the crucifixion and Resurrection is beautifully summarized in no. 654: “The Paschal Mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by His Resurrection, he opens for the way to a new life.”

We appropriate the merits of Christ’s Paschal Mystery in the sacraments, beginning in Baptism. The water of Baptism is prefigured by the flood Noah experienced. “[T]he water of the sea is a symbol of death and so can represent the mystery of the cross. By this symbolism Baptism signifies communion with Christ’s death” (Catechism, no. 1220). Yet, in dying to sin in Christ, we are reborn to new life in Him: “Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church, and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word” (Catechism, no. 1213).

Through Baptism, we come into right relationship with Christ and His Church (cf. nos. 1262-70), with the ultimate hope of reigning with Him in heaven after our life on earth, reunited with our resurrected and glorified bodies (cf. Catechism, nos. 988-1019, 1023-29, 1042-1050).

I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”

United in the Faith,

Thomas J. Nash

Senior Information Specialist

Catholics United for the Faith

827 North Fourth Street

Steubenville, OH 43952

800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)



The Importance of Receiving the Sacraments Frequently

Dear Catholic Exchange:

I am in the 8th grade, and I have to write a paper on why it is important to receive the sacraments frequently—especially Confession and the Holy Eucharist. I know the sacraments are the source of special graces our souls need to “stay alive,” but do you have any more main points I can talk about in my paper? Thanks!

God Bless,

Kylie

Dear Kylie,

Peace in Christ! You have correctly pointed out that the sacraments are a source of grace by which we become “partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life” (Catechism, no. 1996). I would offer two additional points that you might like to add to your paper. The first is that participation in the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist, join us more deeply in fellowship with the Church. In doing so, the faithful are drawn more deeply into the profession of faith received from the Apostles. The sacraments do not only pertain to one’s individual life. They are the sacraments of the New Covenant. For this reason, the sacraments also pertain to the life of Body of Christ in which each member of the faithful has a share. See the Catechism, nos. 1071, 1124, 1267-70, 1325, 1369-70, and 1443.

The second point is that frequenting the sacraments serves to turn and open our hearts more toward God and incline us less toward sin. As instruments of grace, the sacraments help us grow more in the image of God, making us more like Him. For example, “we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful” (Catechism, no. 1458).

I hope this answers your question. If you have further questions on this or would like more information about Catholics United for the Faith, please contact us at 1-800-MY-FAITH (693-2484). Please keep us in your prayers as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”

United in the Faith,

David E. Utsler

Information Specialist

Catholics United for the Faith

827 North Fourth Street

Steubenville, OH 43952

800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)



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