Sacraments Correspond to Human Nature

Today I am going to be talking about how the Sacraments correspond to human nature. First of all, there are seven Sacraments: Baptism, the Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. All seven of these sacraments correspond to human nature through their use of physical, sensible signs which indicate spiritual, invisible realities. An example of this would be in the Eucharist, we actually see, feel, and taste the Body of Christ, making it easier to relate and understand the efficacious sign of grace that is being portrayed through this sacrament. Another example would be in Reconciliation. We are able to kneel in front of a priest, whether behind a blind or face to face, and confess our sins to him. In this way we are absolved of our sins through the senses of sight and hearing. The Sacraments are all instruments of God's grace, that actually accomplish in the soul what their signs symbolize. Another way that the Sacraments correspond to human nature is that they work ex opere operato, which means "by the very fact of the actions being performed.

Heresies in the Early Church

In the early days of the Church, there were many people who corrupted the teachings of the Church. These things were called heresies. Heresies are the denial or alteration of some part or parts of the Deposit of Faith. These heresies came about when the Church was very new and the Church, and damaged the early church with false teachings. These heresies drove new believers away from the Church, and caused other small denominations.Throughout the early church there were many different heresies. The ones we talked about in my Theology class are: Gnosticism, Arianism, Apollinarism, and Nestorianism. Gnosticism was derived from the greek word "gnosis." According to these gnostics, Christ had been sent with a secret knowledge to basically hand out to those people that were worthy. The second heresy is called Arianism. This heresy was made from Arius, a priest from Alexandria in Egypt. He claimed that Jesus Christ was not eternally God and thus not equal to the father. The next heresy I am going to talk about is Apollinarianism, which was originated by Apollinaris. This heresy denied the existence of a human mind and will in Christ; this lead people to believe that Christ did not have a complete human life as a man. Lastly, I am going to talk about Nestorianism. This heresy was made by Nestorius; he said that Christ was the unity of two persons: one divine and one human. Although there were many different heresies, these were the most discussed about.

Ecumenism

Today I have decided to talk about Ecumenism. It is Greek for the "whole inhabited world."In class we have been talking about the Protestant Reformation and how the ecumenical councils countered the protestant beliefs, and helped the Church by creating truths. Ecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is the movement within Christianity that aims at the "recovery" in thought, in action, and in organization, of the true unity between the church's mission to the world. This was a huge part in the Church's history because it saved the Church from becoming a bunch of little denominations. Even though the Protestant Reformation caused many different denominations, the ecumenical councils saved the Church from becoming all small denominations. As young members of the Church it is very important to know the history of the Church because if there were no ecumenical councils, then there most likely wouldnt be a church to be a part of.

Boston Marathon

Earlier today during the Boston Marathon, a bomb was set off right by the finish line and killed at least 2 people, and injured over 100. This bombing has affected many families, especially one of them. An 8 year old boy died by the explosion, and a man was about to propose to his fiancee right when she crossed the finish line, but she died by the explosion.

Many people will address this situation by asking How could God allow this to happen? or Why is there so much evil if a God exist? But, that is not the way young members of the Church should address this situation. Evil is in the world because God gives us all free will, God gives us the opportunity to either choose him or choose evil. Sadly, there are people that choose evil and separate themselves from God. As members of the Church all we can do is pray for them. We as teens can pray for the people that chose to separate themselves from God, and hope they change their mind, and become in communion with God and the church. Also, as citizens of the United States, it is also our duty to defend our country and to help each other in these times of need.

Challenger Baseball

Yesterday, I went to my local little league, West U Little League, and participated in helping challenger baseball. Challenger Baseball is a league that occurs every Sunday, and you help a mentally challenged kid participate in the baseball game. In this organization I help kids with disabilities play the game of baseball. It is a great way to grow closer to God, and to help people in need. It is a great experience, I highly recommend it to any teens, I truly had a great time.