A thought

[Albany]

Hey all,

I’m up so early because I couldn’t sleep (not because of this) so I had this thought when I was lying in bed and wanted to share it.

We’re blessed with 7 sacraments that are unfair on Jesus because all He does is give.
And all we do is take in Baptism, Confirmation, sacrament of the Eucharist, Annointing of the Sick and Matrimony.
But when asked to give a little back to take time and humility to go to confession all most of us do is moan about how difficult it is, me more so than anyone. Even, as in the other sacraments, its still actually Jesus how’s doing all the giving.

I feel totally selfish all of a sudden.

Just wanted to share my thought.

Albany
XX

P.s. I know I left out Holy Orders but it doesn’t really apply to most of us and those it does probably have to make a lot more effort with it than confession. Ok maybe matrimony is a bit of an effort as well (I don’t know I’m not married). My thoughts making less sense now??? :takethat:

 

[EasterJoy]

In one sense, it isn’t unfair that the source of all grace is God, because it is not as if we have anything to give in return. That is OK. We were made to be filled with God in order to live in His life and in His image and likeness. This is what God is pleased to do, it is why God made us. It is not unfair; it is the will of our loving Creator.

Actually, though, if we are truly open to the graces offered by the Sacraments, they all ask for something. They all, as it turns out, ask for everything. The Mass, for instance, is the source and the summit of the Christian life. In it, we renew the life given to us in baptism, again renounce sin and, as it were, are re-buried in the Sacrifice of the Lord, in order to share in His life. We do have that one thing to give: our wills.

*"Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin.

"If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus…

“Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawless ness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”* Rom. 6:3-11,18-23

So, you see, in this giving of ourselves, we give up only that which poisons us and robs us of life and embrace that which will result in the fullness of our eternal identity. When we take on the role intended when we were first imagined and fashioned, we are not enslaved, but rather freed to live as the sons and daughters of God.

 

[Albany]

Thanks EasterJoy your right about everything but its still the way I see it. At least today anyway.

 

[sparrowhawk28]

Hi Albany. I do think that each Sacrament requires something of us. We have to commit to faith and live morally in order to partake in most of the Sacraments (except for Baptism, which is usually done on behalf of us, and Reconciliation, which helps to defeat immorality).

I have noticed a similar thing. Reconciliation does seem to be the one most complained about. I used to hate going, but now I can see that it’s actually a very beautiful Sacrament. I do think God does forgive us outside of this Sacrament, though it’s still a wonderful thing to participate in and celebrate - I think it can make His forgiveness more clear and understandable. I wish I was committed enough to do it more often