Jesus lives in the People of God through the grace of the Sacraments.
Marriage is a Sacrament that we celebrated in the year 1996. What are Sacraments? A Sacrament is a holy sign by which Jesus gives us His grace. There are seven sacraments:
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Holy Eucharist
- Penance
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders
- Matrimony
Sacraments Are Signs That Give Grace : Grace gives us a new life, God's own life. It makes our soul holy and beautiful. It makes us children of God and opens heaven for us. God lives in us through His grace. This new life is called sanctifying grace. Actual Grace helps us to lead a good life because it gives light to our mind and strength to our will to do good and to avoid evil. God's grace is being given to our soul when we receive the Sacrament. We can see the signs with our eyes, but it is only through our faith that we know God's grace is given to us.
Baptism is a new birth as a child of God, the beginning of a new life of God's grace in us. Baptism takes away original sin, which we got from Adam and Eve. We become children of God in baptism.
Before Jesus went back to heaven, He said to His Apostles, "Go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Confirmation is the Sacrament by which we, after being born again in Baptism, now receive the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father and the Son. In confirmation, the Holy Spirit comes to our soul in a special way to help us to live a holy life and to be a good example to other people as good Christians.
The minister of Confirmation is the bishop. At my time it was Father Gregory Yong ( 20.5.1925 - 28.6.2008 ). The bishop will anoints the forehead and prays for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Sacrament of Penance, also called Sacrament of Reconciliation, brings to us God's merciful forgiveness for sins we committed after Baptism. Through the priest, who takes His place, Jesus comes to forgive our sins and to give us His peace when we are very sorry for them, sincerely confess them and are willing to make up for them by our prayers and sacrifices.
5.10.1980 My first time receiving the Holy Communion
Jesus gave us the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the night before He died. When He said, "This is My Body," the bread was changed into His holy Body. When He said, "This is My Blood," the wine was changed into His holy Blood. Then He gave a command: "Do this in remembrance of Me."
In the Anointing of the Sick, Jesus gives His grace to the sick and to old people. It is the sacrament of spiritual comfort for the gravely ill whose illness entails danger of death. "It is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Therefore, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the appropriate time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly arrived." (Vat. II). In this Sacrament, the priest anoint the sick with blessed oil and prayers for health. The Church asks God to help the sick in their sufferings, forgive their sins and bring them to salvation.
In Holy Orders Jesus gives us priests to teach us, to offer Holy Mass and to take away our sins and to anoint the sick.
In Matrimony Jesus comes to a man and woman to make them one in holy marriage and to bless them.
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