The theological virtue of hope which is a supernatural gift granted by God by which one trusts that God will grant eternal life and the means to obtain it on condition of cooperation. Hope is made up of desires and expectations as well as the recognition of the difficulty that must be overcome to achieve eternal life. Even though hope is no longer necessary for those who have achieved salvation, and is no longer possible for those who have rejected the means of salvation, it remains necessary for those of us who are still working out our salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). ). God does not arbitrarily remove the gift of hope from our souls, but we can, through our own actions, destroy that gift. If we lose faith, then we no longer have reason to hope (a belief in "God's omnipotence, goodness, and faithfulness to what he has promised"). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Likewise, if we continue to believe in God, but come to doubt His goodness and/or faithfulness, then we have fallen into the sin of despair, which is the opposite of hope . If we do not repent of despair, then we reject hope and, through our own action, destroy the possibility of salvation. Grace is offering forgiveness when it is not necessarily deserved: Often we view forgiveness as something someone else has to do. They MUST apologize to us, repent and own up to their own actions. They MUST show us five ways they will change and never do it again. They HAVE to buy us a Starbucks gift card and shower us with affection for a week. However, we can't expect people to act a certain way, admitting you were at fault is a very damaging blow to the ego, and sometimes an apology may never arrive. Grace is learning to find forgiveness within ourselves. As an enlightened individual, it is sometimes very frustrating to see people make disastrous decisions, mainly because you have also learned these same lessons the hard way, know the pain and suffering involved and don't want to see those who are dear to you. experiencing the same feelings of pain and suffering. But, as we all know, sometimes we need to learn the hard way, and no matter how much we try to impress these lessons on other people, our efforts will feel like we've failed. The most important thing about living with grace means that we can live with ourselves. When we bow our heads at the end of our day, the night is silent, the world is still, it's between us and God (or whatever other being you believe in). We must respond to this being: “Did I do what you did? asked me to do this today? Have I stood for moral character? Did I accomplish my goal? Grace and hope are gifts from God that help us maintain our virtues. The seven sacraments are: baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, holy orders and marriage. The seven sacraments touch all the important stages and moments of the Christian life. They give birth and growth, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is therefore a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of spiritual life. The sacraments of Christian initiation, baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist lay the foundations of all Christian life. The faithful are born again through Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receivein the Eucharist the food of eternal life. Thanks to these sacraments of Christian initiation, they receive more and more of the treasures of divine life and progress towards the perfection of charity. Holy Baptism is the basis of the entire Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door that gives access to the other sacraments. Baptism is the sacrament by which we are initiated into the life of Christ and become members of the household of God. Baptism can take place at any age, after appropriate catechetical instruction. The Catholic Church requires 2 godparents for baptism, commonly known as "godparents." The Church requires that there be a male godfather and a female godmother. At least one of them must be Catholic, have received the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist and be at least 16 years old. If the person is married, they must have been married in a Catholic ceremony recognized by the Catholic Church. If you choose one of the godparents who is not Catholic, that person must be a Christian who has received the sacrament of baptism. They are not strictly speaking a godfather or godfather but are called “Christian witnesses”. Baptism, the Eucharist and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation”, the unity of which must be preserved. It is necessary to explain to the faithful that reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. Because “through the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly linked to the Church and are enriched with a particular force of the Holy Spirit. They are therefore, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly bound to spread and defend the faith by word and action. » Confirmation is a two-year catechetical program. It begins in 7th grade and usually ends in 1st grade. In preparation for the sacrament, students receive catechetical instruction, perform community service, participate in a retreat and receive the sacrament of reconciliation. In the organic whole, the Eucharist occupies a unique place as the “Sacrament of sacraments”: all other sacraments are ordered to it as to their end. The Eucharist is “the source and summit of Christian life”. The Eucharist contains all the spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself. The reception of the First Eucharist follows adequate catechetical instruction, generally at the second year level. Children first receive the sacrament of reconciliation, usually during the penitential season of Lent. The first Eucharist is celebrated on the Sunday following Easter during a mass celebrated in the afternoon. Every Catholic is encouraged to receive communion each week at Sunday Mass and is encouraged to make frequent good confession, especially if in a state of mortal sin. Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives new life from Christ. This new life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin. The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, wanted his Church to continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, its work of healing and of salvation, even among its own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Penance is confession and repentance of sins. By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of priests, the entire Church commends the sick to the suffering and glorified Lord, so that he may raise them up and save them. Reception of this sacrament is available to any Catholic who is in a serious state of physical, spiritual or mental illness. Two more »..