THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

CONTENTS

Module V looks at the Catholic understanding of sacrament by comparing it to the Old Testament notion of covenant: a blood-oath in which people bind themselves together in solemn and eternal family bonds of allegiance. From there it proceeds into the most solemn and supernatural mystery of all: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Through this solemn mystery, the Catholic Church on earth joins with all of creation in heaven and on earth in an eternal hymn of praise.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

20. Intro. to the Meaning of a Sacrament	In this program Scott roots the Catholic understanding of sacrament in the Biblical conception of an oath, sacramentum in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. Christianity is the only religion in the world, Scott explains, which believes that God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, swore an oath establishing a New Covenant binding the Christian community to Himself.
21. Grace is For-Giving and For-Getting	This program explains how Christ's establishment of the New Covenant, His solemn oath by which the Christian community becomes the sons and daughters of God, is expressed in seven specific sacramental oaths. These sacred oaths, the sacraments, are the means by which God binds human beings to the Divine Family. Scott explains the sacred and eternal oaths involved in the Catholic sacraments of Baptism, Penance, Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage and Anointing of the Sick.
22. Signed, Sealed & Delivered: Baptism and Confirmation	This program deals with two of the three Sacraments that bestow an indelible mark on our souls: Baptism, the Sacrament of rebirth, whereby we become children of God, and Confirmation, the Sacrament of Battle, whereby we become soldiers of Christ. These are two Sacraments through which human beings respond to the divine promise of covenant by pledging themselves to God in Christ.
23. Communion as Reunion: The Eucharist	In this program Scott explains that it is preeminently in the Eucharist, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, that Christ gives Himself to His people and establishes the New Covenant. When Catholics receive Communion, Scott says, they become quite literally what they eat: they become part of the Body of Christ. "For My body is real food, and My blood is real drink." (Jn 6:55)
24. Holy Healing: Penance and Anointing of the Sick	This program deals with how the Sacraments offer spiritual healing. Scott confronts head-on the secular world view that doubts the need for spiritual healing as well as the existence of diseases of the soul.
25. Going on Vocation: Marriage and Holy Orders	In this final program on the Sacraments, Scott offers excellent practical advice for young men considering the priesthood. For young couples pursuing marriage, he explains, how the sacrament of Matrimony is in fact, a reflection of the Blessed Trinity; where two become one, and become three. Scott goes on to show how priesthood and marriage are both means of sanctification for different people.
26. The Lamb's Supper	All of the previous lessons find their fulfillment and climax in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This program is designed to explain the Catholic Mass as a Biblical prayer that unites heaven and earth, angels and men, all of creation in an eternal hymn of praise to God. Scott explains how the once and for all sacrifice is fulfilled by Christ in the Last Supper and on the Cross. He shows how Christ is not re-sacrificed but, re-presented on our altars. He also provides key insights to help us see the Mass, not as a dead ritual, but as the earthly liturgy reflecting the heavenly liturgy, which comes to culmination in the marriage feast of the Lamb as described by St. John in the book of Revelation.