In his letter to the Ephesians St. Paul tells us that God the Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he

chose us in him before the foundation of the world. . . he destined us to adoption to

himself through Jesus Christ" (1:3&5). We are adopted to him through the sacrament of

Baptism and together with the other six sacraments he bestows his spiritual blessings

upon us.

​

In Baptism he gives us a share in his own divine life and lifts us from the merely human

to his own divine level. This is a free gift that we could never achieve or merit by our

own works or abilities. Freely given, this gift or grace also entails the great responsibility

of living a a child of God, holy and blameless in his sight.

​

To be "holy" in the sight of God means to be set aside from the ordinary ways of living in

the world, to embrace the Gospel and live it in a way that is noticeable and an example

to those around us. For some people we are the only thing they see of Jesus in this

world. To be "blameless" in the sight of God means that we live the Gospel deliberately

and with an ever increasing depth of devotion.

 

The seven sacraments are a way for us to live in Christ. They enable us to grow in our

love and relationship with God and one another in joy. We walk in a world of darkness

and in the shadow of death, and bear the light of hope and life.