Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so.
- CCC No. 1534
Reflection: In Marriage the spouses minister to each other in a priestly fashion. In Holy Orders, the Priest loves the faithful with the sacrificial love of a spouse. Both states are similar in their demand to pour oneself out for others.
Prayer: Father, give us the courage to give ourselves totally to others.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
Jesus has the power not only to heal, but also to forgive sins; he has come to heal the whole man, soul and body; he is the physician the sick have need of.
- CCC No. 1505
Reflection: We often think of Jesus as healer only in spiritual terms, but Jesus is concerned with our whole bodies. During his time on earth he practiced a very "holistic" healing approach, healing mind and body. We must still see him this way.
Prayer: Jesus, be the true healer for all the suffering and sick.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
Illness and suffering have always been among the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude. Every illness can make us glimpse death.
- CCC No. 1500
Reflection: In the throes of a painful illness we are tormented with the knowledge that when we were healthy, we didn't appreciate it--hardly realizing how blessed is the state of health. This same experience will be repeated in the moment after death when we realize how much for granted we took the state of life.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see how short and fragile our life is!
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin and nothing has worse consequence for sinners themselves, for the Church, and for the whole world.
- CCC No. 1488
Reflection: All pain is a trial, but pain caused by deliberate malicious actions is almost unbearable to the human psyche, because it brings, along with grief, a sense of horror and fear. And every intentional act of wrongdoing we commit, however small, spreads abroad in a cosmic way, some degree of fear and grief.
Prayer: Lord, by your grace and the life of your divine Son, heal the world of the pain cause by our sin.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his body.
- CCC No. 1368
Reflection: Every Christian is to be a martyr and a hero, daily sacrificing oneself for others: being kind, bearing wrongs patiently, letting go of anger, giving in, putting others above self. This type of sacrifice is pleasing to the Father and ascends to him each Sunday during the Eucharistic prayer along with the perfect sacrifice of Christ.
Prayer: Jesus, help us to live a life worthy of your name, and pleasing to you in every way.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
