Scripture Text: Titus 3:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

Quotes for Reflection

Mother Maria Skobtsova, The Second Gospel Commandment
Does he not see in our ugliness, in our impoverished lives, in our festering sores, in our crippled souls-does He not see there His own divine image and a reflection of his eternal glory and eternal beauty? And so He will return to the churches and bring all those whom He has summoned to the wedding feast.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 27 “Of the Sacraments”
Sacraments are holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace, immediately instituted by God, to represent Christ, and his benefits; and to confirm our interest in him: as also, to put a visible difference between those that belong unto the church, and the rest of the world; and solemnly to engage them to the service of God in Christ, according to the Word.

C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
In speaking of this desire for our own far-off country, which we find in ourselves even now, I feel a certain shyness. I am almost committing an indecency. I am trying to rip open the inconsolable secret in each one of you-the secret which hurts so much that you take your revenge on it by calling it names like Nostalgia and Romanticism and Adolescence; the secret also which pierces with such sweetness that when, in very intimate conversation, the mention of it becomes imminent, we grow awkward and affect to laugh at ourselves; the secret we cannot hide and cannot tell, though we desire to do both....The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them;.... they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited. Do you think I am trying to weave a spell? Perhaps I am; but remember your fairy tales. Spells are used for breaking enchantments as well as for inducing them. And you and I have need of the strongest spell that can be found to wake us from the evil enchantment of worldliness which has been laid upon us.

Application Questions

1. When have you dedicated yourself to a course of action that, at first didn't seem to have an impact, but imperceptibly changed you over time? What was that experience like and what was the result? Share with others or journal the details.

2. What questions arise for you regarding baptism and the Lord’s Supper? What clarity comes from the Scriptures? Discuss this with people in your Parish Community to gain further insight.

3. How have you experienced God's presence with you during baptism and the Lord's Supper? Share how that has impacted you in small or even large ways in your faith journey.