S12 E9 - Lent Book Study Part 2: Blessing and Baptism

In this episode, we continue with part two of our Lenten book study Be Transformed by Dr. Bob Schuchts. We discuss the power of God’s blessings and how curses block our ability to receive His blessings. We dive into the seven types of deadly wounds that distort our identity and how each Sacrament restores a specific wound. In particular, we discuss how Baptism heals the wound of rejection and share how we have allowed God to speak the truth in our own lives that we are His beloved daughters. If you find a tender place in your heart, remember, it isn’t because God wants to hurt you. It is because He wants to set you free.

Hey friends! We know that Be Transformed is packed with incredible things, so we encourage you to not feel the need to rush. We want this to be a place where you can rest and be with the Holy Spirit. If you find yourself stuck on a chapter, we invite you to take the time you need and join us again when ready. May God bless you and bring you healing through His Sacraments!

Heather’s One Thing - The Song Holy by Martin Smith

Heather’s Other One Thing - Her Playlist - Only Jesus 

Sister Miriam’s One Thing - The National Eucharistic Revival and Congress. Sign up for the newsletter here. Learn more about the pilgrimage here. Register for the pilgrimage here. Get involved on social media: Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

Sister Miriam’s Other One Thing - The Song -  Break Every Chain

Michelle’s One Thing - Young Moms

Discussion Questions:

• Where in your life is the Lord inviting you to go to the roots? 
• Where in my life am I keeping the Lord at an arm’s length? 
• How is Jesus teaching you how to love and be loved? 
• What lies have you been identifying with in this season of my life?

Journal Questions:

• Where is my connection broken with the Father? 
• Where do I not trust the Lord? 
• Where in my heart do I earnestly need and desire the Father’s blessing? 
• Where in my life, my heart, and my story do I experience the most wounds and the most spiritual attack? 
• What do I believe about myself? What do I believe about the Lord?

Quotes to Ponder:

“The seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian life: they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith” (CCC, 1210). 

“From the very beginning, God blessed all living beings, especially man and woman” (CCC, 1080).

This is why St. John Paul II concludes, “At the root of human sin is the lie which is a radical rejection of the truth contained in the word of the Father.”  - Be Transformed, Page 25

Baptism is a public blessing declaring that you and I are precious and unrepeatable gifts of the Father. By restoring our relationship with God, Baptism fundamentally heals the wounds of rejection that have plagued the human race since our fall from grace.  - Be Transformed, page 37

The goal of our spiritual life is to be transformed into the image of Christ so that we share in the divine intimacy that He enjoys with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  - Be Transformed, page 17

“Catholic theology can help us understand how a sacrament can be valid and legal but ‘unreleased’ . . . if its fruit remains bound or unused. . . . Sacraments are not magic rites that act mechanically, without people’s knowledge or collaboration. . . . The fruit of the sacrament depends wholly on divine grace, however this divine grace does not act without the ‘yes’—the consent and affirmation—of the person.” (Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa)  - Be Transformed, page 39

In the exercises, Ignatius identifies two opposing spirits that he says are always at work in our lives and in the world. He simply calls them the “good spirit” (which represents our hearts attuned to the Holy Spirit) and the “evil spirit” (which refers to our fallen human nature influenced by the father of lies and subject to the world’s influences).  - Be Transformed, page 46

Scripture for Lectio: 

“Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)

Sponsor - Word of Life:

Word of Life is a religious education curriculum created in partnership by the Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press to help Catholic schools and parishes meet the challenges and opportunities of proclaiming the Gospel.

Word of Life uses four key themes to awaken an authentic Catholic identity and demonstrate how the truths of the faith speak to the human heart. Through activities, videos, and other digital resources, students and parents can interact with faith formation materials in the classroom and at home.

The Word of Life curriculum explores who we are as human persons, what our purpose in life is, why the faith is relevant in our modern culture, and how to live a truly integrated life of virtue through the grace offered by the Church.

Word of Life is proud to serve over 50,000 students in more than 700 schools and religious education programs across the United States. Learn more about Word of Life and how to bring it to your parish or school by visiting wordoflifeseries.org.