Understanding the Sacraments:: God's Grace Guaranteed! (Explaining the Faith). This item is unavailable.Understanding the Sacraments:: God's Grace Guaranteed! (Explaining the Faith)

"Why is the Catholic Church different from any other church? First, the Catholic Church is the only church founded by Jesus Christ Himself. All other Christian churches were founded by an ordinary man or woman. Second, the seven Sacraments. These are not just symbols but God's guaranteed grace. They are Biblical, as they were instituted by Christ and entrusted to His Church. It is Christ Who acts and communicates His grace through Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders (Ordination), and Matrimony. In his engaging style, Fr. Chris Alar, host of the popular "Explaining the Faith" online talks, takes us "back to seminary" for a refresher course on what all Catholics should have learned. He answers such questions as, Why do we baptize infants? Where is Confession in the Bible? Is my marriage valid? And many more. "As St. Thomas Aquinas taught, 'You cannot love what you do not know, '" Fr. Chris says. "I hope you will come to love your Catholic Faith more deeply, in a way that will change your life! And if you have already learned about the Sacraments, I believe this book may be a good review and a source of some new information. Let's get started!"--

Father Chris Alar, MIC, entered the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, the religious community entrusted with spreading the message and devotion of Divine Mercy, as a postulant in July 2006. Prior to that time, he received a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan. After working as an engineering manager at a large automotive supplier in Detroit, he began his own consulting firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2000. Answering the Lord's call, he attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, in Ohio, for his philosophy studies; Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., for his theology studies; and he earned his Masters of Divinity degree from Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 31, 2014. Father Chris offers the popular "Divine Mercy 101" and "Explaining the Faith" YouTube series and is the author of the bestselling books After Suicide: There's Hope for Them and for You (with Fr. Jason Lewis, MIC), and Understanding Divine Mercy. He is host of the EWTN show Living Divine Mercy, which airs on Thursdays, 10 p.m. EST. From 2014-2024, Fr. Chris served as "Fr. Joseph, MIC," the Director of the Association of Marian Helpers. In 2024 he was elected Provincial Superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in the United States and Argentina. Watch Fr. Chris' "Explaining the Faith" talks and the EWTN Living Divine Mercy show on DivineMercyPlus.org and YouTube (Divine Mercy).