Sacraments

All Living Things Have a Common Desire  What is it that all living things desire?  The desire to live  What do we do to fulfill this desire?

More Than Simply Living  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10  What to we, humans, do to pursue eternal life?

What is a Sacrament?  The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church 1131

What is a Sacrament?  Efficacious  capable of producing a desires effect  The Sacraments are efficacious rituals The effect what they symbolize, and symbolize what they effect.  “[Sacraments] have efficacy from the incarnate Word himself.” St. Thomas Aquinas

What is a Sacrament?  Grace  “a participation in the life of God.” CCC1997  An un-earned, undeserved gift from God A feeling of peace, belonging, understanding, the patience required to evaluate a decision, strength to do what is right, etc.  Sanctifying Grace The core or “soul” of your relationship with God

What is a Sacrament?  Disposition  One’s willingness to receive the graces conferred by the sacraments.  If you are unwilling to receive the graces then the sacrament does not “work” so to speak; it does not bear fruit.

What is a Sacrament?  Three defining elements of the sacraments  A sacrament is a mystery  Visible sign of the unseen divine reality  Efficacious sign  Prime Sacraments  Christ  The Church

What is a Sacrament?  Fr. Charles Herzog SJ defines a sacrament using slightly different terms:  “A sacrament is a visible sign, permanently instituted by Jesus Christ, for the purpose of producing sanctifying grace in the soul.”  This definition highlights three elements of sacraments: 1. A visible sign, or rite or ceremony 2. Permanent institution by Christ 3. The production of sanctifying grace by means of the visible sign

Four Aspects of Sacraments 1. Memorial – remembering that God is with us now and always has acted for our benefit in the past 2. Celebration – liturgical ritual - with objects, words and, actions – that gives worship and thanks to God for our Salvation in Christ 3. Communion – a real encounter of oneness between God and humanity, and oneness between Church members 4. Transformation – empowerment to become more holy and minister to others through the gift of God’s grace

Article 6 Symbols and Rituals

Symbols  Symbol – an object or action that points us to another reality. It leads us to look beyond our senses to consider a deeper reality  Symbol comes from the Greek root symballein which means “_____________.”  Find a symbol in this room and explain why it is symbolic.

Rituals  Rituals – The established form of the words and symbolic actions that are repeated often.  What is a ritual that you engage in everyday?

Classic Symbols  Triquerta  What does it symbolize and why?

Classic Symbols  Ichthys -or- Fish  What does it symbolize, and why?

Classic Symbols  Chi and Rho with Alpha and Omega  What does it symbolize and why?

Classic Symbols  Christ as the Good Shepherd  What does it symbolize and why?

Classic Symbols  God as the Father in The Prodigal Son  What does this symbolize and why?

Classic Rituals  The Orans Posture  What does it symbolize and why?

Classic Rituals  Sign of Peace, Handshake  What does it symbolize and why?

Sacramental Symbols in Scripture  Genesis 6:5–8; 7:1–12 (Great Flood)  Exodus 17:1–7 (Water from the Rock)  John 4:4–26 (Woman at the Well)  As we read these stories, takes notes on the presence of symbols and rituals within each story.

Sign. Sacrament. Mystery. (Article 7)  John preferred to use the word “sign” when discussing Jesus’ miracles  Greek to Latin (The Vulgate)  Fifth century c.e.  Greek word for “sign” to the Latin sacramentum  Sacramentum became sacrament  The Eastern rites refer to the sacraments as mysteries, from mysterium

The Paschal Mystery  The Paschal Mystery can be considered the core of the sacraments  Paschal  Passover Greek  “The process of God’s plan of salvation, which is primarily accomplished through the life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ” (Singer-Towns)

Article 8 Sacraments: Signs of Christ

The Final Answer  Jesus is the Father’s final answer to Sin and suffering.  “While the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

Sacramental Economy  “The communication or dispensation of the fruits of Christ’s paschal Mystery in the celebration of the Church’s sacramental liturgy.”  We must be part of the flow of grace from God to us.  We have to be willing to step into the river

Types of Grace  Sanctifying Grace  Saving grace that is first bestowed unto us at Baptism  Gives us a permanent disposition that allows us to live with God  Actual Grace  God’s intervention in our life  Prepares us to respond to God – God desires a response from us  Responds to the deepest yearning of human freedom

Sacraments: Doorways to the Divine Life  Read page 42 in your text and compose a complex sentence about the sacraments acting as doorways.

Article 10 The Praying Church

Prayer  “A long loving look at the real.”  Walter Burghardt S.J.  For me, prayer is an aspiration of the heart, it is a simple glance directed to heaven, it is a cry of gratitude and love in the midst of trial as well as joy; finally it is something great, supernatural, which expands my soul and unites me to Jesus."  St. Therese of Lisieux

Popular Piety  Popular – coming from the people; local customs and tradition  Piety – religious devotion; God first, others second; yourself third.

The Five Basic Forms  Page 48. please  Blessing  Praise  Petition  Thanksgiving  Intercession

Three Expressions of Prayer  Vocal - spontaneous, memorized…  Meditation – uses thoughts, emotions, and imagination  Kataphatic  Contemplation – being with God  Apophatic