Sacramental Theology

 ‘A prolongation of the Incarnation’ Towey p263  For 1 st millenium Jesus the revelation of God is the primary sacrament  Jewish roots:  zkr anamnesis – bring past into present  Oth – prophetic sign

 CCC – 1076 – 1199 – ‘economy’ as in ‘plan’  Is the communication of the fruits of Christ’s paschal mystery in the celebration of the Church’s sacramental liturgy  ‘From the beginning until the end of time the whole of God’s work is a blessing (CCC ) cf Eph 1: 3-6

 Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace. The sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions) accessible to our human nature. By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace they signify. (CCC-1084)  1085: The event of the Cross and Resurrection abides and draws everything towards life.

 A sacred and symbolic action  Consists of an intimate encounter with Christ  It comes to us from Christ and is celebrated through the Church  It recalls the past  Brings the past into the present  Gives hope for the future

 zkr anamnesis – bring past into present  Jewish feasts / celebrations were a way of re- entering, re-presenting acts of the past eg Seder meal and the Passover  Jewish rites had a dimension of ‘already – not yet’ which fitted the Jesus story very well  Oth – prophetic sign eg Jeremiah 32:1-42; 13:1-11  Acts performed to depict future events that would come to pass

 The Jewish heritage in TaNaK  Captures the religious power of the past  In the present  For fulfilment in the future  Thomas Acquinas – 1264  O sacred banquet in which Christ is received, the memory of his passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

 Ritual language rooted in theological understanding of God’s word as the:  Transformative creating power of the universe  Sacramental enunciations are performative word  They effect what they say

 Sacraments work if –  there is sacred intent on the part of the minister  The recipient desires to receive  The recipient does so freely

 Validly administered by an authorized person using the prescribed matter and form, to a properly disposed recipient ◦ i.e. someone not placing an obstacle in the way, such as lack of faith or serious sin.  Accordingly, it seemed to make little difference if the congregation failed to grasp the meaning of the word and rituals so long as they did not put up a barrier.

 1128 – CCC  Literally ‘by the very fact of the action’s being performed’  The sacraments act by virtue of Christ’s saving work  Sacraments are not achieved by the righteousness of either the minister or the recipient  But by the power of God

 Augustine was not able to speak of MERELY a symbol as something separate from reality or actuality. Symbols for Augustine are fundamentally real.  The opposite of ‘symbol’ for Augustine was not ‘real’ but perfectly CLEAR or REVEALED, UNMASKED.

 Sacrament = symbol given a sacred meaning  The signs (symbols) of things divine are visible but we honour in them realities that are invisible  Sacrament as HOLY or SACRED sign (symbol) had two elements ◦ the HOLY REALITY to which it refers ◦ the fact that it is a SIGN of that reality

 Clear for Augustine that true Christian symbols deal entirely with the relationship between God and people  Sacraments, like all symbols for Augustine, are EFFECTIVE thus they are not merely representative  What distinguishes Augustine's thought from that of the Middle Ages is that the functional and symbolic character of sacramental symbols are not yet separated

 The symbolic character was NOT one among a number of characteristics, rather it was THE VITAL ELEMENT in the rite ◦ What all sacraments have in common is this HOLY SHOWING FORTH ◦ a disguising yet revealing symbol is always their mark  The sacraments give VISIBLE character and internal UNITY to the Church.

 Sacraments cause grace insofar as they signify it. ◦ (Trent: Decree on the Sacraments, Session VII, 1547), and before that of St Thomas (ST III, qq )  20 th Century approaches attempt to recover this perspective

 With time the sign (symbol) aspect of sacrament receded from the centre of ecclesial consciousness.  The sacraments came to be perceived as instruments of grace, producing their spiritual effects by the very performance of the ritual according to the prescribed manner

 baptism  Eucharist  annual celebration of Christ's resurrection  sign of the cross  Salt  exorcism  contemplation  the penitential garment  bowing the head  transmission of the symbolum

 taking off one's shoes  various rites of catechumenate  entering period of competentes  octave of Easter  Penance  laying on of hands  reconciliation  the great feasts  spiritual songs  the Lord's supper

 laying on of hands  reconciliation  the great feasts  spiritual songs  the Lord's supper