Changing Church Changing Sacraments

Idea of Sacrament Has evolved over the course of the history of the church Change in… History Custom People Concern and need Sacraments connect to peoples’ daily lives

Phase I- Pre-400 CE Church History and the Sacraments Before 313 CE Christianity illegal People persecuted for practicing Many Christian communities formed Practicing “Baptism” Participating in “Agape’s” Christianity illegal People persecuted for practicing Worship had become routine Singing, readings, homilies Bread and wine

Sacrament: defined Term “sacramentum” from Latin word: “an oath” That is an act calling on one or all of the gods to witness the truth of statement or the seriousness of one’s commitment.

This began to be used to describe a whole variety of religious rituals practiced by Christians. Many pagan customs Christmas trees Easter eggs Wedding rituals began to be incorporated into the Christian celebrations of rituals and the concept of sacramentum...

Christianity-the legal religion Constantine made Christianity a legal religion, and lifted the ban in the year 313 CE

The Official Religion of the Roman Empire 326 CE Emperor Constantine angered some Roman citizens 330 CE moved capital to Constantinople Sometimes called Byzantium

Chi-Rho was a sign used by Constantine. Constantine was a pagan who worshipped the sun, and he was worried about the coming battle. He says he started to pray to the “Supreme God” for help. There was a sign in the sky “above the sun” and with it the words “conquer by this.” That night in a dream he said he saw Jesus telling him to use the sign (the first letters of Jesus name) “as a safeguard in all battles.” Constantine ordered the sign to be put on his soldier’s shields-and won the battle.

Silver pendant or amulet with punched monogram cross (chi rho) found in a grave a Shepton Mallet. It is a rare example of a late Roman Christian artifact.

Constantine taught about being a Christian remained ruthless Baptized in old age coins kept pictures of the old Roman Gods Constantine’s new church in Rome (San Giovani) was built on the edge of the city to avoid upsetting the pagans Constantine, and his mother Helena, built great churches in the Holy Land to mark the places where Jesus was born, taught and was buried.

The baptistry at St. Giovani, built by Constantine

396 CE the official empire split in two after another emperor died Middle Ages now began Constant attacks Burning 476 CE the last Roman emperor in the west was killed political and cultural chaos followed Middle Ages lasted unto about 1000 CE

Role of St Augustine - Augustine was the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa in 395 CE

Augustine introduced many “Words” or ideas that became very much a part of the sacraments That Baptism imprinted a new “Character” upon a person Ideas of administering and receiving the sacraments as part of Augustine legacy He thought of sacraments as “signs of a sacred thing.” Believed that almost anything could be a sacrament, because all the creation was a sign from God. Some more important- i.e. sermons, prayers, scripture, Sacraments of Action (symbols and rituals)

Note on the Eastern Churches 451 CE -- Council of Chalcedon Bishop of Rome declared highest authority Bishop of Constantinople was second in authority Relations between the two remained strained- and a formal split happened The Eastern Orthodox Church remains with some differences to the west today, and relations are better today than ever before.

Phase II-Sacramental Practice in the Middle Ages (formerly known as “dark ages”) Some things that evolved, changed between CE were: Confirmation became separate from Baptism Public penance replaced private Lay involvement in Eucharist declined significantly Marriage made sacramental Anointing of sick became anointing of dying Presbyter (ministers) were ordained

Phase III- The Church and Sacraments in the High Middle Ages During the High Middle Ages, everyone knew his/her place Story on page 114 is a good example Life as a Christian infused every other part of life

And the Crusades…

The Sacraments in the Middle Ages In the 13 th century -- Second Council of Lyons Affirmed that there were only 7 sacraments Rituals became more standardized with theological explanations

St. Thomas Aquinas had a key role His theology state that sacraments were “causes of God’s grace,” not just signs They were instruments that brought about God’s grace. This made the sacraments extra special Unhealthy backlash- some people became more concerned about the “FORM” of sacraments, rather than the results

“Magic” A sense of the “Magic” of sacrament, ritual and Church life develop People believed that all sort of magical results could happen (see page 117) Sacraments became infected with this popular belief, priests often considered “magicians”

Sense of “magic” caused corruption in the Church Martin Luther lit the fuse in 1517 by protesting these abuses The Church had already gathered 9 times between to deal with these abuses unsucessfully

Phase IV- Council of Trent Most significant change came in a statement: God’s love and grace cannot be a bargaining tool. God’s love is unconditional, and we cannot merit the love, or earn the love through good works or anything else. Major focus was place on the sacraments at the Council.

There are 7 and only sacraments Other things could be sacramentals Religious objects Practices that can be spiritually enriching but not central Church approves understanding of sacraments Theology taken from Aquinas and Scholasticism Stressed that sacraments were causes of grace Necessary for salvation Individuals need to experience God’s love for salvation.

Could have been a postcard! Actual diary pages from the Council of Trent.

Impact of Council of Trent on the Church and Sacraments Major themes defined Catholic Church practice for the next 400 years Next major council did not occur until Vatican II ( )

The effects of the Council of Trent included: No new ways of talking about sacraments could occur Must come from theological point of view directed by the Vatican Official Roman missal for the Mass and official book on the rites of the other sacraments was published Universalized sacramental practice and language (Latin) No real changes until after Vatican II Everything the same from place to place

Phase V- Church and Sacraments in the 20 th Century 20 th century brought many changes including war Gradually it was understood that it was necessary to look at Church Theology practices

Pope John XXIII called the Second Vatican Council in 1962 Chief hope was to help the Church get back in touch with tradition from the early Church and respond in a modern world Re-affirm that which was closest to a real appreciation of the sacraments, and discard things that had “crept into” thinking

Effect was to focus mostly on the message that Jesus was the ultimate sacrament That all sacraments need to bring about a better or clearer understanding of Jesus’ central theme of love and forgiveness

The Sacraments Today Looked at as ways to experience God’s love in the peaks and valley, the everyday ordinary and extraordinary events of our daily lives Over and over again from birth to death to new life: a real Paschal meaning.