Introduction to Sacramental Theology

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Chapter 1

• Introduction to Sacramental Theology
• Rooted in History and Culture

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Sacramental Theology

• Theological Discipline concerning the interaction
  between God and people through the use of signs
  and symbols
• Began in the early Church
• Focus of many theologians
• Augustine, Aquinas, etc.
• Continues today
• Studying how God is revealed in various ways
  through ritual action in the context of the
  Christian community
• How we experience our God in our lives of faith
• Essential for an understanding of ones faith and
  relationship with God
• Helps us to develop appreciation and respect for
  the various ways in which God shares life with us

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Requirements

• Requirements for understanding Sacramental
  Theology
• Appreciation of the historical context of the
  Christian worship
• Awareness of the ways in which we experience the
  sacraments in our lives
• Participation in the life of the Church through
  the frequent reception of the Sacraments
• Respect for cultural differences
• Introspection into our personal relationship with
  God
• Most Importantly
• Openness to the Holy Spirit moving in our hearts

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Sources for Sacramental Theology

• Bible
• Accounts of Jesus presence among the people
• Institution of the Seven Sacraments
• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)
• Important summaries of the Churchs teaching
  regarding sacraments in general and each
  sacrament specifically
• Tradition
• How have Christians understood the sacraments
  through the Churchs history up to the present
• Theologians / Councils
• Writings explaining the importance of the
  sacraments at various points in the Churchs
  history
• Participation and Reflection
• The best way to learn something is to live it

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Sacramental Theology Catechism

• 1071
• As the work of Christ liturgy is also an action
  of his Church. It makes the Church present and
  manifests her as the visible sign of the
  communion in Christ between God and men. It
  engages the faithful in the new life of the
  community and involves the "conscious, active,
  and fruitful participation" of everyone.
• 1074
• "The liturgy is the summit toward which the
  activity of the Church is directed it is also
  the font from which all her power flows." It is
  therefore the privileged place for catechizing
  the People of God. "Catechesis is intrinsically
  linked with the whole of liturgical and
  sacramental activity, for it is in the
  sacraments, especially in the Eucharist, that
  Christ Jesus works in fullness for the
  transformation of men."
• 1131
• 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.
• 1210
• Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law.
  There are seven Baptism, Confirmation (or
  Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the
  Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and
  Matrimony. 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. There
  is thus a certain resemblance between the stages
  of natural life and the stages of the spiritual
  life.

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Roots and Traditions

• Understanding Roots
• Important for identification and belonging
• Demonstrates connection among individuals
• traditions
• What is handed on or passed down from one
  generation to the next
• Family, ethnic, national, religious, etc.
• Helps to understand our lives and how we relate
  to others who share similar circumstances

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Catholic Tradition

• Tradition
• The passing on of beliefs and customs from
  generation to generation the living transmission
  of the gospel message in the Church
• Different than cultural or family traditions
• Liturgy
• A formal act of religious worship
• A religious ceremonial or ritual
• A church service
• The Churchs celebration of the Paschal mystery
• Sacrament
• Any sign or symbol of a sacred reality
• A Christian ritual that celebrates or signifies a
  sacred mystery

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Early Informal Practices

• Worship and prayer in the early Church was
  informal due to several factors
• Initial small, intimate communities
• Lack of defined rules, procedures
• Lack of communication between communities
• Word of mouth brought by the Apostles and their
  followers
• Use of local customs and practices
• when in Rome, do as the Romans
• Fear of persecution
• Forced Christians to worship when and where it
  was safe
• Actions sacraments often carried out
  spontaneously
• Importance of the Spirit working in the community
  of believers

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Sacraments Mysteries

• Initially, Christians did not have a general name
  for their religious rites
• Each celebration named according to its action
• Baptism, Lords Supper, Laying on of Hands
• Influence of Tertullian
• Christian apologist (defender)
• Helped to categorize these rites
• Demonstrated to Roman officials that Christians
  were not anti-religious
• First use of the term sacrament and mystery
• Sacramentum oath of fidelity
• Mysterion something hidden or unseen
• Mystery
• Something that is real but hidden from view a
  spiritual or intelligible reality known through
  experience buy only partially understood
• Sacraments as signs of mysteries
• Theological way of speaking about the Churchs
  special rituals

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Communal Celebrations

• Even as liturgies have become more formal,
  individual communities still practice liturgy in
  unique ways
• Celebrations of the local community
• Demonstrates connection without sacrificing
  individuality
• Importance of the people gathered together as a
  parish (local) family
• United in Christs love living out their faith

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Impact of Constantine

• In 312 A.D., Constantine becomes Emperor of Rome
• Attributes success to Gods intervention
• Symbolized by the Chi-ro (in hoc signo vinces)
• Issues the Edict of Milan, 313 A.D.
• Observing that freedom of worship should not be
  denied, but that each one should be given the
  right in accordance with his conviction and will
  to adhere to the religion that suits his
  preference, we had already long ago given orders
  to the Christiansto maintain the faith of their
  own sect and worship.
• Legalization of Chrisianity
• Allowed Christians to worship in public

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Ceremonial Liturgies

• Freedom to practice led to more advanced and
  formal Christian liturgies
• Sunday established as a day of rest and worship
• Liturgies held in Roman government buildings
  called basilicas
• In time, basilicas would be used and built solely
  for Christian liturgies
• The combination of freedom and more space led to
  more ceremonial liturgies
• Processions, incense, chanting choirs, etc.
• Especially true in liturgies involving the pope

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A View from the East

• Early Christian high liturgies are still
  practiced in both Eastern Rite and Orthodox
  churches
• Eastern Rite
• A Catholic Church whose liturgical traditions are
  very ancient and different from the Roman or
  Latin Rite and whose origins are in Eastern
  Europe or the Middle East
• Orthodox Church
• A Church whose liturgical traditions are very
  ancient, but which is not in full unity with the
  Catholic Church
• Extensive use of symbols, especially icons and
  incense
• Beautiful, long liturgies with repeated
  references to the Holy Spirit

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Fall of the Roman Empire

• The collapse of the Roman Empire (late 5th cent.)
  led to confusion as to how liturgy should be
  practiced
• Simple, almost minimal, liturgies in most parish
  communities
• Bishops liturgies became even more elaborate
• Period in which the sacraments were abused by
  corrupt individuals
• Simony ? immoral practice of selling sacraments
• Indulgence ? the remission of the temporal
  effects of sin actions contributing to ones or
  anothers sanctification
• Need for reform

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Catholic Reformation

• Council of Trent (1545 A.D.)
• In response to the claims made by the Protestant
  Reformation, Pope Paul III called a council to
  address the problems
• More control over local priests and communities
• Several major changes and revisions
• Canon Law code of Church law
• Missal book containing the ritual for Mass
• Sacramentary book of rules and prayers for the
  proper performance of Church rituals
• Uniformity was achieved at the expense of
  creativity
• Every liturgy looked and sounded exactly the same
• Latin as the liturgical language

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Fresh Air

• In 1962, Pope John XXIII called the Second
  Vatican Council to modernize and adapt the Church
  to modern times
• Allowing fresh air to enter the Church
• Church relating to her members
• Significant liturgical changes
• Return to early liturgical texts
• Adoption of the vernacular
• Common spoken language of the community
• Priest facing the people
• Reestablished the communal character of liturgy
• Liturgy not as rigid as previous
• Established norms with opportunities to embrace
  local peoples and cultures
• Major goal of each liturgy achieving the full,
  active, conscious participation of the assembly

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Liturgy Today

• Product of two thousand years of practice and
  development
• Based on the teaching of Vatican II, liturgies
  continue to incorporate local customs and
  elements
• Help to foster cultural and parish identity
• Ritual Action is ordered and consistent
• Same structure and same meaning no matter where
  liturgy is practiced
• Opportunity for all Catholics to experience the
  cultural adaptations found in various parish
  communities
• Continues to adapt and change to meet the needs
  of Catholics around the world living in the 21st
  century