SACRAMENTS: Personal Encounters with God the Father, through Jesus in the Spirit CHAPTER 1: What do you mean

by the word sacrament?

Origin: Latin word sacramentum Pre-Christian era - sacramentum means any pledge in the form of property or money, which was placed in the temple, and was used as a bond by persons or parties who entered into any partnership or contract, or by those who got themselves in lawsuits, and which therefore served as a payment by the person who lost the case in the lawsuit; or in other case, committed a breach of contract Later - it was used to mean an oath or an allegiance made by soldiers to the emperor and to the gods of Rome sacramentum - was understood in relation to any religious ritual that took place in a sacred place Early life of the Christian Church - sacramentum was used for ceremonies of Christian initiation - likened the ritual for the administration of baptism, where receivers of the sacrament vowed to live a new life in Christ, to that of the ceremony in which soldiers took a vow of allegiance to their commanders - when Christianity spread throughout the Roman empire and beyond, the original meaning of the word sacrament evolved 5th Century (time of St. Augustine of Hippo) sacramentum referred to any person, object, place or ritual that was holy and sacred sacramentum a sign of a sacred reality (St. Augustine of Hippo) any visible sign that points to the reality of God Later Christian usage - refer only to the 7 rituals which the Catholic Church call the sacraments

JESUS, The Primordial Sacrament of the Father A sacrament is any visible sign of the invisible God (St. Augustine) - everything around us the created world are a visible signs of God - however, the best and most complete visible sign or sacrament of God is JESUS CHRIST Himself - Jesus (He) is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation (Colosssians 1:15) - in this sense, speak of Jesus as the Sacrament of the Father More than merely saying Christ is a sacrament, but Jesus is the Primordial or Fundamental Sacrament of God - Jesus is a sacrament, a sign and personification of all that God is - Jesus is the instrument through which God encounters people - all other Christian sacraments have their meaning only in and through Jesus sacramentality - the Church is fundamentally and only a sacrament because Jesus is a sacrament - through Jesus, God the Father in His love and mercy, gave man all that he needed in order to be saved (His grace, forgiveness, justice and compassion) - In Jesus, all men are saved. He becomes the Fathers sacrament by his preaching on Gods love and His Kingdom, and by His very actions that concretizes what He preaches (healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, performing miracles to bring Gods kingdom closer to man) - More than all of these, Christ has made His being the Primordial Sacrament more manifest in His passion, death and resurrection

The CHURCH is the Sacrament of Jesus The Church is a sacrament, and the Church is a sacrament of Christ (look at the Church in the light of Christ) - the mystery of the moon since Christ alone is the light of the world, he is like the sun, which in our universe is the source of light; alongside the sun is the moon, which has no light of its own, but simply reflects the light of the sun - the Church is simply a visible sign of Jesus (the Church is not the Church if She does not mirror the person of Christ) - through the Church and in the Church, Jesus dispenses His grace by means of actions, objects and words - in all her activities, the Church seeks to bring Christ to the people and the people back to God Our conviction that it is through the Church that we encounter Jesus today is rooted in the Scripture:
Resurrection: I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:20 Parable of the Sheep and the Goat: Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.

when everyone would do as Jesus did when He walked on this earth, everyone then becomes a sign and a presence of God in the lives of others

CHAPTER 2: The Sacraments of the Church

The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the Body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God; but being signs they also have a teaching function. (Constitution on the Liturgy) Sacraments are powers that come forth from from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and lifegiving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in His Body the Church. They are the masterworks of God in the new and everlasting covenant (CCC 1116) Seven sacraments are the center of Catholic life. (PCP II) The way in which the sacraments are practiced and the way each one is understood today went through a gradual process of discernment, reflection and study. In cooperation with divine revelation and the Holy Spirit Who directs the process of revelation, the Church has discerned over the centuries that there are seven sacraments were instituted by Christ. Sources of Gods revelation: 1. Scriptures particular sacraments show their institution in Jesus baptism through the baptism of Jesus Eucharistic sacrifice in the Last Supper institution of Orders in Mark 14:12-15

 penance in the commission of binding and loosing (Mt. 16:19; 28:16-20) 2. Tradition of the Apostles baptism (Acts 2:22-36) laying on of hands (Acts 8:12-17 and 19:1-17) references to healing (Acts 3:1-10) 3. Fathers of the Church Tertullian was instrumental in introducing the term sacramentum to describe the rituals and practices of the early Christian communities St. Augustine presented a definition of sacraments Council of Lyons (1274) declared that there are 7 sacraments of the Church Council of Trent (1545-1547) defined the core of our sacramental theology and which finalized much of what we presently understand and practice about the 7 Sacraments Sacraments are visible signs instituted by Christ to confer grace. (more popular understanding) - more apt to say that sacraments are more than signs, we see each one of them as celebrations of mans personal and ecclesial encounters with the divine - this encounters are saving acts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the lives of people - every sacrament makes up ordinary actions, words and objects that remind us of Gods assuring and loving presence in our lives when these actions are celebrated, it is actually Jesus Himself celebrating with us through the ministers and members of His Body, the Church (More than just rites or rituals) Sacraments are celebrated as necessary means for our salvation 1. Sacraments (not merely celebrations of the presence of God) Jesus is truly present in these celebrations and through the sacrament, grace is dispensed and we are made holy (Constitution of the Liturgy, 59) 2. one who claims to be committed to a relationship with Christ as members of His Church would also desire to frequently encounter the Lord in His sacraments. The Catechism clearly points this out: The fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the Only One, the Savior. The Essential Components of the Sacraments: 1. they are instituted by Jesus 2. they are signs 3. they are efficacious channels of grace

Sacraments are Actions of Jesus Sacraments are activities (words and acts) initiated by Christ Himself during His earthly life us Gospels Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. (John 20:22-23) Acts of the Apostles Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 18:17) Letters/Epistles Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15) - The choice of each sacraments and its efficacy is entirely the work of Jesus

He Himself acts through the Church and through His minister The Church is Christs body, and as such the Church is the extension of Christ sacred humanity: the minister, through his intention to do what the Church does, becomes the instrument with which Christ acts. It is He Who through the Church baptizes, teaches, governs, binds, absolves, offers, sacrifices. (Mystici Corporis) We declare that the sacraments are ex opera operato since the sacraments are of Christ, they are valid the efficacy of the grace which we receive from them does not depend on the disposition of the minister who is administering the sacrament the grace which is diffused comes from God and not from the minister full benefits of the grace of the sacrament would be likewise dependent on the readiness and worthiness of the one receiving it

Sacraments are Signs Sacraments make use of ordinary things or objects, ordinary actions and even ordinary words - these are sensible realities, meaning, they can be perceived by our senses of touch, smell, taste - these sacramental signs are natural symbols but they are elevated by divine choice; their use point to the transcendent reality of God Some sacraments such as Penance, Holy Orders and Matrimony do not make use of material things, but actions alone. Ex: Penance absolution Holy Orders imposition of the hand Matrimony consent or willingness of the man and woman - these may be ordinary actions but God has chosen these particular actions to effect His encounter with men We learn to find God in the most ordinary realities of our life. Spoken words accompany the actions and the objects that make up a sacrament. The word makes the physical action into divine sacrament. The word brings about the meaning of the actions. The words of the sacrament are also expressions of the faith of Christs Church o As we understand what the actions and objects signify thought the spoken word, a response of faith is aptly called for (Amen clearly expresses that we believe in what is revealed and received through the sacrament) o Matter of the sacrament the objects and actions in the celebration o Form of the sacrament the words used in the celebration

Lesson 3: Sacraments and Sacramentals

Sacramentals sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments in so far as they signify the effects, especially of a spiritual kind, which are obtained through the Church Besides the 7 ritual sacraments, the People of God, the Church, over the centuries has instituted the sacramentals ( CFC 1532)
these are objects, actions, practices, places, and the like, that help us become aware of Christs grace-filled presence around us or liberate from the presence of the Evil one they help us receive the sacraments with greater fruit, and render holy various occasions in life like the sacraments, they are sacred signs/symbols which signify some spiritual effect which is realized through the action of the Church but differ from the 7 sacraments because they are not instated by Christ but by the Church, which uses them to sanctify everyday life they arouse us to acts of virtue and piety which strengthen Gods grace-filled presence within and among us

Grace is dispensed upon the proper use of these sacramentals (ex opere operantis ecclesiae)