UNIT FIVE The Church is Sacrament

1. UNIT FIVE The Church is Sacrament

2. 5.2 Sacraments for God’s Faithful

3. Transcending Time • Past and future accessible to us. • Participate now in the events that happened long before our time, in the events that will not actually take place for many more years • Time is transcended in sacramental moments

4. When we celebrate the sacraments…. • Moment of creation, saving acts of God recounted in the Old Testament, the past acts of Christ, the end times are all brought together in the present moment • The experience and the faith of members of the Church from every age are brought together

5. Jesus gave us the sacraments for the community • Sacraments ensure the unity between Christ and his body, the Church. • As we increase our understanding of, and our appreciation for, the faith life of Catholics in other times and places, our connectedness to the body as a whole is strengthened and our ability to participate in the richness of the sacraments is increased.

6. The essence of each sacrament: • A particular graced encounter with God which occurs in and through the sacrament • The ritual, theology of the sacrament are the outward sign which point us to the encounter with God

7. Central belief: • The Holy Spirit has been present and active in the Church and in the sacraments since the beginning • The Church as a whole has never lost the truth or the ability to bring the grace of God to the world • In each century the sacraments have been sources of grace

8. Sacraments of Initiation • Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist • Through participation in these sacraments one is fully initiated in the Catholic Church

9. Baptism and Confirmation • Jesus’ baptism is the prototype of all Christian Baptisms • Jesus’ baptism transforms Baptism to a sign of the divine purification which God offers through Jesus • From the beginning, Christian Baptism has been linked to the descent of the Holy Spirit and to the permanent marking of the newly baptized Christian as God’s own.

10. Baptism: Linked to death and life • Waters of Baptism both a tomb and a womb • Christians are given a new life which will be fully realized only through the faithful acceptance of suffering and death • According to the scriptures, acceptance and reception of Baptism = a willingness to accept suffering and even death

11. The early Christians and Baptism • Trusted the Holy Spirit would give them the strength to remain faithful in the face of temptation, the same grace to resist sin that Jesus had received

12. Sin • An utterance, deed, or desire contrary to the eternal law • A failure to love God and neighbor • Harms both the sinner and the unity of the human family • An offense against God

13. Reception of Baptism • Earliest form, four step process • Person heard the Gospel • Believed it • Repented • Was baptized

14. Celebration of Baptism in early Church • Details from the Didache • Person taught, and accepted the basic principle of Christian faith and morality • He or she fasted for one or two days before being baptized • Baptisms done with ‘living” or running water as possible • Water poured over head three times

15. Didache • Also called the “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” • Moral, disciplinary, and liturgical text written in the later first or early second century • Includes teachings on Baptism, Eucharist, fasting and prayer

16. Development of the Initiation Process • Baptism was not always immediately linked to the reception of the Holy Spirit • Paul received the gift of the Spirit through the laying on of hands immediately before his baptism • Other occasions Holy Spirit given some time after Baptism • The Holy Spirit was given through representatives of the apostolic Church in Jerusalem

17. Presumption: • All who had received the Holy Spirit would be baptized, all who had been baptized would receive the gift of the Spirit

18. Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus (AD 217) • Process leading to baptism presented • Began when person first attracted to gospel • His or her life examined by Church • Invited to join the catechumenate: period of preparation for Baptism • Invited on Sundays with the community to listen to scripture and the sermon • Dismissed before the community began prayers, celebration of Eucharist • Met apart for instruction and prayer

19. Final preparation for Baptism • Catechumens named as members of the elect • Begin period of intense prayer • Lifestyles examined • Given prayers, creeds, and gospel of the Church • Days leading up to Easter • Elect participated in daily exorcism as the community prayed all evil and desire for evil would be removed from them • During final three days before Easter the elect fasted and spent their time in prayer

20. At the Easter Vigil • Elect gathered at the water basin near or inside the entrance of the church • Publicly renounced the devil • Anointed with the oil of exorcism • Elect undressed and descended naked into the water • While in the water • Elect questioned about their acceptance of the basic beliefs of Christianity, immersed three times

21. At the Easter Vigil • When they came out of the water • Newly baptized dressed in white garment • Anointed with the oil of thanksgiving • Led inside the main body of the church • Bishop would lay hands on them and pour the oil of thanksgiving over their heads • Newly baptized Christians were welcomed as members of the Christian community with the kiss of peace

22. Invited to the Eucharist • Given three chalices from which to drink • Eucharist • Milk and honey (symbolized entrance into the promised land) • Water (symbolized inner Baptism)

23. Fourth Century Changes • Converts flocked to the Church • Increasing difficult: to provide extended baptismal preparation or careful guidance for all new Christians; for a bishop to be present at each Baptism • 2 distinct trends • Priest serves as minister for Baptism, including laying on of hands and anointing (East) • Bishop kept ministerial role, final anointing and laying on of hands left to be done by bishop (West)

24. Rise of Infant Baptisms • 5th Century, adult Baptisms and the connection between Baptism and Easter began to wane • Augustine stressed the absolute necessity of God’s grace to free a person form original sin • Church believes grace is first given in Baptism • Therefore Baptism is essential for salvation • Soon infant baptism came to be the norm

25. Baptism understood as… • Claiming of an infant by God • All that mattered was that each child be washed clean of the stain of original sin so that he or she would be eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven

26. Christian Initiation Today • Bishop and a profession of faith essential elements of Confirmation • Seal which completed and authenticated Baptism • New understandings of Confirmation arose • Catechism of Trent: Confirmation of Baptism must wait at least until the age of reason (age 7), at which a person might be aware of what he or she was doing

27. Christian Initiation Today • Confirmation gave strength to the grace of Baptism, gave person the strength to fight evil • Not understood as essential for salvation • Eventually, Confirmation came to be celebrated some time in adolescence • Sacrament of maturity, gave grace needed to live as faithful adult

28. Christian Initiation Today • Up until 20th century, order of Sacraments of Initiation same as earliest days: Baptism, followed by a seal on Baptism later known as Confirmation, and finally reception of the Eucharist • In 1905, to encourage people to receive communion more frequently, Pope Pius X moved reception of first Eucharist from early adolescence to age seven, though Confirmation remained in adolescence

29. Christian Initiation Today • Confirmation lost its identity as the sacrament which admitted a person to the Eucharistic table and to full unity with the Church • The Eucharist lost some of its identity as the sign of total commitment to Christ and to his body, the Church

30. RCIA seen as normative • Emphasis on Christian initiation is a process of uniting people with God in heaven and with the body of Christ on earth • Emphasis on the commitment of those receiving the sacraments

31. Absolution • Release of repentant sinners from their sin in the sacrament of Reconciliation • Must still do what they can to make amends for their in order to recover their full spiritual health

32. Eucharist • Source and summit of Christian life • Culmination both of Gods’ action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship we offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit • Every celebration anticipates Christ’s return

33. Eucharist in the early Church • A meal which allows participants to be freed from the constraints of time so that they can be present at both the saving events of the past (Last Supper and crucifixion) and at the future time of the second coming • Understood as a meal that forms Christians into the new People of God • No one to come without having resolved any disagreements

34. Eucharistic Rites in the Early Church • 1st century: All Christians in one community gather together, in private homes for celebration of Lord’s Day • Some homes became churches as congregations grew • Became impossible for all Christians in same city to worship together • To preserve and symbolize bond of unity among separate churches of an area, custom of “fragmentation” arose

35. Fragmentation • A piece of Eucharistic bread from the bishop’s church was sent to each of the other churches in the same city to be mingled with their Eucharistic bread

36. Essential elements of Christian Worship • From the beginning, preaching, prayer and the breaking of the bread • Early format of Eucharist, outlined in gospel story of Jesus’ appearance on the road to Emmaus • Jesus traces Salvation History from the Old Testament to the saving events of the Paschal Mystery • Then offers prayer of thanksgiving and breaks the bread

37. Fixed pattern for Eucharist • By middle of 2nd century, Justin Martyr wrote rite of Eucharist • Began with a liturgy of the word (memoirs of apostles, writing of prophets read) • Followed by a sermon • Offered prayers, kiss of peace • Bread and wine brought in, presider offered prayers of thanksgiving • Congregation assents with “Amen”

38. Liturgy of the word • Part of the Mass which includes the “writings of the prophets” (the Old Testament reading and psalm), and the “memoirs of the apostles” (the New Testament epistle and the gospel, the homily, the profession of faith, and the intercessions for the world

39. Developments in Understanding and Practice • Eucharist as a sacrifice • Sacrifice which the book of Hebrews says is offered by Christ the high priest • Acceptable sacrifice which pleases the Lord, puts those who offer it in right relationship with God

40. Deacon • One who is ordained “not unto the priesthood, but into ministry” • Ordained to serve by assisting bishops and priests in sacramental celebrations and by dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity

41. Eucharistic prayer • Heart and summit of the celebration of the Eucharist • Follows the offering of the unconsecrated bread and wine to God • Begins with preface in which Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works

42. Eucharistic prayer • Includes the epiclesis (the request for the Spirit to descend), the institution narrative, the anamnesis (in which the Church remembers the passion, resurrection, and promise of Christ’s return), the intercessions, communion, and a final prayer of thanksgiving

43. Early Middle Ages • After pilgrims visited Rome to see resting places of martyrs, they often imitated the Roman style of worship when they returned home • 15th Century, Roman rite became rite of western Church • Laity’s role in Mass became less participatory • Prayers of Mass said in Latin

44. By Late Middle Ages • Presence of Laity considered unnecessary and private Masses were common • New sense of Christian spirituality developed • Piety emphasized individual sins and please for mercy • Variety of private devotions became popular, small side chapels where people offer prayers while Mass was going on

45. Transubstantiation • 12th century, used to explain how bread and wine became body and blood of Jesus • Change of the essential nature of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ during the consecration • Essence gave something its true identity and determined the impact it would have on those who interacted with it (changed) • Accidents those things perceptible to the senses (remained same)

46. Transubstantiation • Doctrine intended to help people understand that as the bread and wine are incorporated into the one who receives the, that person’s relationship with Christ is strengthened • Helps people to understand that even though the consecrated elements appear like all other bread and wine, all who offer prayers before them are offering prayers before the incarnate Jesus himself

47. A Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving • Early Christians understood Jesus’ death as both a sacrifice of commitment and as payment of a debt • By Middle Ages, the notion of sacrifice was influenced by pagan concepts • Council of Trent sought to correct misunderstandings • Eucharist true sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and an expiation for the living and the dead

48. Council of Trent and the Eucharist • The cross was a bloody sacrifice and the Eucharist an unbloody sacrifice but otherwise the two are the same • Eucharist is a sacrifice which binds us to God • Altered the practice of the Mass • Standardized liturgy, specific texts and actions mandatory

49. Roman rite, rite of all western churches • 1661 Pope Alexander VII prohibited translation of missal to vernacular (commonly spoken language) under penalty of excommunication • From Council of Trent until the Second Vatican Council, celebration of Mass unchanged.

50. Sacrament causes what it signifies • If People understand what sacrament signifies, then will be able to receive and benefit from the grace which it gives • Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy • Allows for legitimate variations in liturgy from culture to culture • Several options to choose from for each of parts of the Mass