INTRODUCTION TO
SACRAMENT
1. WHAT WAS THE
ORIGIN OF THE WORD
SACRAMENT?
Sacrament: Latin word
sacramentum
Any pledge in the form of property or
money
An oath or allegiance to the emperor or to
the gods of Rome.
Used for ceremonies of Christian initiation
Sacrament: Latin word
sacramentum
sign of a sacred reality
outward signs of inward
grace, instituted by
Christ for our
sanctification
Jesus: The Primordial Sacrament
of the Father
Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of all creation. (Col. 1:15)
He is the paradigm, the
instrument through which
God encounters people.
All other Christian
sacraments have their
meaning only in and
through Jesus.
Church: The Sacrament of Jesus
Christ
Looking at the Church
in light of Jesus.
metaphor: the mystery of the moon
Through the Church,
Jesus dispenses His
grace by means of
actions, objects and
words.
2. THE SACRAMENTS OF
THE CHURCH
SACRAMENTS
INTERPLAY
SACRAMENTS AS CELEBRATION
FAITH PREACHING THEOLOGY
LEX CREDENDI
LITURGY PRAYER & RITUAL ACTION
LEX ORANDI
FAITH INFLUENCES AND SHAPES PRAYER
PRAYER EXPRESSES THE CONTENT OF FAITH
WHEN THE CHURCH CELEBRATES THE SACRAMENTS,
IT PREACHES ITS FAITH
SACRAMENTS OF FAITH
THE CHURCH PREACHES FAITH
IN ORDER TO PREPARE BELIEVERS FOR THE
SACRAMENTS
HENCE, NO SACRAMENT IS INTEGRALLY CELEBRATED
WITHOUT THE WORD OF GOD: LITURGY OF THE WORD
DEFINITION OF SACRAMENT
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 1131
EFFICACIOUS SIGNS OF GRACE
INSTITUTED BY CHRIST
ENTRUSTED TO THE CHURCH
BY WHICH DIVINE LIFE IS DISPENSED TO US
AS EFFICACIOUS SIGNS OF GRACE,
THEY EFFECT WHAT THEY SIGNIFY.
SACRAMENTS BEAR FRUIT
IN THOSE WHO RECEIVE THEM.
EX OPERE OPERATO
AS INSTITUTED BY CHRIST,
THE LITURGY IS AN ACTION OF CHRIST
AND HIS BODY THE CHURCH:
WHEN A PERSON BAPTIZES,
IT IS REALLY CHRIST HIMSELF WHO BAPTIZES
ENTRUSTED TO THE CHURCH
The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties
the liturgical action to what the apostles said and did
and, through them, to the words and actions of Christ,
the source and foundation of the sacraments.
BY WHICH DIVINE LIFE IS DISPENSED TO US
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 Son, the
Savior.
According to the Constitution
on the Liturgy
The purpose of the sacraments is:
To make people HOLY;
To build up the BODY
OF CHRIST;
To give WORSHIP to
God. (Art. 59)
3 Sources of Gods Revelation:
1. Sacred Scriptures
2. Tradition of the
Apostles
3. Fathers of the Church
Sacraments are more
than signs. They are
mans celebration of PERSONAL and
ECCLESIAL encounters
with the divine saving
acts of Jesus and the
Holy Spirit.
According to the Constitution on
the Sacred Liturgy
Sacraments are celebrated as necessary
means for our
salvation Jesus is
truly present in these celebrations and
through the sacrament,
grace is dispensed and
we are made holy.
Sacraments are Actions of Jesus
Sacraments are
activities (words and
deeds) initiated by
Christ Himself during
his early life.
Mystici Corporis
Sacraments are Signs
It points to the
transcendent reality.
Objects and actions:
MATTER OF THE
SACRAMENT.
Words: FORM OF THE
SACRAMENT
DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT COMPOSE
THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS
ASSEMBLY
MINISTERS
SCRIPTURAL READINGS
GESTURES AND SYMBOLS
MATERIAL OBJECTS
OCCASION AND PLACE FOR CELEBRATION
MUSIC, FURNISHINGS
EACH SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE NATURE, PURPOSE, EFFICACY
OF CHRISTS MYSTERY IN THE SACRAMENTS
EACH UNFOLDS IN ITS OWN WAY
THE CHURCHS DOCTRINE ON THE SACRAMENTS
THE CLASSICAL NUMBER OF SACRAMENTS
SEVEN AND UNDER THREE HEADINGS
CHRISTIAN INITIATION
(BAPTISM, EUCHARIST, CONFIRMATION)
HEALING
(RECONCILIATION, ANOINTING OF THE SICK)
SERVICE, COMMUNION AND MISSION OF THE FAITHFUL
(HOLY ORDER, MATRIMONY)
3. SACRAMENTALS
Sacramentals
They are sacred signs which signify the effects,
especially of a spiritual
kind, that are obtained
through the Church.
Grace is dispensed upon
the proper use of the
sacramentals through the
intervention of the Church
(EX OPERE OPERANTIS)