8/24/15
1
MEETING JESUS IN THE
SACRAMENTS
CHAPTER 2 WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
SACRAMENTS
Celebrating our Redemption
Redemption: “to recover ownership by paying a sum; to set free or ransom”
Redemption is the action of
Jesus Christ whereby he paid the price of his own death on the cross to save us from sin
In the liturgy (the work of the people) we actually
participate in the events of the Paschal Mystery—the power of the Holy Spirit makes these events (which
happened only once historically) present and real for us.
The liturgy is the way Christ communicates the fruits of the
Paschal Mystery, our Redemption, until he comes again.
8/24/15
2
Christ Acts Through the Sacraments
Pentecost forever changed the
Apostles.
After the Holy Spirit came to them, they became enlivened, rejuvenated, and
filled with courage.
Christ Acts Through the Sacraments
The Apostles entrusted others to carry on their
work of teaching, baptizing, serving, and building up the
Church.
Through an unbroken chain of this apostolic
succession, today’s Church can trace a continuous line of
leadership back to the days of the Apostles.
God the Father: Source and Goal
of the Liturgy
God the Father is the source of the
blessings—divine life-giving actions that are both word
and gift—we receive from the liturgy.
God acts first—we act in response by giving him worship and accepting his Word as the truth.
8/24/15
3
The Work of Christ in the Liturgy
Christ acts through the sacraments to
communicate his grace and is always present in
the Church:
§ In the minister of the sacrament.
§ In the Word, since it is Christ who speaks when the Scriptures are read at
the liturgy. § When the Church prays
and sings and is gathered in his name.
§ In the Eucharistic species, his own Body and Blood.
The Holy Spirit Prepares Us to Meet Christ in the Liturgy
The Holy Spirit prepares us for Christ
§ He enables the
Church to understand the Old Testament as the preparation for the
New. § He prepares us to
encounter Jesus in the liturgy.
§ He serves as “living memory” of the
Church—anamnesis.
Introducing the Seven Sacraments
The Church’s entire liturgical life revolves around the Sacrifice of the Eucharist and the other
sacraments
Baptism Confirmation
Eucharist Penance and Reconciliation
Anointing of the Sick Holy Orders Matrimony
8/24/15
4
Introducing the Seven Sacraments
§ Christ instituted each of the sacraments while he was on earth.
§ Each sacrament is rooted in and based upon the Paschal Mystery.
§ Christ gave the Church authority to determine which rituals would be sacraments and what the rituals themselves would consist of.
The Sacraments of Faith
The mission of the Church to evangelize—to bring the Good News
of Jesus Christ to others—was always a
sacramental one.
The faith of the Church—saying “yes”—comes before the faith of the
believer.
“Lex orandi, lex credendi”
Graces of the Sacraments
§ The sacraments confer the grace they signify—ex opere operato, “by the very action being performed.”
§ The fruits of the sacrament depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.
§ Marana tha: “O Lord, come”
§ Union with the Trinity, which we will only experience fully after death, begins to live in us now through the sacraments.
8/24/15
5
Celebrating the Church’s Liturgy
We “celebrate” the sacraments because they are acts of divine worship.
Sacraments are celebrations that are “woven from signs and symbols.”
Who Celebrates the Liturgy?
THE LITURGY IS AN ACTION OF THE “WHOLE
CHRIST”—HEAD AND BODY
IT IS THE WHOLE
COMMUNITY UNITED WITH ITS
HEAD THAT CELEBRATES
How Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
Signs and Symbols
Words, actions, and objects that express the meaning of each sacrament
FORM MATTER
8/24/15
6
How Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
People saying and doing the same thing at the same time is a
sign of unity.
§ Word of God, especially in the Liturgy of the Word § Liturgical singing and
music § Sacred images, or icons
Liturgical Traditions
The mystery of Christ is so rich that it is
celebrated by several liturgical traditions
Certain elements of
the liturgy are adapted to the
cultures of diverse peoples
Earthly Signs Used by Jesus
WATER
BREAD
OIL
HUMAN TOUCH
8/24/15
7
When Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
The liturgy is structured around Sunday—the first day of the week.
Catholics are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on
Sundays and other holy days of obligation.
When we celebrate the liturgy, we are brought
into the presence of the Paschal Mystery.
Preparing for the Incarnation of Jesus Christ
The Incarnation is marked during Advent and Christmas.
Advent: “coming”
We remember the centuries of people who waited with faith and hope that God’s promise to send a Savior would one
day be fulfilled.
We celebrate our own anticipation of the Second
Coming of Christ at the end of time.
Christmas on December 25—Jesus is the true Son of God
and Light of the World
Focusing on the Paschal Mystery
The Paschal Mystery is marked during Lent and Easter
Lent: “springtime”
Easter Triduum: most sacred days of the Church Year—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy
Saturday
Easter: “passover”
During the season of Easter, the Church reads accounts of the Resurrection appearances
of Christ
Celebrates the Ascension and ends with Pentecost
8/24/15
8
Marking Ordinary Time
Ordinal: “numbered”
The liturgical periods between Easter and
Advent, and Christmas and Lent
The purpose is to
teach Christians how to follow Jesus in
everyday, ordinary life
Mary
The Church Year also includes the feasts of
Mary—the perfect model of Christian
discipleship
“Advocate” “Helper”
“Benefactress” “Mediatrix”
The Sanctoral Cycle
The feasts of saints found throughout the year on the Church’s
liturgical calendar
They “have suffered and have been
glorified with Christ”
8/24/15
9
Liturgy of the Hours The public prayer of the Church that makes holy the entire course of the day and night;
also called the Divine Office
The Church at Prayer
What is prayer? “the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or
the requesting of good things from God”
Prayer is founded on humility and comes from the heart, our “hidden center . . . the place of decision . . . the place of
truth . . . the place of encounter . . . the place of covenant”
Vocal Prayer Meditation
Contemplative Prayer
Where Is the Liturgy Celebrated?
Churches have an eschatological
—“last things”—significance
Jesus is not limited to one place—the whole earth is
consecrated to Jesus
However, Catholics construct buildings for
divine worship—churches
In churches, you will most likely find:
Altar table Tabernacle
Chair—“cathedra” Ambo
Aumbry Baptistery
Reconciliation room
8/24/15
10
St. Katharine Drexel
Founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
Her true mission: to evangelize Native
Americans and African Americans into the Catholic Church for the Salvation of
their souls
“My sweetest joy is to be in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”