Sacramental Life in the New

¶ … Sacramental Life

In the New American Bible translation issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), John 1:14 gives us the greatest mystery in the universe when it proclaims "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." How could God come and live amongst us? How could he manifest himself amongst tiny humans, agape and in fear of the universe and its forces? The Holy Roman Catholic Church speaks to us by telling us that God co-joined himself with humanity via the mystery of Christ entire life, from birth to death and onto resurrection.

In this short paper, the author will elaborate upon these holy ideas as represented in the experiences of sacramental life. Roman Catholicism is truly a lifetime experience. From cradle to grave, Holy Baptism to the Anointing of the Sick (which can, but does not necessarily happen at death), we are surrounded by these life giving and soul building acts and rarely appreciate them fully. This investigation has truly deepened the author's knowledge and this humble essay will hopefully express the awe. The author has specifically chosen Holy Eucharist, Baptism and Penance to show that they are not in any time order. Rather, as we will review, the official Church teaching is to see them as an organic whole that may touch us in different ways and at different times of our lives.

Why such a review? For this author personally, it has made them more aware that the sacraments are a process. The Church did not come out of a box in the year zero. Rather, from Jesus, to Peter and onto the present Pope Benedict the 16th, we have a legacy of two centuries of papal leadership and development of the sacramental ideas. As the author stated to a Protestant friend who asked why we reject Martin Luther, I said the pope and the sacraments came 1500 years earlier. We were on the block first and our grace comes via the institutionalized and stable message of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

These sacraments come to us via the vessel of a visible church and tap these mysteries to make clear to humanity what would otherwise not be clear. The New Testament word ekklesia comes from the Greek and is derived from the sub-words "ex" (out) and kaleo (to call) which literally means "those who have been called out" or "assembly" or "congregation (Rauch, 2003, p. 42)." This word is used only three times in the New Testament (ibid). The one that this author was drawn to was Matthew 16:18 which is part of Jesus' great declaration of the Holy Father's authority when he declares that Peter was the rock upon whom he was basing his church. This line of popes dispenses to us on earth what was formerly bound up in heaven. Again John 1:14 unites with this concept by giving us a system by which we become one with the creator by partaking in the sacramental ritual and symbolically and literally at the same time becoming one with God and the Church community he has provided for us.

Now, we need to look at these sacraments and their significance for us. There are seven major ones in all, although in a sense other Church rituals can be seen as "sacramental." On the Vatican website they are listed as Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. While listed in this order, it does not necessarily mean that they have to be given in that order. These sacraments touch all the stages and moments of the Christian life and the web article points out that "There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life ("Catechism of the,")."

However, while covering this basic concept, we need to get into the inner meanings and for this must consult the interpretive authority of the Church. Our basic catechism teaches us that a sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to dispense grace. Through Jesus Christ, the sacraments allow grace to flow to humanity. Let us then consider one of our most administered sacraments that is communion. Via the doctrine of transubstantiation, Benedict the 16th "Corpus Christi is the mystery of transubstantiation, a sign of Jesus Christ who transforms the world (Benedict 16th, 2009)."

Digging in deeper, the Holy Father speaks further when he states that "This feast speaks to us & #8230;of what it is and of what it does…it is regenerated in self-giving, that it is received in self-giving (ibid)." The Pope states succinctly the dichotomy of the Eucharist. We give to God while he gives to us the substantial part of his son Jesus Christ via a physical symbol. This symbol is the bread and wine in which we are co-joined with the grace we need to sustain us in a troubled world. The feast of the Eucharist is this symbol. This free, undeserved gift is the product of the suffering and resurrection of Christ that conquers death and gives us life eternal.

With the miracle of the internet, any college student (including this author) can have the words of the Holy Father or major Church councils at a keystroke. While this author has mentioned Eucharistic Communion firstly, penance is actually in many ways more basic. It is given to a child before their first communion, symbolizing a certain level of purity that we must have before celebrating the feast of the Eucharist. The Holy Church does this because the idea of contrite penance must be instituted early on in a child (Knox, & Wright, 1977).

Baptism is the ceremony of Christian initiation. It is here that the person enters into the covenant community. The sacrament is called Baptism, after the Greek baptize which means to "plunge" or "immerse." Immersion into the water symbolizes a catechumen's symbolic burial into Christ's death. From he rises up by resurrection with Jesus as a new creature ("The sacrament of,"). The need for this rite for infants is closely tied to the Church's doctrine of original sin and is the remedy for this problem of all humanity caused by the fall of Adam and Eve. The Church feels that original sin is transmitted by way of natural generation. It is the unfortunately in the spiritual DNA so to speak. People have a natural proclivity towards evil. Baptism remedies this. While, newborn infants are incapable of committing personal sin, they are baptized shortly after birth for the remission of sin. As the Church decree states: "They are truly baptized for the remission of sin, so that what they contracted in generation may be cleansed by regeneration ("Consequences of original," 1986)." As the Apostle Paul declared, "Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all men sinned (Rom 5:12)." The fall of man due to the sin of Adam and Eve required the unique, selfless, loving sacrifice of Christ's death. This grace is distributed to humanity (which suffers as a whole due to this malady) to deal with the moral defect. Grace gives life to humanity who now has a chance to participate in this new covenant that defeats the malady of death that was the consequence of the first sin.