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)