CCRS @ Falmer Diocese of Arundel and Brighton 2016
Sacraments Module Outline
Module Aims
The purpose of this module is to develop participants’ understanding and appreciation of sacrament in the life of Catholic Christians. We will go on to look more closely at the seven sacraments in the life of the individual and the Christian community.
At the end of this module participants will:
1. Have a deeper understanding of sacrament and sacramentality
2. Have explored the theology of initiation
3. Be able to communicate what they have learned from an adult stance.
Content
· Consideration of the meaning of sacrament and investigation of the sacramental dimension of life - sign, symbol, myth, story, rituals, festivals, sacred time, place and space
· The Paschal Mystery at the heart of the Christian understanding of Jesus as the Sacrament of God
· Insights into the history, current practice, pastoral and ecumenical perspectives of sacraments of initiation, healing and service
Learning support
Aquilina Mike (2001) The Mass of the Early Christians Indiana, Our Sunday Visitor
Beguerie, P & Duchensneau, C (1989) How to Understand the Sacraments London: SCM Press
Cabié, R et al (1988) The Sacraments Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press
Crichton, J (1985) Christian Celebration: The Sacraments London: Chapman
De Gidio, S (1991) Sacraments Alive Mystic, Connecticut: Twentythird Publications
Guzie, T (1981) The Book of Sacramental Basics New York: Paulist Press
Guzie, T (1974) Jesus and the Eucharist New York: Paulist Press
Hayes, M and Gearon, L (1998) Contemporary Catholic Theology: A Reader Leominster: Gracewing
Hubesch Bill (2009) Grace: God’s greatest gift Connecticut Twentythird Publications
ICEL (1976) The Rites of the Catholic Church New York Pueblo Publishing Co
Kain, A (1993) Appreciating God's Presence Victoria: Collin Dove
Kavanagh, Aidan (1978) The Shape of Baptism: the rite of Christian initiation Pueblo Publishing New York
Martos, Joseph (1991) Doors to the Sacred: a historical introduction to sacraments in the Catholic Church [shortened version in Hayes and Gearon]
Martimort A G (Ed) (1987) The Church at Prayer: The Sacraments Minnesota Liturgical Press
McBrien Richard ‘Catholicism’ (1994) HarperSanFrancisco Part 5: The Sacraments - pp783 – 879
Osborne, Kenan (1988) The Christian Sacraments of Initiation’ Paulist Press New York
McPartlan, Paul (1995) The Sacrament of Salvation Edinburgh T&T Clark
Pope Francis (2014) Sacrament A Chain of Grace London CTS Publications
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: study edition (1988) Chicago Liturgy Training Publications
(1992) This is the Night Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications
Stevenson Kenneth (1989) The First Rites : worship in the early Church London Marshall Pickering
Towey, A (2013) An Introduction to Christian Theology London Bloomsbury pp261-278
Resources
As ever , you will need to look at the Catechism (ref above) and Vatican 2 documents (The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Lumen Gentium). Hayes and Gearon has 5 chapters relating to Sacraments and the one by Martos is particularly worth reading. You might find both Guzie and Boff to be fairly easy reading. Pope Francis’ booklet on Sacraments is available from the CTS for £2.50 – do read it.
Sequence of sessions
Session 1
We will look at man/people as ‘meaning makers’, as beings whose lives are committed to the creation of meaning (Eliade). The tools we use to achieve this are symbols (as opposed to signs) and we will look closely at what these are, how we use them and what happens when they stop working.
- sign, symbol, myth, story, rite / ritual, festival, sacred time, place and space –funerals and graves
‘Mysterion’ and ‘Sacramentum’ words from the secular Roman world
Sacramentality - the dimension of life in which material things express the presence of God
Mystery – by definition, God and God’s life, are impossible for us to understand as God is ineffable. While we are encouraged to search for understanding and to use our reason for this purpose, nevertheless we begin by acknowledging that our task is impossible to fathom.
Incarnation – Jesus as both fully human and fully divine. From this point human life - visible materiality - assumes the possibility of expressing the presence and life of the divine. God could no longer be thought of without the association of the human Jesus.
‘He is the image of the unseen God’ (Colossians 1: 15-16). Jesus said: ‘He who has seen me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9)
Grace - is the word we use for the life of God – an invisible reality – an alternative stream of life -. In John’s gospel he uses the imagery of the vine:
‘I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is who bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.’ (John 15:4-5)
The role of human experience and relationship with sacrament.
McBrien: 3 characteristics of Catholicism: sacramentality, mediation, community
Sacraments in the early Church – baptism, Eucharist (Paul) confirmation,
Sacramentals - approximately 320 recognised sacramentals. Defined as ‘Blessings, prayers or sacred objects designated as sacred in a unique way by the Church’.
Session 2 Theology of sacraments and the Pascal Mystery
So what use did the Christian world make of these ideas to celebrate its new found belief (faith / trust) in Jesus Christ as man, as a member of the Trinity and as saviour and redeemer?’
‘The sacramental economy’ CCC – 1076 - 1199
Paschal Mystery - Jesus’ death and resurrection constitutes our redemption and salvation. The Paschal Mystery is at the heart of the Christian understanding of Jesus as the Sacrament of God
4th Lateran Council 1215
Aquinas Scholasticism concentration on ‘how’ rather than ‘why’
7 sacraments specified - decline in recognition of sacramentals
Sacraments in the Reformation – ‘ex opere operato’ (actually Augustine after the Donatists heresy and subsequently the Council of Trent - Counter Reformation)
Definition of a sacrament – ‘an outward sign of inward grace ordained by Jesus Christ’ is the traditional definition.
CCC 1084
Characteristics of sacraments –
a sacred and symbolic action
Consists of an intimate encounter with Christ
It comes to us from Christ and is celebrated through the Church
It recalls the past,
brings the past into the present, and
gives hope for the future
Session 3 Baptism
Categories of sacraments: initiation, healing, service
Sacraments of initiation: baptism, Eucharist, confirmation
‘In Baptism we have been called to form one body. The Eucharist fulfils this call’
CCC 1396
Confirmation - baptism in the Spirit
Session 4 Eucharist: sacrament of salvation
We turn now to Eucharist, ‘the source and summit of our faith’ (SC); the fount from which all her (Church) power flows. Jesus, the Church and the Eucharist – the sacrament of salvation. Eucharist as constituting the Church.
Vatican 11 - Christ the sacrament of God and Church as the sacrament of Jesus associated with Schillebeeks.
These ideas were of great importance to the Second Vatican Council and we will look briefly at Sacrosanctum Concilium and remind ourselves of the first two chapters of Lumen Gentium.
Having looked at Baptism and Eucharist we will consider the process of initiation and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
Session 5
Sacraments of healing: penance and anointing of the sick
Sacraments of service: marriage and holy orders
We may take one of each category given our limited timeframe.
Ecumenical dimensions of sacraments. Ubiquity of baptism and relative importance of other sacraments in different Christian denominations. Intercommunion.
Implications of decline in priests for Eucharistic celebration and the growth of the Body of Christ.
Some related issues of catechesis and learning. What are the difficulties of thinking sacramentally in our modern world?
Assessment
This module will be assessed by means of a 1500-2,000 word essay on a topic agreed with the tutor. There is a list of possible assignment topics on the website but you could chose one of your own once this is agreed with the tutor.
Assignment Suggestions
1. Give an overview of the development of the Sacraments in the life of the Church through its history to the present day.
2. Outline the development of the theology relating to any one of the Seven Sacraments in the history of the Church to the present day.
3. Comment on the use and relevance of the Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults as the norm for the reception of unbaptised people into the Church.
4. Consider the sacramentality of creation, relating it to our use of signs and symbols in the administration of the Sacraments, with special reference to their integral place and effects in the Sacraments.
5. Choose any one of the Sacraments and, having studied its Rite and experienced or witnessed its administration, explain how your understanding of the Sacrament has been affected.
6. Examine in depth any one of the sacraments from any particular angle
7. What are the important challenges for catechesis of the Sacraments today? You may wish to choose between adults and children to think about this.
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