DIVINE WORD SEMINARY, Tagaytay City
Compiled by ARNOLD C. BIAGO, SVD
IV. SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL
34. Christ as the primordial sacrament; the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation; and the Seven Sacraments.
I. Jesus Christ – The first Sacrament
Sacrament: The word Sacrament translates the Greek word ‘mysterion’.
Concept of mysterion: the plan of salvation of God now revealed. That’s why Christ is the ‘mysterion’ of God (Col. 1:27; Ephesians 3:4-6). Christ reveals and is the plan of salvation of God.
The uniqueness of Christ: He alone is the Savior and he is the first sacrament because:
1. He is the image of God
- the church realized this after the resurrection event
- in his very person, Jesus showed to us the face of the Father and his love became tangible.
- in his person, salvation has come
But he is more than a sign, he also effects what he symbolize
2. He always points out to the Father
3. His life is a life of service to the Word
II. The Church as the Universal Sacrament of Salvation (GS 45; LG 1,8)
If Jesus is the Sacrament of God, the Church is a sacrament (‘mysterion’)_ of Christ because it is the Revelation of God’s plan of salvation in Christ.
1. The church is a sacrament when the spirit allows it to become the Lord’s presence and to live in Him, when the Spirit makes the church an efficacious sign
2. The church is a sacrament when it effaces herself before its Lord and Master, it points to him as the head of the body, if it proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ
3. The church is a sacrament when it is not turned in upon itself but undertakes to carry out her sole services to the world. It puts salvation into practice.
The Church is a sign and instrument of (LG 1):
- unity between humankind and God;
- unity of all men and women among themselves.
III. The Seven Sacraments
1. The sacraments are celebrations of the stages of life
- main meeting points, elements of life transfigured by the Lord
2. The face of Christ is shown in the sacraments
3. The # 7 points out to the main stages of life where we encounter Jesus
4. The # 7 is not the one which is significant; what is important is the affirmation that there are certain natural actions through which the presence of God, all the sacramental nature of the Church are visibly and effectively engaged.
5. By definition of the Council of Lyons II (1274),
The 7 Sacraments
1. Baptism (has a character, indelible mark)
2. Confirmation (character)
3. Penance (Reconciliation)
4. Eucharist
5. Matrimony
6. Holy Orders (character)
7. Anointing of the Sick
35. What is the correct meaning of “ex opere operato”?
- “ex opere operato”? is from the Latin “on the basis of the act performed” )
The objective efficacy and fruitfulness of sacraments which do not primarily depend on the attitude or merit of those receiving or administering the sacraments.
Refers to the fact that in a sacrament it is God or Christ who is the chief agent, infallibly at work if the required conditions are present in the minister or recipient.
Our Catholic Theology speaks at the same time of the 2 aspects of a sacrament that must never be forgotten:
1. ex opere operato (to remember that it is God who operates), and
2. ex opere operantis (to remember that also the holiness of the priest, the preparation and attitudes of the recipients are important and can enhance the fruits of the sacrament in the life of a person.
36. The effects of the sacraments. Grace-effect. Three sacraments give a”character” as ecclesial effect distinct from the grace-effect.
I. The effects of the Sacraments
Ø Sacraments do not cause graces, in the sense that the redemptive grace of God in Jesus Christ is otherwise unavailable
o the offer of grace is already present in the individual, to the Church and to the human community at large in God’s original self-communication
Ø The sacraments signify, celebrate and effect what God is, in a sense, already doing everywhere and for all.
o but Christ also mandates and equips specific members of the human community, i.e. disciples of Jesus Christ, to be the corporate sign and instrument of God’s presence and saving activity in Christ.
Ø Franciscan school would say that sacraments prepare and dispose the soul to receive grace. But this comes from God.
Ø
Ø For the Reformers and Luther, it was crazy to link grace to the sacraments so that aif one priest missed a word or made a mistake in the rite, there was no grace. For him God gives grace independently from the sacraments.
Ø In every sacrament, there is:
o sacramentum tuum – sign or ritual
o res tantum – immediate effect
o res et sacramentum – lasting effect
Fr. Chito’s:
Effects of sacrament depends heavily on Thomas Aquinas
2 Effects of Sacraments
a. Grace Effect
- the sacraments provide remedies for sin
- it enables us to participate in the life of Christ
b. Ecclesial Effect
(“ecclesial” – related to worship)
- 3 sacraments give character, pertains to the worship of God in Christian life, which are found in ritual expressions
- gives special participation in the priesthood of Christ
1. Baptism
It enables us to do something in the worship; fundamentally a holy life.
2. Confirmation
The fundamental worship in confirmation is, we are “anointed “ to a mission
3. Holy Orders (cf. Heb.
Fundamental worship : ministerial / hierarchical priesthood
Leadership / pasturing of the Christian community
37. Why seven sacraments?
Ø The number 7 only started at the Council of Trent (1547)
- in the person of Peter Lombard in the 12th century that the sacrament of marriage was counted as a sacrament
Ø Historically, we only have Baptism, Eucharist, but dogmatically we have 7.
- we should also consider Christ and the Church as sacraments (thus making it 9)
Ø What is essential is not the # 7, but the affirmation that there are certain actions thru which the saving presence and activity of God, on the one hand, and the sacramental nature of the Church, on the other, come visibly engaged.
Ø 7 was firmly settled on the medieval period: Lyons II 1274,
Ø Why 7?
o Peter Lombard in his book “Sentences” said that sacrament are signs, divinely instituted and efficacious
§ a tangible sign to be a sacrament must be the cause of grace it signify
§ then he challenged all the virtues and he believed and decided that only 7 can be called sacraments
o The 4th Lateran Council in 1215 is the first to use the 7 sacraments
o The seventh session of
o To Thomas Aquinas, it points to the different stages of life in which we encounter God and no vacuum space
o Today, Christ is considered as the first sacrament and the church is also a sacrament
38. The Scholastic approach and the Vatican II perspective as regards the Sacraments.
THE SCHOLASTIC APPROACH AND THE VAT II PERSPECTIVE AS REGARDS THE SACRAMENTS
I. The Scholastic Approach
Ø It tends to be
a. rubrical, focused on the performance and the liturgical laws (importance of matter & form
b. juridical, the laws and the rules that govern
c. metaphysical, what is signified and caused
Ø Thus focuses on the condition without which the sacraments do not occur.
= pre-occupied with validity and efficacy and in the ex opera operato
Ø Later, it tends to be minimalistic.
II. Vatican II
Ø Ex opera operato is still observed.
Ø But now, it is more
a. Christological, Christ is seen as the primordial sacrament and traces sacraments
back to Christ
b. Ecclesial, an aspect of the identity of the Church is celebrated in every
sacrament
c. Mission-oriented, when we receive a sacrament, we receive a mission
d, symbolic, appreciated more in its polyvalent meaning
VI. SACRAMENTS IN PARTICULAR
39. Baptism in the first three centuries.
BAPTISM IN THE FIRST 3 CENTURIES
I. The beginnings of the Church
Ø The church begins in the proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus at Pentecost; where the apostles advised people to be baptized
Ø Thereon, several adult baptism occurred (cf. Acts
Ø Later, non-Jews were baptized (cf. Acts
Ø Acts also tells us the possibility of children being baptized (cf. Acts
Ø
II. 2nd to 5th Century
Ø In the mid-2nd Century, St. Justin, the martyr speaks of preparation of the celebration of baptism
o in this time of so many controversies, heresies, apostasy, perversion and persecution
the church became strict in preparing converts. The catechumenate period for the rite of initiation is practical.
o Characteristic of first communities:
§ Eschatological: they thought of themselves to be the eschatological community
§ Pneumatological: importance of the Spirit to change life.
Ø Catechumenate has 4 levels
1. Long-term preparation
2. Immediate preparation
3. Final preparation
4. Complementary rites
Ø In the first 3 centuries, the theology operating is the same. Baptism is towards the new life in Christ and abandonment of the old life. (Origen: from slavery of sin to freedom of Christ; Ignatius of Antioch: Baptism is death in Christ)
40 . Baptism as the Sacrament of Faith “par excellence”.
Ø
o Baptism is the sacrament of faith. Connection with Doctrine of Original Sin and Justification.
Ø
1. It incorporates us to the Paschal mystery of Christ (cf. Col. 2:12)
2. It incorporates us into the body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor
3. It is repentance and a belief in the Good News
4. It purifies, cleanses our hearts from evil; making us dead to sin and alive in Christ
5. It demands a different kind of life, not under the law, but under grace.
6. Total identification with Christ
Ø Thus, baptism has an ontological and empirical effect in human beings.
Ø It begins and requires faith, and it nourishes faith as -----.
41. The distinctiveness of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Ø Biblically, and in the early church, baptism and confirmation is but one event.
Ø Foundation for division between rite of Baptism and Rite of Holy spirit is Acts 8:16ff.
Ø The Eastern church preserved this. But in the Western church, there are two reasons why this sacraments became separate;
- Because of infant baptism (product of Pelagius vs Augustine)
- Pastoral reason: the church is growing and the bishop cannot always immediately come
Ø At the provincial council of
Ø From the 9th century, the rite of confirmation is already practiced in
Ø In the Middle Ages, it assumes a theology:
o Confirmation provides gratia ad vobur, “grace of strength”; the armor of the soldier of Christ
o Peter Lombard and Aquinas affirmed this although no basis form the Sacred Scriptures, Liturgy or form the Fathers of the Church.
Ø Distinction was definitely established by the Council of Florence in its Decree for the ---- (1439)
o confirmand has no further reflection in
Ø Vatican II revised the rite of Confirmation in 1971; it is the “sealing with the gift of the Holy Spirit”: a ratification of baptism: focuses on the “missionary” element dimension of being baptized.
Ø Confirmation is a proclamation to the church and to the world that we are baptized and anointed for a mission, for the transformation of the world.
Ø Other meaning: Personal union with the Spirit of Christ.
42. Confirmation and Christian Vocation.
Ø Confirmation is necessary for the completion of the baptismal grace
o it makes the confirmed more perfectly bound to the church and are enriched with a special strength of the holy Spirit.
o hence, obliged to spread and defend the faith in word and deed
Ø In the OT, Isaiah promised that the Spirit will be with the Messiah
Ø In the NT, Christ’s life is full of Spirit, giving him strength in his mission to proclaim the
Ø In the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples lay hands as the sign the descent of the Holy Spirit to all men. It became a part of the rite of confirmation.
Ø In our history, laying of hands was followed with chrismation, which symbolizes the person as being “anointed with the Holy Spirit”. This is practiced both in the Eastern and
Ø In our Christian vocation, just as Christ is “marked” by the Father to be the one to do his will, confirmation gives us a “mark” of our Christian vocation, i.e., service.
- the Holy Spirit is with us to carry out the mission inaugurated by Christ.
= it confirms our being children of God
= it increase the gift of the Holy Spirit
= it perfects our bond with the Church, to be witnesses of Christ in the world.
43. The Eucharist as the Spiritual Sacrifice.
Ø Regarding sacrifices
o primitive religions also practice sacrifices
o it is an acknowledgment of a superior, transcendent being, which man wishes to please, appease or ask favor from.
o it is an acknowledgment of the fragility of life and dependence on the “other”
Ø Sacrifices maybe
o formalistic / mechanical merely expressing belief heard.
o it could also be sacramental, i.e., affecting the attitudes and behavior of the participants
o a gift offering, a gratitude sign to God.
o shared offering , an acknowledgment of the need to be in union with the transcendent; an affirmation of the bond
o sin offering, to make appease for the transgression to the transcendent; is a sign of making amends
o Eucharistic sacrifice
o the command of Jesus to do in his remembrance the sacrifice that he offered is what we do in the Eucharistic celebration; we unite ourselves to the offering of Christ to his Father.
Ø A sacrifice because
1. It is a memorial of Christ’s Passover
- we can verify it in the words of consecration
- the body and blood of Christ is offered for us
2. It makes present the sacrifice of the cross, it is its ---- and it applies to its fruit
3. The sacrifice of the mass is the same as the sacrifice of Christ
4. It is the sacrifice of the Church. The body of Christ participating in the offering of the Lord; it also becomes the sacrifice of its members
5. It unites all Christians in all places and times
Ø The mass contains all three purpose, but the difference are:
a. The sacrifice is a memorial of the saving act / sacrifice already done by Christ, we just make it present; the sacrifice of Christ
b. It is initiated by God
c. It has grace effects
d. It doesn’t stop at the ---
44. The relationship between the Eucharist and the Passover of the Jews.
| Passover of the Jews | The Eucharist | ||
| | | ||
| 1. | It involves food, interaction and application of all the senses | 1. | The Eucharist involves interaction in the liturgy, and application of all the senses in acting the Eucharistic meal |
| | | | |
| 2. | It involved a shedding of the blood; the blood will save them from death | 2. | It is the blood of Christ that is shed; and it saves all from sin and death |
| | | | |
| 3. | When the Jews celebrate the feast of the Passover, they retell the story of how they were saved | 3. | In the Eucharist, we have the liturgy of the word, retelling how God, especially in the Passion of Christ, has saved us |
| | | | |
| 4. | When they celebrate the feast of the Passover, they make present the saving act of Yahweh to Aspect of actualizing narration – past present/future | 4. | In the mass, we make present Christ, who offered himself to us for our salvation; a memorial as well Anamnesis: Actualizing remembrance |
| | | | |
| 5. | The Passover feast is celebrated by the whole Israelite community, bonding them together as the people of God | 5. | The mass unites all people; breaking the barrier for there is only one mass, one meal, one Christ who is shared by all. It binds people |
| | | | |
| 6. | God is the principal giver, and man is the recipient | 6. | same |
45. Penance: The actual problems – sin, conversion, sacramental efficacy.
Actual Problem
· Preaching and penitential practice is too much moralistic and legalistic. People want to protect themselves from intrusion of others in their lives, difficulty to understand rites, the idea that we can confess directly to God.
I. Sin
1. The Church recognizes the reality of sin even after baptism
The Church dealt with it in different ways,
- in the
- in the 2nd Century, they post restrictions to those who abandon faith
during persecution; it also started the practice of public confession
- in the succeeding centuries, different forms and rites were developed
2. There is a wide variety of sin and its variety, gravity, occasions, numbers,
frequencies, causes and effects, and written connections of sins
- confessors find it difficult to deal with it now. It’s hard to give an objective eye
- that is why in the later century, they resort to the “Book of Penitents”
3. Today, people lost the sense of sin. Technology made people morally lax
- the notion of freedom, happiness and morality have become distorted.
II. Conversion
Jesus links the coming of the Kingdom with the appeal to conversion (2 Cor.
1. In the early church, their main problem is that Christians wait for their deathbed to ask for forgiveness of sins. At times it became the cause of laxity and mediocrity.
2. Today’s problem:
a. Penitents go to confession out of necessity and obligation and not out of love and devotion
b. It is now ---- to go to confession and get a “clean state.” They sin often thinking that confession is just available. Thus, no real conversion
c. People don’t believe in the sacrament anymore, as affected by other sects.
III. Sacramental Efficacy
1. In the Gospels;
a. Jesus himself forgive sins and sinners
b. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus authorized Peter to forgive
2. In church history;
a. In the 3rd century, Hypolitus of Rome said that “forgiveness is reserved to the bishops
b. in the 6th century, monks introduced private confessions to priests
c. In the Scholastic period, the focus was set into the validity: matter, form, intention, ex opera operato
3. The actual problems today:
a. Ex opera operantis should have been given more importance
b. Sacramental efficacy is now governed by Canon Law
c. Pastorally, priests don’t hear confession
46. Matrimony: The Great Mystery – Christ and the Church. Matrimony as response to Vocation.
I. Jesus, the Church, and Matrimony (Vat II, LG 11)
1. When seen as a covenant rather that a contractual bond, Christian marriage is a sacrament of the union between the Church and Christ (cf. Eph
2. Matrimony is a decisive moment when the church reveals itself as the bride of Christ, as a sign that God is invincibly committed to the human community in and through Christ.
3. The community signified and effected by marriage is a sign that the Church is a community of love brought about by the Holy Spirit
4. As a family, it is a domestic Church
5. Jesus loved and served the Church, so must husband and wives.
II. Matrimony as a response to a vocation
1. All men/women are called to holiness, that is the basic vocation of all
2. But the way to respond to this call differs. The sacrament of vocation commitment may be expressed in either Holy Orders or Matrimony, as how God wills it for a person
3. Most are called to live in intimate union with another in marriage
4. Matrimony is directed to the nature and mission of the Church. In matrimony, the Christian community is itself built-up and manifested at its most mature, familial level.
47. Anointing: Biblical background, Tradition, the Teaching of Trent
I. Biblical background
1. Apart from Mk
- the elders or presbyters are the ordained ministers of the church, who has the extraordinary spiritual gift to heal
- to the Jewish mind, sickness is always associated with sin; and sin is a substance of healing
2. Although the text is not a sacramental “proof,” it indicates that there was such a practice in the early church which requires the presence of the leader of the community
- it involves praying, anointing, forgiving of sins and restoration of physical and spiritual health
II. Tradition
2nd century to the Middle Ages
o Practiced by the church during this time but usually done alongside the sacrament of Penance and with the viaticum.
o In 417, Pope Innocent I wrote something to clarify practical points regarding this matter;
- oil should be blessed by the bishop; and, should be administered by the bishop or priest
o Bede the Venerable (735) mentioned this custom of the Church
Early Medieval Period
o In the Carolingian Reform it is called the “last rites”
o In the 12th Century, Peter Lombard called it “extreme unction” (last anointing)
o This is always associated with sick and dying people
13th to 14th Century
- In this period the doctrine on the 7 sacraments came to its full development, and anointing is one of them
- The focus is on the dying and not as a restoration of health
- Both the Franciscan and Dominican schools tell its effects on the forgiveness of venial sins and removes the consequences of sin, thus to die after anointing is sure heaven.
15th to 16th Century
- Decree for the Armenians (Council of
- “the sacrament should not be given unless to the person whose life is feared for.”
Teaching of
o Doctrine on the Sacrament of Extreme Unction (1551)
- a complementary to the sacrament of Penance
- defined as true sacrament
o It is to be given to those who are sick and also to those who are about to die.
o Effects are
- purification from sin and its effects
- comfort and strength of soul
- arousal of confidence in God’s mercy
- readiness to bear the difficulties of illness
- health of body and soul
- unite our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ. “I complete in my body what lacks to the suffering of Christ”.
48. Theological reflections on the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
1. The experience of illness is an experience of -----
o a person who is sick is removed from the normal way of life, apart from the rest of the community
o it is usually accompanied with the feeling of helplessness, frustration, insecurity and anguish
o when the community comes to pray and anoint the sick, the church is telling the sick its desire to have the person back to health and thus back to the community
- it is also somehow a form of solidarity with the sick. When one suffers, the whole community suffers as well
2. The sick as the evangelizer
o Often, when the Church goes to the sick, what we have in mind is that we care for the sick, to console and to heal.
o But in reality, the sick person has something to teach us;
- the sick alone experiences the suffering, which those who are well do not.
- The sick teaches us about the mystery of man’s faith. That even in illness, we could be one with Christ in his suffering
3. Sickness is an experience of man’s -----
o The experience of illness, and the Church’s attending to the sick, teaches us of man’s fragile nature, our limitedness and vulnerability.
o Illness teaches us 3 things:
1. To hope in God who heals
2. To accept things, the illness and suffering; and a faithful resignation to the will of God
3. To be reminded that God has a better future for us is his bosom; that we are just “passing by” in this world.
o Ecclesiological dimension of the sacrament: The whole community is present when the sacrament is celebrated.
49. Ministry: Biblical foundation; theological explanation today.
I. Biblical Foundation
Old Testament
a. In Genesis (22:2; 31:44)
o The patriarchs, as head of families or tribal groups performed priestly functions, such as offering sacrifice.
b. Leviticus (19:2; 21:8)
o A specific office of priesthood evolved and priestly professionalism developed especially in the tribe of Levi (thus, Levitical Priesthood)
o This professional priesthood requires
- skills and training
- sanctity
c. Deuteronomy (33:8-10)
o Priest has 3 basic function
1. Discernment of God’s will by drawing of sacred lots
2. Teaching
3. Sacrifice and cultic offering
o The priest is an intermediary between God and
New Testament
o Nowhere in the NT is the Greek word for priest applied to someone who holds an office in the church
o In the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is applied only to Christ
o Applied to the Christians collectively in 1 Peter 2 and Rev 9:6 (common priesthood of the faithful).
o In the last quarter of the 2nd century, it has become a term for church office holder, when the church separated from Judaism
o The designation is brought about by the celebration of the Eucharist
o In the Pastoral Epistles, we find a plurality of vows in the bishops, deacons and elders
o The ministers of the bishop, presbyters, and deacons is already attested by Ignatius of Antioch
II Contemporary Catholic Theology
Ø Theological understanding today is greatly influenced by NT exegesis and history/ tradition and the documents of the councils.
Ø Today, there is a greater emphasis on ordained ministry as “ministry” than as a spiritual and/or canonical state in life, and upon its functions, especially that of leadership. Proponents of which are : Congar / Schilebeeckx
Ø Others emphasize the ministry of the Word (Rahner/Ratzinger)
Ø Others: representational aspect of priesthood (Dulles)
Ø Traditional: Ontological and cultic -----
Ø Priest as Minister of communion (Kasper)
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