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What is a Sacrament?

• Definitions:

 Latin: sacramentum; Greek: mysterion

 Sensible signs, Instituted by Christ, to give grace.
 Grace is a favor, the free and undeserved gift from God
through Christ Jesus, to help us respond to his call to become
children of God, to become partakers of the divine nature and
of eternal life.
 Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is a
participation in the life of God and is necessary for salvation.
 Rites/rituals performed in/by the Church, to convey God’s
“grace” to believers.
 The sacraments act ex opere operato, by the very fact of the
action being performed, independent of the minister.
 The effect on the person receiving the sacrament is called ex
opere operantis, and depends on the interior disposition of the
receiver.

• Number of Sacraments?

 Catholics & Orthodox Christians: seven

 Most Protestants: only two (Baptism & Eucharist)

• Aspects of each Sacrament:

 Effects, Ministers & Recipients

 Biblical Basis
 Central Words & Actions (Matter & Form)

Types of Sacraments

• Sacraments of Initiation:

 Baptism
 Confirmation
 Eucharist

• Sacraments of Healing:

 Penance/Reconciliation
 Anointing of the Sick

• Sacraments of Vocation:
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 Marriage/Matrimony
 Holy Orders

SACRAMENTS :SACRAMENTS Doorways to the Sacred

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CATHOLIC SACRAMENTS

Phase One: Before 400 C.E.

Early Christian communities: Prohibited, illegal Small, secret, underground

groups practiced: Formal initiation (Baptism) Sharing Lord’s Supper (Eucharist)
Laying on of hands (Anointing of the sick)

Slide 5:Catacomb of St. Sabastiano: Plaster fragments asking for prayers of the
martyred apostles Peter and Paul.

Tertullian 210 CE : First used the Latin word “Sacramentum”

Constantine’s Conversion: Church became legal in the Roman Empire

Phase 2: Dark Ages400 – 1000 CE

Roman Empire Falls: Political & cultural chaos

St. Augustine: “Administering & Receiving” Vs. “celebrating” or “participating”

Broad view of what could be considered a sacrament: sign of the cross, Lord’s
Prayer – almost anything!) Some were more important Sacrament of the WORD
Sacraments of ACTIONS

A few developments in the Dark Ages

Confirmation separated from Baptism

Public Penance replaced by private confession

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Marriage came to be seen as a sacrament Anointing the sick? anointing of

the dying

High Middle Ages: 1000-1300 CE

7 sacraments made official: Rituals became standardized, formal, elaborate

Slide 17:Celebrated in elaborate, grand cathedrals

Thomas Aquinas : Augustine wasn’t quite right. Sacraments aren’t just signs of
sacred reality. They actually cause God’s grace to be brought about.

Correct Form

Literal Thinking Leads to Magical Thinking : Staring at the Communion host

or crucifix guaranteed that a son would be born Touching relics of martyrs or
saints assured miraculous healings Reciting certain prayers at proper times
canceled punishment after death

Magical Thinking : The American Heritage® Dictionary explains that hocus-

pocus is, in part: Possibly from an alteration of Latin hoc est corpus (meum), this
is (my) body – words used in the Eucharist at the time of transubstantiation

Slide 22:Following the right forms automatically guaranteed special graces

Priests had lots of power, but were also often corrupt Overlooked the intent and
sincerity of the person receiving the sacrament Magical Thinking

Making a donation to the church released a soul from purgatory

Superstition :Superstition suggests God’s power can be bought, bargained for,

or manipulated Fails to distinguish magic from religion Not part of the church’s
official teachings, but was still very widespread throughout Middle Ages
Corruption of late 15th – early 16th centuries set stage for …

Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation (in 1517)

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Phase Four: After the Council of Trent

Council of Trent: 1545 - 1563 : Believed the church had become too casual
about popular religions superstitions. Ideas about faith & grace were distorted
Reaffirmed that grace cannot be bought through good works

50%+ of doctrinal teachings dealt with the sacraments! 2 main points: There
are 7 – and only 7 – sacraments The Church approves a Scholastic
understanding of these sacraments Aquinas’ theology: CAUSES of grace –
independent of holiness of the minister or recipient necessary for salvation

Slide 29:NEW WAYS of thinking or talking about the sacraments. (NO NEW
WAYS were permitted)

These changes defined Catholicism for the next 400 years –until Vatican II!
No new ways of thinking or talking about the sacraments were permitted.

Phase Five:20th Century

Fresh Air, Renewal, & Reclaiming the Past

Keeping the Clear, Letting go of the Cloudy wanted to reconnect with certain
aspects of the Tradition – especially from early church – that had been de-
emphasized over the centuries

Slide 34:Now that we’ve studied the historical development of the sacraments,
we see that change and renewal are necessary and even natural!