historico theological overview of the seven sacraments

METILLO, Lorie Ann

QUIBOD, Anfanna Krizza

SOLON, Anjelica Mari

VILLARBA, Joanne M.

HISTORICO-THEOLOGICAL

OVERVIEW OF THE SEVEN

SACRAMENTS

Signs may lead us to God because of the realities they signify.

Sacraments are considered as signs.

They signify realities that are essential to our faith.

They are indispensable to the Christian life.

Holy Eucharist- an encounter with the sacred,- an intimate interaction between our person and our risen

Lord, Jesus Christ- AMEN: indicates our positive and wholehearted assent in

receiving the blessed host, that it is no plain bread but the very person of Jesus Christ himself

- BREAD: sacramentum (external sign)- JESUS: res (reality)

SACRAMENT: sacramentum et res (contains both a sign and a reality)

PRINCIPLE OF SACRAMENTALITY

Further…

SACRAMENT: confers grace

Every sacramentum causes grace.

┏

A newborn child is baptized and

the gifts of the Holy Spirit are infused.

┛Sacraments do not confer grace simply because of “human faith”; sacraments indeed do not confer the grace which they signify; and they do this if there are no human obstacles. Indeed, the council states clearly the reason for such conferral of grace: God has ordained this “quantum est ex parte Dei.” The council emphasizes this free action of God in its use of the term ex opere operato, in contrast to the human good work: the human side of faith.


Thus, the Catholic Church affirms and upholds the teaching of the Council of Trent in the following words:

This is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation that the sacraments act ex

opere operato (literally: “by the very fact of the action’s being performed”),

i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It

follows that the “sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either

the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.” From the moment

that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the

Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it,

independently of the personal holiness of the minister. Nevertheless, the

fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who

receives them.


The sacraments are truly signs given to us as a gift,

but we are called to cooperate with this grace by receiving it through

proper disposition and reception.

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Both the CATHOLICS and PROTESTANTS have agreed on such point. However, a dispute as to the exact number of the sacraments has

remained a great difference between the two.

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DEVELOPMENTS THROUGH THE CENTURIESDid Jesus really leave the apostles and the Church an explicit

and detailed instruction of the seven sacraments that we have today?

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In the past, the Church seemed to find refuge in claiming that

the teachings of the Church cannot be questioned and

therefore, silenced those who made further inquiries on such

matter.

However, the thirst for historical affirmation and empirical

verification has dominated the mind of scholars and

theologians, at least from the 19th century onwards, thereby

paving the way for more historical research and systematic

scholarship about the sacraments.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

KENAN B. OSBORNE’s“Timeframe" of The Seven Sacraments

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

27 A.D.(Easter)

BaptismEuchari

st

150

Reconcilation

200

Holy Order

Anointing

400

(Marriage)

1000

Confirmation

1150

Marriage

See page 115, last paragraph

The information in the previous slide leads us to a conclusion that not all the seven sacraments were explicitly instituted by

Jesus Christ. Even so, all sacraments originate from HIM.

The Catholic Church discovered the seven sacraments through the available historical records, scriptural references, and faith-

practices of the early Christians.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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On the part of the early Christians, they did not actually call the seven rites that we have today as sacraments. In fact, we cannot find such term in the Gospels or in the entire New Testament. However, it is good to note, with fidelity to historical events in the past, that the Early Christians did practice Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Anointing of Oil, seeking and obtaining forgiveness as well as the power to forgive (as entrusted by Jesus to his disciples), the reception of the Holy Spirit and its gifts, the respect for marriage and the presence of priests and elders in ancient Christian communities.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

So, we ask: In what period of history did the Church use the word sacrament and appropriate for itself the seven sacraments that we

have today?

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Historical records and ancient traditions reveal that the early

Christians adopted the Greek word “mysterion”, a word

originally devoid of any religious meaning and significance, to

their sacred rituals and activities. Such decision was likely

influenced by the dominance of the Greek culture in the early

centuries, and the co-existence of the “mystery cults of the

pagans,” wherein its rites of passage for the members remained

mysterious until today, and earned the respect of prominent

men like Cicero.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Cicero: Nothing is higher than these mysteries. They have sweetened our characters and softened our customs; they have made us pass from the condition of savages to true humanity. They have not only shown us the way to live joyfully, but they have taught us how to die with a better hope. (1992, Joseph Martos)

The secret rites of the mystery religions, and the sacred rites of

the Christians shared the word “mysterion” but with varying

shades and nuances of meanings, and significance. It was not

until Tertullian in the 3rd century that the word “sacramentum”

began to appear and used as a term with an exclusive reference

to the sacred rites of the Christians.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Tertullian was looking for an equivalent of the Greek word

mysterion for his Latin-speaking audience. He adopted

sacramentum perhaps because it is already referred to Roman

religious rites, and even accused the Greek mysteries of

imitating the Christian sacraments.

In a discussion of the meaning of Baptism, Tertullian explained

that it was similar to the sacramentum which was adminisered

to Roman recruits when they entered the army. The

sacramentum was a religious initiation; so was Baptism. It

marked the beginning of a new way of life, so did Baptism. It

was an oath of allegiance to the emperor; Baptism was a

promise of fidelity to Christ.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Thus, the word sacramentum replaced the Greek word mysterion.

But Tertullian only regarded Baptism and Eucharist as the sacred rites.

Later in the 4th century, Augustine (354-430) spoke of sacrament as

“a sacrum signum or a verbum visible.”Augustine employs the term for many things, not just Baptism and Eucharist, but he does so on the basis of this sign character. For Augustine, there is hidden, mysterious reality which enters our human world through special signs. The distinction between the reality and the sign is the basis of a true sacramental theology. It is this combination of reality/sign which will be developed in a very rigorous way after 1000.

Truly, we are thankful to Augustine for his contribution to sacramental theology, and his definition of sacrament as “a sign of a sacred thing" legacies that became an impetus for a better development of understanding the sacraments.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Isidore of Seville (633)

discovered an important aspect of the sacraments – the

act of remembrance (or anamnesis) so that “the sacrament

themselves recalled the saving activity of God in the

incarnation.”

Hugh - a monk in the Abbey of St. Victor, was dissatisfied

with the broad definition of Augustine on the sacrament, and

proposed a narrower definition which includes “not only the

familiar seven but also such things as the incarnation of Christ,

the Church, holy water, bleed ashes, the sign of the cross, and

vows.”

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Peter Abelard

enumerated only six sacraments, excluding holy orders

Peter Lombard

“gathered together biblical quotations and patristic texts

on every major theological issue of the day, and added his own

observations and conclusions about them.” His work became

very helpful because it was accepted and came to be adopted

as a “standard theological source book for all beginning

theology students.” His treatment on the number of sacraments

was seven, as it was practiced during his day and as we know it

today.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Lombard’s book became very popular and widely used. Thus,

his “enumeration of the Catholic sacraments (the seven sacred

rites) soon became accepted by theologians and preachers

alike, and by the end of the next century it was accepted by

synods and councils.”

His description of sacrament can be read from his book on

Sentences V, 1.2, which reads:

SOMETHING IS PROPERLY CALLED A SACRAMENT BECAUSE IT IS

A SIGN OF GOD’S GRACE, AND IS SUCH AN IMAGE OF INVISIBLE

GRACE THAT IT BEARS LIKENESS AND EXISTS AS ITS CAUSE.

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

A SENSIBLE SIGN,INSTITUTED BY CHRIST

IN ORDER TO GIVE GRACE.

Catechism for the Filipino Catholics:

symbolic acts or visible signs, arising from the ministry of Jesus

Christ and continued in, by and for the Church, which, when

received in faith, fashions us into likeness to Christ in his

Paschal Mystery, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

SACRAMENT DEFINED

TRUE TO ITS FAITH IN JESUS AND FAITHFUL TO ITS TRADITION,

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BELIEVES THAT:

“Instituted by Christ” does not mean that Jesus taught his

apostles in detail that there were to be seven sacraments, and

how to administer them. Rather Jesus “instituted” the

sacraments by first being the sacrament of his Father through

his whole life of word and action, and then by establishing the

Church to be his basic sacrament.

JESUS AS PRIMORDIAL SACRAMENT

The Church has remained humble in its claim about the

historical beginning of the seven sacraments by not insisting on

it literal, explicit origin in the person and teaching of Jesus.

Instead, it simply and firmly claims that the sacraments, in

essence, are rooted in the humanity of Jesus Christ. It

emphasizes his humanity to be the Primordial Sacrament of the

Father, not his divinity.

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Jesus must be considered as primordial sacrament only in virtue of his human nature. His divinity should not be seen as sacramental order to avoid any subordinationism… In his humanity, Jesus is the sacrament of all that God wants to give to men and women: his grace, his forgiveness, his love, his presence. (Osborne)


Catechism for the Filipino Catholics:

1. SOURCE/ORIGINATOR

Jesus is the one whom all the sacraments are rooted and from whom they derive their efficacy

2. PRIMARY AGENT

Jesus is the one who baptizes, confirms, forgives and reconciles, heals, offers himself in sacrifice, binds in faithful love, and consecrates for service

3. GOAL OF ALL SACRAMENTS

Jesus is the perfection toward which our life on earth

tends


But how can Christ continue his ministry of loving, and saving souls if he is no longer physically around?

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In the communal celebration of the sacraments, the Church

utters the Epiclesis wherein the Church invokes the presence

and power of the Holy Spirit in order to make the signs

effective and efficacious as they are intended to be, and

celebrate the redemptive acts of Jesus, thereby making

present and active the person of Jesus Christ and his saving

grace to the community. And it is in this sense that the

Church is considered as the Foundation/Basic Sacrament.

CHURCH AS THE BASIC SACRAMENT

CFC:

All the sacraments have their special graces since they all

manifest the different ways in which Christ comes to us,

meeting us at all the decisive and ordinary moments of our

lives.

THE EFFECT OF THE SACRAMENT IS TWOFOLD:

To draw us into a closer relationship to the Church

To relationship to Christ himself, in the Spirit and to the Father

PURPOSE OF THE SACRAMENTS

How do the sacraments effect this?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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We know that when we fully, consciously and actively celebrate

them, the sacraments exercise all our powers – mind, heart,

affections, will, imagination, and behavior.

The sacraments exercise their special POWER to shape our

imaginations, develop our affections and direct our behavior in

“Childlikeness” – in brief, to gradually transform us into Christ’s

way of thinking, Christ’s way of acting, Christ’s way of praying

and loving, , forgiving and serving.


St. Paul:

“put on the Lord Jesus Christ”

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that effects this gradual

transformation into Christ’s way. But sacraments can effect this

only if celebrated in faith, for without faith no saving personal

relationship can be established or strengthened… Vatican II had

likewise stressed faith while explaining that the purpose of the

sacrament is: to sanctify men and women, to build up the Body

of Christ, and to give worship to God. Because they are signs,

they also instruct.


Make use of these new knowledge for growth and advancement

of our faith in Jesus, and for greater appreciation of the

Sacramental life of the Church.

We must not forget that we, too, in our own unique and humble

ways are “signs” to others , and to the rest of creation – sacred

persons who are fashioned in the image and likeness of God.

The way we act our faith, and the way we practice the

preaching we received reveal our identity as Christians, and

children of God.

CONCLUSION

The manner by which we relate to others – in our attitude of

kindness and compassion, in our commitment to love the least

and the unloved, in our dedication to seek what unites and

builds community of persons, is itself a concrete visible sign of

God’s kindness, compassion and love to all.

BE A SIGN THAT WILL LEAD OTHERS TO GOD.

BE AN INSTRUMENT OF FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE OF

GOD.

CONCLUSION

SEVEN SACRAMENTS

BAPTISM

CONFIRMATION (CHRISMATION)

EUCHARIST

PENANCE

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

HOLY ORDERS

MATRIMONY

The seven sacraments touch all the stages and the important moments of Christian life:

They give birth and increase,healing and mission to the Christian’s life of faith

There is thus a certain resemblance betweenthe stages of natural life andthe stages of the spiritual life

THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS

Biblical Foundations:

Matthew 28:19-20

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am

with you always, until the end of age.

BAPTISM

In Acts 2:37-38, the Apostle Peter, after declaring Jesus as Lord and Messiah on the Day of the Pentecost, stresses the

necessity of Baptism to those who seek in receiving Christ into their lives:

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?”

Peter [said] to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of

Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

BAPTISM

Baptism, during the time of Jesus, and even during the time of his apostles, was the sacrament accepted and continued as

the first step into early Christian community, and the external, public act of receiving Christ. It is imperative for every

believer in Christ to be baptized as it is briefly explained by Jovian Lang (1989):

Baptism is the cleansing by water of all sins, bringing about rebirth and sanctification in Christ, which incorporates the person into

the Church. By means of it the person passes from death of sin into life, and its celebration

should reflect the joy of the celebration.

BAPTISM

Recipient:given for every person not yet baptized and only such person is able to be baptized

With the gratuitous intention of sharing to all the gift of new

life in Christ and the promise of salvation inherited as sons

and daughters of God, both infant, and the adult are invited

to receive Christ in an act of faith by the community (infant

baptism), and by the candidate himself (adult baptism).

BAPTISM

Minister:the ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, a priest, or deacon

On the other hand, in case of necessity, any person, even

someone not baptized, can baptize, if he has the required

intention. The intention required is the will to do what the

Church does when she baptizes, and to apply the Trinitarian

formula.

BAPTISM

Matter: WaterForm:The Trinitarian Formula

“I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

BAPTISM

Effects- enables the newly baptized to receive forgiveness from all sins, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin;- Not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte “a new creature,” and adopted son of God, who has become a “partaker of the divine nature,” member of Christ’s

BAPTISM

historico theological overview of the seven sacraments

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