Symbols, Sacraments, and Paschal Mystery

• This chapter explores how natural and human signs can take on religious meaning within the context of worship and our relationship with

God.

• This chapter provides a background for understanding how the sacraments are symbols of the Paschal mystery and further develops an understanding of the role of the Holy Trinity in

Liturgy and Sacraments.

Signs and Symbols

• Signs – most of them have only one meaning.

• Symbols – always mean more than one thing.

Ex. The color red – symbolizes fire, love, anger, blood, and so on.

• A sign becomes a symbol when more than one meaning is associated with it.

Natural Signs

• Communication between humans is characterized by signs and symbols, by language, gestures, and actions.

• Signs and symbols in the natural world can reveal to us the existence of God. These have become part of our way of communicating with God.

• Church: Symbolic actions that express a relationship with God.

• People of all cultures communicating with God in their native language.

• Using gestures as kneeling, sitting, and standing.

• People speaking, singing…

Signs of the Covenant

• One of the ways God established his covenant with the people of Israel was through signs and symbolic actions with religious meaning.

• Consecration of priests, prophets, and kings with anointing of oil and laying on of hands; sacrifices; and, above all, the Passover.

• Read page 33…and underline.

Remembering the Covenant

• The liturgy celebrates the Paschal Mystery of Christ , His Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension.

• Our liturgical signs and symbols help us remember God’s presence and covenant with us.

• Anamnesis: means “to remember”• This prayer involves recalling God’s

saving action as heard in the Word and prayers of the liturgy.

• Epiclesis: means “to summon”, or “to invoke.”

• In the Eucharist the priest calls upon the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the bread and wine may become the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Sacraments• Sacrament: Outward sign instituted by

Christ to give grace.

• The Sacraments both instruct the faithful by words and actions and also “nourish, strengthen, and express faith” for everyone taking part in the celebration.

• For this reason they are called:

1. Sacraments of Christ

2. Sacraments of the Church

• Sacraments of Faith

• Sacraments of Salvation

• Sacraments of Eternal life

Sacraments of Christ•By the words and actions of Jesus. They are rooted through His public ministry and draw their saving power from the Paschal Mystery of His Death and Resurrection.

Sacrament of the ChurchThe apostles continued this tradition and laid the foundation for the ordained ministry of the bishop, priest, or deacon who celebrate the sacraments today, in the place of Jesus himself.

• The three Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders leave a sacramental “character” or “seal” that remains with those who receive them for the rest of their life. They are never to be repeated.

Sacraments of FaithTwo ancient Latin sayings summarize what we

mean by the description “Sacraments of Faith.”• Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi – means “the Church

believes as she prays.”• Ex Opere Operato – means “by the very fact of

the action being performed.”• Catechesis – Greek word, means “to echo.” The

process of instruction and preparation for the sacraments in which a person is made ready to echo God’s Word in their own life.

Sacraments of Eternal LifeIn the celebration of the Sacraments we, believe theChurch already receives the guarantee of her

inheritanceand even now shares in everlasting life.

The Role of the Trinity in the Liturgy and the Sacraments

•God the Father of all Creation: God the Father is recognized as the source and end of all blessings. It is through the Word of God that we receive the blessings and gifts of the Holy Spirit.•The Son of God, Jesus Christ: Jesus is really and sacramentally present in the liturgy. He is present in the priest, in the proclamation of the Word, in the gathered assembly that makes up the Body of Christ, and in the Eucharist.

• Each liturgy relives the Paschal Mystery in Jesus, making Christ present and alive to believers of every age.

• The Holy Spirit: Its presence and activity is vital in every liturgical and sacramental celebration. It….

* prepares the Church to encounter Jesus. * recalls and makes Christ present to the

faith of the assembly. * unites the Church to the life and

mission of Christ.