Encountering Christ

So far, we have reflected on how it is possible to encounter Jesus through the Scriptures, which provide a touch-point for his own living memories. We have also noted Jesus’ identification with the Christian community--those who “gather in his name” for worship, study, sharing and support. In our last conference, we began to investigate how the use of rituals and symbols can help us become more aware of Christ’s presence to us. The next step is to see how Christ manifests himself to us in sacramental experiences of a more formal nature--those we call Sacraments, with a big “S”.

Those of you who were raised Catholic might be saying now, “Oh brother, here we go again!” You’ve no doubt been exposed to many teachings and homilies on Sacraments through the years--maybe in a way that wasn’t so healthy. Protestants reading this might be thinking, “Beware! Catholic indoctrination coming!” Well, I hope not. What I’d like to do is simply share my own understanding of what Sacraments are, especially in light of the previous conferences. We’ll touch on some of the theology, but I think you’ll see that Sacramental times happen in all Christian churches, whether they’re formally recognized as such or not.

Let’s go back now to some of the earlier points made, first about how Christ’s living memories--and, hence, his presence--are available to us through the Scriptures. As one studies the life of Jesus, it will be seen that there are special times when he acts to nourish, to heal, to bless, and to forgive; you can probably think of many examples for each.. The next step is to affirm that what Jesus once did in the Gospels, he still wants to do today--after all, it is the same Jesus who rose from the dead. If you carry these insights to the next step, what you come to recognize is that Jesus wants to continue his ministry of nourishing, healing, blessing, and forgiving through the action of his Church, or Mystical Body. The Church is the most visible manifestation of Christ’s ongoing ministry in space and time. What he once did in the flesh, he continues to do now through the action of the Church.

Are we OK with this so far? As you can see, these aren’t especially “Catholic” kinds of insights.

Where the Sacraments come in is that these are touch-points in which Christ ministered in profound and significant ways and where he continues now, through the action of the Church, to do the same in a visible--even tangible--way. The rituals used for Sacramental celebrations recall those special times in Christ’s life; they are an “anamnesis” (not-forgetting--remembering), bridging past and present, and opening us to the dynamic, ongoing ministry of Christ. In almost all cases, there are Scripture passages which enable this remembering--times when Christ once acted in our behalf as he will be doing through the Sacraments. They show him loving us during important, transitional times on the human journey, reassuring us that God is with us during those times. Sacraments consecrate these events to Christ and help us to integrate them into our life with him. Through their signs and symbols, they transmit the life of Christ to us so that we might live more fully in union with him. These signs and symbols also speak to our human ways of knowing, enabling us to become open to and receptive of Christ’s gift of Self through the Sacraments.

To see how this works with specific Sacraments, let’s examine the traditional ones that were used in the Christian Church until the time for the Reformation, and are still recognized in many Churches since.

In Baptism, we consecrate our lives to Christ and become incorporated into his Mystical Body, the Church. The touchpoint here is Christ’s own baptism (Mk 1: 9-11), which was pivotal in moving him into public ministry. The Father spoke to Jesus at that time, saying, “You are my beloved Son; my favor rests on you.” When we are baptized, this message comes down to us as well. We become beloved children of God and parts of Christ’s Mystical Body. The favor of the Father that rests on the Son rests on us as well. Water is the sign and symbol used, signifying cleansing and new life. We are Baptized only once as there is no need to do this again and again.

Confirmation and Baptism go together in many churches, but are separate in Catholic traditions and a few Protestant ones as well. Generally, this Sacrament is ministered during a transition time between adolescence and adulthood. The individual “confirms” his or her baptismal promises in the presence of the gathered community; the Bishop invokes the Holy Spirit to bless the individual with gifts which enable mature and generous Christian living. Jesus’ breathing of the Spirit in Jn. 20: 22-23 and the experience of Pentecost in Acts 2: 1-13 are Scriptural touch points. The spirit touch of the Bishop and in some cases anointing oil are the signs and symbols. As with Baptism, one is confirmed only once.

Penance and Reconciliation (formerly Confession) is a Sacrament we may receive more than once, as we are often in need of the reassurance of God’s forgiveness. There are many, many Scriptural touch points, here, as Christ’s ministry of forgiveness is recorded all throughout the Gospels. John 20: 23 figures significantly again, as Jesus commissions his Apostles to forgive sins in his behalf. The signs and symbols are the words of forgiveness spoken by the minister in behalf of both Christ and the Church. These words enable us to accept the grace of forgiveness God holds out through Christ.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist may also be received many times. Here we see Christ feeding his Mystical Body with his own risen body. Through the symbols of bread and wine, Christ becomes present to us; in receiving him as Eucharist, we become more deeply incorporated into his Body, nourished by his own risen life. There is tangible Presence here: we see the sacred species with our own eyes; we taste and swallow. Reassurance of belonging to him is communicated most powerfully. Scriptural touch points are the feeding of the multitudes (see esp. Jn. 6: 53-58) and the last supper (Lk. 22: 14-20).

The Anointing of the Sick is a Sacrament that used to be reserved for desperate situations but is now used more frequently. Jesus’ ministry of healing was one of the most important ways he communicated God’s care for us, and he continues to do the same through his Mystical Body. Through the prayers and oil of anointing, his healing and compassion are communicated in this Sacrament, strengthening us physically, emotionally, spiritually and in every way to live in his love. Again, there are many touch points in Scripture. Mk. 16: 18 is a reference to his continuance of this ministry, as are references in Paul’s letters and in the book of James (5: 13-15) as well.

Holy Orders consecrates individuals to serve the Christian community “in personae Christi” (in the person of Christ). This is especially manifest during Sacramental celebrations, when the minister stands in the place of Christ to convey Christ’s actions. The blessing and anointing by the Bishop during the ordination are the signs of this Sacrament. Its development in the Church can be seen in New Testament writings where Paul refers to the manner in which Bishops and Presbyters are to be selected; the latter are predecessors of modern-day priests.

Finally, there is Matrimony, or the Sacrament of Christian Marriage. Christ’s love for married people, his teaching on the permanence of marriage (Mt. 19: 6), and his blessing of the celebration at the wedding feast of Cana all show God’s delight in the love of man and woman. Unlike other Sacraments, however, this one is not offered by a priest or other minister; the couple minister the Sacrament to each other. At the wedding ceremony, the minister only witnesses their vows and leads prayers of blessing for their life together. The sign of this Sacrament, then, is the love of the couple for each other. In this way do they make the love of God real to one another and to the larger community.

These seven Sacraments are powerful ways in which we continue to encounter Christ. Because they are based on Scripture and are ministered in the context of Christian community, they build on the experiences of Christ that we discover through the first two modes and therefore enrich those modes as well. In addition, they introduce a more intimate and tangible experience of Christ’s presence during those times in life when we badly need to know that he is with us. Christ builds up his Mystical Body through the Sacraments and we become more deeply integrated into the Body by receiving them in faith.

This last point about faith needs to be underscored. The Church affirms most unambiguously that Christ is present to us in the Sacraments whether we believe in them or not. This is to give us reassurance that Christ is faithful, and that he is committed to his Church as he promised he would be until the end of time. If we are not open to the graces made available through the Sacraments, however, they will do us little good. That is why learning to meet Christ in the first two modes we’ve reflected on is so important. If we come to develop a personal relationship with him through Scripture and prayer, and if we are sensitive to his presence in Christian community, we will appreciate more his love and care for us made manifest in the Sacraments. Without some development of union in the first two modes, it’s doubtful that sacramentals and Sacraments will have much meaning for us.

Even if our church does not formally recognize the seven Sacraments , we have probably experienced times during the life of Christian community when we call upon Christ to feed us sacramentally. As baptized Christians, we all share in the priesthood of Christ, and so we are all able to call upon him to be with us during sacramental times. I am not saying that our own ministries of healing, forgiving, nourishing, empowering, etc. are Sacraments or that we do not need priests; only that because of Christ’s presence in Sacraments, we can consecrate similar times to his care and experience something of the same graces. If we do so, then when the times for formal celebrations come, we can be more prepared and more appreciative.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

1. What questions or comments has this conference stirred in you?

2. What do the Sacraments mean to you? How do you experience them in your faith tradition?

3. How do you minister healing, forgiving, nourishing, and empowering in your life? How are these gifts ministered to you?