Encountering Christ

I will begin this conference with a reassurance that my treatment of this mode of Christ’s presence is not intended to be some kind of indoctrination into Catholicism, where the emphasis on sacraments is very strong. As with previous conferences, I will share both teaching and personal experiences of the meaning of sacraments.

Let us begin with #774 from "The Catechism of the Catholic Church." There we learn that term sacrament is from the Latin, “sacramentum,” which is the equivalent of the Greek word “mysterion” used in Scripture to speak of the mystery of God. Sacramentum emphasizes the visible sign of the hidden reality of salvation while another Latin word, “mysterium,” captures the invisible connotation of invisible. We see, then, that the word “sacrament” is related to both the realms of mystery and to this world; sacraments are a making visible something of the mystery of God.

How do sacraments make the mystery visible to us?

First and foremost, through God’s action in history, especially through the life of Christ and his continuing work through the Church. “The Church’s first purpose is to be the sacrament of the inner union of (people) with God.” (CCC #775) “As sacrament, the Church is Christ’s instrument. . . The Church ‘is the visible plan of God’s love for humanity.. .’” (CCC #776). In other words, a sacrament makes the invisible visible, and that is what the Church does: it makes Christ’s life visible. The Church, then, is the first and primary sacrament of God. What we call Sacraments -- Baptism, Eucharist, etc. -- are specific instances of Christ’s presence becoming manifest in and through the action of Church.

That’s the overview, and I hope it makes sense. This is all part of the incarnational aspect of revelation that is unique to Christianity. While acknowledging that God is Mystery, beyond our understanding, existing in the realm of the eternal/supernatural, Christians believe, simultaneously, that God has become manifest in space and time, wants to be known, and continues to communicate with us in ways that connect with our human modes of knowing. God communicates the sacred Presence to us through Christ, a human being, then through the community of believers, with whom Christ is intimately identified. Christ and the Church are primary “channels of grace,” or channels of the Spirit--which means about the same thing. That is an old definition of the meaning of sacrament--a sign instituted by God to communicate grace.

This is all very good news! God meets us where we are as we are and communicates sacred Presence to us through our ordinary, everyday human faculties. This sacramental aspect of Christianity is what we mean when we use the term, “kataphatic spirituality,” or the “affirmative way.” Sometimes contrasted with “apophatic spirituality,” or the “negative way,” kataphatic spirituality acknowledges that God’s presence is mediated to us through word, symbol, person--any created thing. When I cover the fourth mode of presence--the cosmic--we will go more into encountering Christ in creation. For now, however, I would like to keep the focus on sacramental encounters with Christ in the context of Christian community.

In keeping with the understanding of the sacramental/kataphatic dimension of the Christian life, a wide range of devotional practices have developed through the ages. These would include the more formal Sacraments, which we will discuss in our next conference, and sacramentals. “Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to humans . . . they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water. . . . Sacramentals derive from the baptismal priesthood (of all believers); every baptized person is called to be a ‘blessing’ and to bless.” (CCC #1668-69)

Here are a common examples of sacramentals from my own life.

-- The sign of the cross. I make it when arising and before going to sleep. It is a reminder to me that I belong to God, and a consecration of my day and night to God’s care. I could do this without making the sign of the cross, but there’s something about doing this with my body which feels like a fuller surrender.

-- Grace before meals. Again there is a blessing and a consecration, both of the food and of ourselves to one another in Christ. This is a reminder to our family that food is not just stuff that we use to fill our bellies, but a gift from God that has come to us through the “work of human hands” and the loss of plant and animal lives.

-- Blessing before a trip. Consecrates the journey to God’s care.

-- Advent wreath, and prayer around the wreath. This is a remembrance of the yearning of the human race for the coming of Christ, and helps to awaken this yearning for him in our own hearts.

-- Prayer services. We have a wide variety at Heartland Center for Spirituality, ranging from the very simple to the elaborate, with candles, music and incense. These prayers and sensations help us to call to mind God’s presence and to implore the guidance of the Spirit.

-- Prayer before a candle. The light is a reminder of Christ, who is the Light of the world, and the Light in our hearts.

-- Healing prayer. Laying on of hands to ask the Spirit to heal a loved one. The touch communicates care and provides a conduit through which the Spirit can flow. We pray for one another in this manner when one of us is sick.

There are a wide variety of other sacramentals that are commonly used in throughout Christendom--blessing of throats, ashes on Ash Wednesday, washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, kissing the cross on Good Friday, processions, vigils, benedictions with incense and candles, the rosary, the stations of the cross, veneration of relics and holy places, pilgrimages, etc. Even the most extreme Protestant groups have occasions when they make use of sacramentals; a rite for burying the dead would be an example.

Sacramental celebrations and symbols help to awaken our faith and open us to Christ’s presence in a specific circumstance or context. We might be able to turn to Christ without the assistance of sacramentals, but because we are human, it is natural for us to want to use these helps in our Christian prayer and devotion. Because of the incarnational nature of Christianity, we also know that Christ is disposed to meet us in our human endeavors, longings, and times of worship. In fact, he has promised us that “wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there in your midst.” (Mt. 18:20) Sacramentals often provide a means for “gathering in his name,” so we can be assured that Christ is when us when we do so.

Questions for reflection and discussion

1. What are you thinking/feeling after reading this conference? What part(s) spoke to you?

2. What kinds of sacramentals do you make use of in your Christian life? How do these help you encounter Christ?