Transcript Sacraments Ch 6 Power Point - Cardinal Newman High School

Chapter 6
The Sacraments in History:
Changing Church, Changing
Sacraments
Ichthus: Greek name for
fish; acrostic for Jesus Christ
God Son Savior: IXOYC
Anchor, Icthus, Chi-Rho:
Catacomb of St. Sebastian
Phase Two: Dark Ages:
A.D. 400 - 1000
 A.D. 330: Roman Empire’s headquarters
moved from Rome to Constantinople
 A.D. 395: Roman Empire is split in two;
 Attacks by Huns (Central Asia) and
Vandals (North Africa) weaken the
Empire
 A.D. 476: Last Roman Emperor killed;
collapse of Western Empire followed
Collapse of Roman
Empire:
 Resulted in political and cultural chaos
 Absence of strong leadership and
government
 Church and its popes play an increasing
role in governing the West
St. Augustine, Bishop of
Hippo, A.D. 395:
 A time of controversy and division in the early Church;
 Baptism: Confers a permanent “seal” on the person;
 Used words “administered” and “received” about
Baptism;
 Took a broad view of sacraments: “signs of a sacred
thing;” all creation was a reflection of God
 “Sacraments of the word” – sermons, prayer, Scripture
 “Sacraments of action” – various symbols and rituals
used in Christian worship
Other Developments:
 A.D. 451, Council of Chalcedon (fourth ecumenical, or
general, council of the Christian Church), declared that
the bishop of Rome was the highest authority in the
Church
 The patriarch of Constantinople (head of the church in
the East), was named second in authority
 Eventually, a formal split between the Church in the
East and the West (Rome) occurred
 Eastern Rite churches are still affiliated with Rome;
Eastern Orthodox churches are not; however, each
practices sacraments in its own unique way
 Eastern Rite churches: Byzantine Rite, Chaldean Rite
are recognized by Rome, but different from the Latin or
Roman Rite of Catholicism
Developments in
sacramental practices:
 Rite of Confirmation became separated from Baptism
 Public penance was replaced by private confession
 Lay involvement in the eucharistic liturgy (Mass)
decreased significantly
 Marriage came to be seen as a sacramental rite
 Anointing of the Sick became Anointing of the Dying
 Presbyters (priests) were ordained to preside at
liturgical functions as the bishop’s representatives
Developments in
Christianity:
 In A.D. 313, emperor Constantine lifted the ban
on Christian worship with the Edict of Milan.
 Christianity moved its worship from
“underground” to “above ground;”
 Christians could now practice their faith openly,
and built churches for worship;
 Constantine financed the building of many
beautiful basilicas (churches);
 In A.D. 380, Christianity was declared the
official religion of the Roman Empire by
emperor Theodosius.
Sacraments are:
 Efficacious signs of grace (capable of
effecting change in us and the world,
because of God’s power, not our own);
 Instituted by Christ and entrusted to the
Church, by which
 Divine life is dispensed to us.
(CCC #1131, text p. 92)
Sacraments:
 Are celebrated by visible rites which
signify and make present the graces
proper to each sacrament.
 Bear fruit in those who receive them with
the required dispositions (inner attitude
and readiness for a particular
sacrament).
(CCC, #1131, Text, p. 91 – 92)
Jesus was a sacrament of
God:
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He brought people to new life.
He forgave people’s sins.
He sacrificed himself out of love.
He shared the power of his spirit with others.
He healed people’s illnesses.
He was faithful to the One he called Abba.
He ministered to people’s spiritual needs.
Each of these actions of
Jesus were eventually
ritualized into what are now
the official sacraments of
the Catholic Church.
Change: An inevitable fact
of life
 The sacraments developed gradually in
the early Church.
 The Church’s understanding and
awareness of how God’s grace is
presented to us went through a gradual
development.
Phase One: Church and
Sacraments Before A.D. 400
 Christianity: a prohibited organization
composed of small, secret communities.
 Illegal to be Christian since the reign of Roman
Emperor Nero (A.D. 54-68).
 In Rome, Christians worshipped secretly in
underground cemeteries called catacombs.
 Church spread throughout Mediterranean
region, beginning with the Apostles.
Formal elements present in
the Church’s worship and
ministry by A.D. 250:
 Ritual meal, similar to today’s Mass;
 Singing, reading from Scripture, a
“homily” by the bishop, the ordained
leader of the community;
 Sharing of bread and wine, believed to
be the body and blood of Christ, and
shared only by baptized members;
 Initiation ritual was in place.
“Sacramenta”
 A word used to describe Roman religious rites;
 Used by Christian writer, Tertullian, used the
word “sacramentum” to describe the Christian
ritual of initiation;
 Eventually, the word “sacramenta” was used to
describe a variety of religious rituals practiced
by Christians.
(Text, p. 101)