INTRODUCTION TO SACRAMENTS
Traditional Sacramental Theology
1.Introduction. Word versus Sacrament
o We often say that participation in "Word" and "Sacrament" is the means to salvation.
o By "Word" we meanProclaiming the “Good News” (= gospel), reading the bible.
By "Word"
o Involves language
o Addresses most immediately the mind
By Sacrament
o By "Sacrament," we refer to: a defined rite of the Church
o Involves actions, material objects, as well as language
o Addresses most immediately the senses and the unconscious, as well as the mind
2. Outward Sign, Inward Grace
A sacrament involves: an “outward, visible sign”
That is a conduit for: an “inward and spiritual grace”
3. The Inward and Spiritual Grace or ResThe “Inward and Spiritual Grace” = “res” refers to the presence of God.
Ø The grace imparted in a sacrament is sometimes spoken of as having two facets:
1. The “symbolic reality” or “paschal mystery:”
-a description of the recipient’s “participation” in
the divine
ü For example, in the Eucharist: the partaking of the body and blood of Christ
