1. SACRAMENTAL LIFE IN CHRIST
Unit 8

2. Opening thoughts
When does the Jesus
story happen?
When are the gospels
written?
So, from what perspective do all of the gospel writers
write?
They have the “whole story”, in a way.
The key to this story is called the PASCHAL MYSTERY.

3. The Paschal Mystery
Paschal = related to _______ (Heb. _______ = pesach)
Comes from the death and resurrection of Jesus
taking place within the context of the Jewish
Passover feast
What does the Passover feast celebrate?
Any allegorical sense here?

4. Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794-1872)

5. The phases of the Paschal Mystery
PASSION DEATH
Passion Death
Resurrection
Ascension
ASCENSION RESURRECTION

6. Take a couple minutes…
The Paschal business is clear enough, but
Why do we call it the Paschal Mystery?
What is a mystery?
Why can we call this Jesus event a mystery?

7. Why “mystery”?
Characterize a mystery
Can we ever come to understanding something that is
mysterious?
Limits of our understanding
Our growth as humans coming to understand how
God has worked through history, through Jesus, and
in our lives

8. So how do we celebrate the PM?
Luke 22:14-19:
14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.
15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with
you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds
fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it
among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the
vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them,
saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

9. Sacraments
Sacrament = Ln. ___________ (a noun) from Ln.
_______ (a verb) which means _________ ?
Ln. _________ = Gk. _________ (“mystery”)
So we can celebrate the PM- better, we can celebrate
the entire life, death, and resurrection of Jesus-
through ______________.

10. Sacramentality
What is sacramentality?
A sacrament is _____________.
Where, then, do we see the mystery of God?
Jesuits say that you can find God in all things.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ, said: “The world is charged
with the grandeur of God.”
So… what things are sacramental?

11. Everything is sacramental
Remember Genesis 1 and 2
Who created creation?
Everything is imbued with God’s
care and creativity!
Do we think this way?
What in the world is good?
What in the world is not good/evil?

12. Remember Genesis 1:31
“Godsaw all that he had made, and it
was very good.
And there was evening, and there
was morning—the sixth day.”
Do you always remember the message of Genesis 1:31?
Do you see as God sees? (Remember, too: Hagar and God.)

13. Back to the sacraments
What sacraments do Catholics participate in?
1. __________
2. __________ Sacraments of
3. __________ Initiation
4. __________ Vocation
5. __________ Healing
6. __________
7. __________

14. Why take part in these sacraments?
Why be baptized?
Why participate in the Eucharist?
Remember…
Exodus: Hebrew Bible:: Paschal Mystery: New Testament
What might make the sacraments more meaningful to
for you?

15. Baptism
The sine qua non of Christian (ritual/sacramental) life.
Think of the label “Christian”. If baptism makes you a
Christian, then what is baptism doing to you?
Why do we baptize?
Dunking/sprinkling  Dying (think: drowning) 
Rising to new life

16. The Baptism of Christ
Verrocchio/Leonardo (1472)

17. Romans 6:3-11
3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with
him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly
also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old
self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has
died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die
again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to
sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in
Christ Jesus.

18. The BIG question…
So do you think that someone who believes that he or
she is living a Christian life but who has not been
baptized should be called a Christian?

19. Eucharist
Centerpiece of routine Christian practice (liturgy).
What makes a mass a mass?
Jesus’ own recommendation
Breaking and sharing of bread; sharing of wine
= sharing of what?
Matthew 26:27-28
27Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to
them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
What has Jesus done for humanity?
What does this imagery make you think of?

20. The Last Supper
Leonardo (1495)

21. Four-fold presence of Christ in the
Eucharist
Catholics believes Christ is present in four ways during the
celebration of the Eucharist.
What are those four ways?
All of these things can be said to be __________. Why?
Catechism 1324: “The Eucharist is the source and summit of
the Christian life.”

22. Liturgy
Liturgy is … ?
Liturgy = Gk. _______ = “working publicly”
Christian liturgy is public and participatory
What do you think about Christian liturgy?

23. Sacrosanctum Concilium
Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy
Vatican II; Paul VI; December 1963
Goals:
“To impart… vigor; to adapt… to needs; to foster…
union; and to strengthen…the household of the
Church.” (1)
“The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity
of the Church is directed.” (10)

24. Section 7
“To accomplish so great a work, Christ is always present in His
Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in
the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of His minister,
‘the same now offering, through the ministry of priests, who
formerly offered himself on the cross’ , but especially under the
Eucharistic species. By His power He is present in the
sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ
Himself who baptizes. He is present in His word, since it is He
Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the
Church. He is present, lastly, when the Church prays and sings,
for He promised: ‘Where two or three are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Mt 18:20).”

25. Section 8
“In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly
liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward
which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right
hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle;
we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the
heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope
for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the
Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and
we too will appear with Him in glory.”

26. Section 9
“The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity
of the Church. Before men can come to the liturgy
they must be called to faith and to conversion: ‘How
then are they to call upon him in whom they have not
yet believed? But how are they to believe him whom
they have not heard? And how are they to hear if no
one preaches? And how are men to preach unless
they be sent?’ (Rom 10:14-15).”

27. Section 10
“Nevertheless the liturgy is the summit toward which
the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time
it is the font from which all her power flows. For the
aim and object of apostolic works is that all who are
made sons of God by faith and baptism should come
together to praise God in the midst of His Church, to
take part in the sacrifice, and to eat the Lord's
supper.”

28. “Final” thoughts…
Getting very deep…
Don’t be scared!
YOU HAVE DIED!
But the sacraments (namely, baptism) allow you access to
a community that believes that we live a new life though
Jesus’ actions!
Our new life is something different than our old life.
In other words, being a Christian means something. (DUH!
moment: being a Christian is something different than NOT
being a Christian.)
What does our new life demand of us?
What might we look to as a model of how to live this new
life?