Blog #6
In the middle of my first year at West Point, Bob Hope brought his traveling USO group in for a special show to the Corps of Cadets. It was a great event with Brooke Shields, Marie Osmond, Glen Campbell and even an appearance by then-Vice President George Bush. After the show, my roommate and I decided to have dinner at the Historic Thayer Hotel (since we were not allowed to leave campus). While waiting to be seated, someone behind me said “Hey, what’s it take to get a table in this joint?” I turned and it was Bob Hope who was with Brooke Shields. Without missing a beat, I said, “Well, it would help if you were famous.” Mr. Hope roared with laughter and said, “That is very good!” Bob Hope and Brooke Shields laughing at my quick joke. Right there. In the flesh…
That is an interesting term that we use “in the flesh”. We all know what it means. Right there. Close enough to touch the body. I thought back to this story of meeting someone famous in the flesh while reading Jose Granados’ work, Introduction to Sacramental Theology: Signs of Christ in the Flesh. Certainly, Granados meant something different by “in the flesh” than being able to reach out and touch the body of Christ? In his introduction, he explains:
“An axiom of the Church Fathers, implicit in their statements, says that the Son of God never abandoned the flesh once he had assumed it…Certainly the sentence applies to Jesus, who never left his flesh behind, for it ascended with him into heaven and remains forever at the right hand of God. But to the Fathers’ way of thinking this flesh is ours too: the flesh of the whole human family, the flesh in which we are born, love one another, mature, suffer, generate life. And we must say, therefore, that Jesus did not abandon our flesh either, which he configured to himself in the sacraments. The encounter with him keeps happening in the space of the body, where we encounter the world and other human beings” (xiv).
Granados explains that in our space of the body, the sacrament rites initiated by Jesus bring our flesh, “the flesh of the whole human family”, in with Jesus’ flesh which he assumed for our salvation. He explains that “Baptism and the Eucharist: both make present the flesh of Jesus and the recapitulation of history in him…[they] show that a sacrament revolves around the flesh and its ability to knit relations, with God and human beings, according to the measure of Christ. (p. 48). This is a bold initial assertion about the sacraments but, as means of explanation, Granados then takes us back to the rites of the Old Testament to show how these rites are tied to our sacraments but that within Jesus in the New Testament, they join us in the flesh with God.
Starting from the beginning with Abel’s sacrifice for the Lord, we see throughout the Old Testament rites conducted by the Israelites. There are great similarities to our sacraments today. For example, the purification with water or “mikveh”, the celebration with food and wine, the cleansing and identification of faith with the blood of he-goats in the Passover. We know that Jesus participated in all these rituals and rites. “It becomes clear then, that in the sacraments one accesses not only the rites that Jesus lived, but Jesus’ life itself. Thus, for example, in the Eucharist discourse the rise in which the bread is transformed into flesh is not mentioned; taking it for granted, John concentrates on its ultimate fruit, the flesh of Jesus, true food, is the true bread.” (p. 62) So what is different between these rites in the Old Testament and the sacraments which we participate and instituted by Jesus in the New Testament? Granados explains:
“The new feature of the rite of Jesus is the fact that the celebration is centered on the body of man, opening in him up to a relational fullness which God. Indeed under the Old Law, the other material elements, particularly the flesh and blood of the sacrificed animal, spoke for the body, which was incapable of expressing itself the ultimate mysteries of the origin and end of life. In the new covenant, nevertheless, the body of Jesus, the Son of God, becomes capable of expressing the definitive significance of it all, in being established as the place of maximum openness to the Father and to human beings. The New Testament testifies, then, to the total corporealization, in the flesh of the Lord, to which the Old Testament pointed.” (p. 169)
In the Old Testament, these rituals were sacrifices to God given in thanksgiving spiritually, but not through the flesh. Jesus joins our flesh into his through the sacraments which he initiated or “suggested” through his life.[1] In the New Testament however, these sacrifices are shared “in the flesh” as they were initiated by Jesus. Granados states, “Let’s point out once again that the old worship does not lead to merely interior and spiritual worship. On the contrary, the blood of the he-goats reaches its fullness in that other blood, which is that of Jesus; and the temple that is the body of Jesus. This confirms that all the old sacrifices converge in the flesh of Christ.” (p. 161)
Christ takes the sacrificial rites of the Old Testament and configures them through his flesh which connects to our flesh through the sacraments from the New Testament. Granados concludes with “If the sacrament is a sign, this sign has to be valued in terms of our incarnate condition, in other words, it always has to be thought of on the basis of the body; both the original experiences of the body of every man and woman, and the way of experiencing the body inaugurated by Jesus and given to his followers.” (p. 238) The bread and wine given spiritually in the Old Testament becomes the body and blood of Jesus in the New Testament and it is through this connection of our flesh that we attain our salvation which is our Christian hope – even if it is not Bob Hope.
[1] There is some discussion about whether Jesus did indeed initiate some of the sacrifices, namely confirmation and Anointing of the Sick (Extreme Unction). In any case, the learned Franciscan [St. Bonaventure] stated that confirmation and extreme unction were at least “suggested’ by Christ, thus anchoring all the sacraments in the life of the Lord….In short the fact that there are sacraments that were not instituted by Jesus does not mean that they are unrelated to Jesus. Rather than focus on the term “institution” therefore, it is necessary to look at the connection of the sacraments with Christ as their source., a link affirmed by St. Bonaventure. (p. 96-97)
Blog #5
When I was about 15, there was a terrible flood in my town. Water was pouring down out of the mountains and threatening many homes, including the home of our priest and it could have eventually damaged our church. One of the women in the church contacted me and asked me to gather 4 or 5 boys to help. For hours, we boys filled sandbags, dug out a channel for the water all while being drenched by driving rain. I will never forget the priest standing on the ledge above us holding an umbrella and telling us, “Boys, you all will be greatly rewarded for your sacrifice.” Of course, I thought he meant that he was going to give us $20 each. The priest however implied our good works would one day lead to glory in heaven. At the time, we would have probably rather had the $20.
It was a bit premature for the priest to declare our destiny in eternity. Sure, we were doing good works but that is not the connection to heaven nor is the sacrifice of hard work in the rain. Our connection to heaven and to Christ here on earth are found – and felt – through our sacraments. In his book, Meeting Christ in the Sacraments, Father Colman E. O’Neill tells us, “At the principal ceremonies, the sacraments, in which we as a community express our faith in Christ, a point of insertion is provided in the earthly ritual for the entry of his body. Or we may say, the sacraments give body to Christ in the Church…The ritual actions which constitute the essential parts of the sacramental ceremonial and the materials employed in these actions provide the means by which the risen Christ is bodily present and bodily active in the Church. (p. 37)
We meet Christ in his Church through the sacraments. They provide us with the connection which draws us closer to Christ, but it takes more than the ritual act itself. O’Neill tells us that with the ritual, we also need to feel our personal sacrifice. “The Church ritual is at once transformed; the memorial of Calvary has become the very sacrifice of Christ.” (p. 38) But sacrifice is only part of the “formula” which O’Neill shares. The recipient of the grace, and indeed all of Christ’s Church, must also have the faith to believe that grace will actually be received. “If the Church lacked faith there could not be any sacraments because of the sacraments are signs of faith.” (p. 71) Only a conscious and penitent receiver of the sacrament who has experienced sacrifice and has the faith will receive the grace from the sacrament. “The security and peace of mind given by the sacraments arises from the truth of faith that it is certain that when a penitent approaches baptism or penance with the preparation just described he will receive justifying grace.” (p. 121)
Later in his book, O’Neill tells us that “To see Christ in the Church, personally acting through the organs of her visible, earthly structure, so as to build up his own body, this is the key concept of sacramental theology. To seek consciously to discern the features of Christ in the doctrinal, juridical, and liturgical organs of the Church and to go forward to live in union with him as he exists and acts through these organs, this is the distinctive characteristic of sacramental piety” (294). We see in each of the sacraments deliberate acts of our sacrifice and the corresponding faith with respect to accepting the grace of Christ. That said, there could be no more powerful example of sacrifice and faith seeking sacramental piety and closeness to Christ than the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
For the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, O’Neill correctly points out”
One of the principal crises which the Christian has to contend with is precisely ill-health. When it is serious it needs more that the attention of a doctor; it is a crisis of the whole person, affecting his entire outlook. Not only is there a natural disinclination to accept suffering as a means of atoning for sin; as well, the depression which goes with sickness casts a shadow of unattractiveness over the normal duties of Christian life, calling up a positive tendency to revolt against the will of God. (p 281)
It is easy when suffering to turn ones back on God. We witness Christ in the Garden asking God to “let this cup pass from me” (Matt 26:39) There is no greater sacrifice that we make as creatures than to suffer and eventually die. This sacrifice is not only similar to Christ’s but, as O’Neill points out, more than any other. it can either draw us closer to Christ or separate us from him forever.
During a time of illness and especially an illness that will lead to death, the act of sacrifice is clear. What is less clear is the act of faith. A significant act of faith in the Anointing of the Sick, is when the one who is ill, requests the sacrament. When we go back to O’Neill’s discussion of properly receiving the sacraments, we read, “It must be understood firstly that worth approach to baptism or penance involves a positive act or series of acts on the part of the conscious adult recipient. Normally this something that the individual is aware of.” (p. 131) Unfortunately, the individual is not always conscious, especially when death is nigh. In this case. The conscious act of the individual must be taken from previous beliefs or actions, such as an understood willingness to receive other sacraments which indicate the importance of receiving this, possibly final, sacrament.
We know that all sacraments are, by design, intended to bring us closer to Christ. They require sacrifice by the individual, but also the faith to receive and believe in the grace to be bestowed. When experiencing serious illness, we truly become Christ-like in our suffering and, like Christ, we can chose with our free will to draw closer or further away from God. The faith required to continue to draw us towards God in spite of this suffering highlights the intentions grace more than any of the sacraments. We become Christ-like when we demonstrate faith during great suffering like Christ. In the end, the reward is much more than $20 for filling sandbags.
Blog #4
Wait, wait, wait. I want to get this right. You said, “The sacraments are just part of a generally graced world. The world is full of grace and so are the sacraments.” That is an interesting perspective and not altogether an uncommon one at that! I think there are a lot of opinions on grace and sacraments and human nature. I have been interested in this topic for a while now and just recently read a book by Henri de Lubac entitled A Brief Catechesis on Nature & Grace. De Lubac was a widely renown twentieth century theologian. Many of his works, including this one, have been translated into English and, though they are at times difficult to follow, they are very insightful. Primarily in this book, de Lubac wrote about the contrast between nature (specifically human nature), the supernatural and grace. Based on his writings, and to your original point, there are two types of grace – creative and redemptive. Though all humans freely receive the grace attained through creation, the grace attained through redemption of our sinful human nature is not freely received, and though some may rationalize our sinful nature, this grace is only given by God to those who willfully transform their sinful nature through the intentionality of the sacraments.
De Lubac spends the first significant part of this book discussing the difference between nature and supernatural (or supernature). It is through this nature, or the fruits of the Spirit found in creation, that we receive the grace associated with the supernatural. De Lubac shares that “Anything that does not derive from divine adoption in man, even if it does derive from the spirit and liberty in him, can be called natural” (p. 13) Through the grace associated with our created nature, we long for the beatific vision of God, or as de Lubac calls it a “’longing for God’ which is basic to man”. (p. 27)
De Lubac points out that the grace received through creation is but one meaning of the term. The other meaning of grace for humans is only found through forgiveness. (p. 118). He states that this difference between nature and the supernatural being related to the incarnation of Christ: “summarizing that if the union of nature and the supernatural was brought about in principle by the mystery of the Incarnation, the union of nature and grace can be fully accomplished only through the mystery of the redemption.” (pp. 121-122)
This does not mean that all humans receive this grace, however. “This salvation [the revelation of redemption in the blood of Christ shared by grace in the salvation of the world], this sharing in the divine life, was offered to man in Christ, and the Church of Christ as received the commission to transmit it to all generations.” (p. 170) De Lubac stresses that this grace if offered to man, but it is only received when it is accepted.
So, this goes back to your original supposition that we have a “graced world”. That is true only in the sense that we accept this grace. There are many who do not believe that they need this redemptive grace because they do not need redemption. “One idea is that we do not need salvation because Christ said “Neither will I condemn thee”, but it leaves out, “Go, and henceforth sin no more.” Another cop out is that we sin because of society, so it is not our fault, but sin is something very personal and it is in our heart so to seek God’s pardon, we need to look into our own hearts and seek not only forgiveness but also conversion. (pp. 136-7) De Lubac points out these rationalizations only exist in a sinful Christian, “One might even advance the paradox that the full realization of what sin is does not exist in the sinful Christian, however lucid he may be, but only in the repentant Christian. (p. 131) It is only the repentant Christian who receives this grace and they are only redeemed through the sacraments.
Man cannot reach God but God reaches out to man through his transformation in the sacraments. “the supernatural, one might say, is that divine element which man’s efforts cannot reach (no self-divinization) but unites itself to man “elevating” him as our classical theology used to put it, and as Vatican II still says (Lumen Gentium, 2), penetrating him in order to divinitize him, and thus becoming as it were an attribute of the “new man” described by St. Paul. (p. 41) This “new man” is a transformation of the sinful and now redemptive Christian who seeks forgiveness in confession and strengthens his transformation in the Eucharist. Without this transformation, there can be no grace according to de Lubac. “Between sinful human nature and divine grace we have no only a dissimilarity, a heterogeneity between two orders of being, an infinite distance that man alone cannot bridge. Between grace and sin the struggle is irreconcilable. Consequently, the call to grace is no longer an invitation to a simple “elevation”, not even a “transforming” one (to use the traditional words); in a more radical fashion it is a summons to a “total upheaval”, to a “conversion” (of the “heart”, i.e. of all one’s being).” (p. 119) Later de Lubac points out, “This salvation [the revelation of redemption in the blood of Christ shared by grace in the salvation of the world], this sharing in the divine life, was offered to man in Christ, and the Church of Christ as received the commission to transmit it to all generations.” (p. 170)
Returning to your contention that “The sacraments are just part of a generally graced world. The world is full of grace and so are the sacraments”, we learn from de Lubac that, there is creative grace that we all have received but the grace received through the Redemptive Christ is only given to those who willingly transform themselves through the sacraments. Without the sacrament of penance for us to admit our sinful nature and vow to transform ourselves, we cannot receive this grace that is given by God. When we participate in the sacraments, we are accepting God’s grace which is freely given but not always willingly received.
Blog #3
So, did you hear the one about the priest, the Rabbi and… just kidding. Probably best for another time. In all seriousness, I greatly appreciate you for allowing me to share some thoughts with all of you on this wonderful evening on the cusp of our glorious Easter morning. We have just witnessed one of the most glorious rites of the Catholic Church. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults when we are joined in our community by members who have committed to join our faith through their receiving of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist. These three celebrations constitute our Sacraments of Initiation. They are our purification and entry points into our faith and their impact and meaning guide us through our Christian life.
From the writings of Father Jean Danielou in his book The Bible and the Liturgy, we learn that the receiving of these sacraments during the Easter Vigil is a tradition that harkens back to the very beginning of the Church. At that time, those wishing to join the Church underwent an extensive and time-consuming process of declaration and learning. As early as the 4th century, we learn about catechumens entering into the final preparation to the receiving the Sacraments of Initiation began at the start of Lent and culminated, as we do today, with the Easter Vigil Mass. (pp. 21-22)
During this period of learning and preparation, the individual not only grows in their faith, but proves that they are committed to becoming followers of Christ. Our newest members of our faith here today have done the same. But now what? Well, let’s discuss that and though I will speak primarily to those who have recently entered our Catholic faith, I believe it is important that we all consider this take this time to consider the meaning of these three sacraments for the rest of our Christian lives. With these sacraments we are announced as Christians though baptism, sealed in our mission to share Christ’s message in Confirmation and nourished in our faith by receiving the Eucharist.
Baptism is the destruction of sin in our lives and the reemergence of our new lives as followers of Christ. In this ceremony, we are stripped of our garments which represent our sinfulness and our hold of the past immorality. We are taken back to our original nakedness before feeling the shame of sin before God as revealed in Genesis 3:10. (Gen 3:10) The water symbolizes the destruction of sin, like the destruction evil with the Flood of Noah and of Pharoh’s army in the Red Sea during the Exodus (pp. 78-79 and p. 88) The water also cleanses us from our sins and we emerge from the water in a state of sinlessness and purity. From this point, we are announced to all others as belonging to Christ. We have agreed to live our lives in Christ as we have accepted his forgiveness, and we seek to continue the purity of his message of love.
Father Danielou begins his section on Confirmation discussing the confusion that many of us have towards this sacrament: what is the difference between this and baptism and why do we do both? (p. 114) Both sacraments involve christening with oils and receiving the Holy Spirt. One aspect of the sacrament of confirmation is the perfecting of what we received in baptism. (p. 120). In this way, we strengthen and reaffirm our baptism. Danelou states “This also is where the idea of confirmation is given its meaning: it is concerned with the strengthening of the spiritual life, which is still weak in the baptized, and which is carried out under the action of the Holy Spirit.” (p. 126) Confirmation goes further than this, however. In Confirmation, the receiver of the sacrament is anointed on the head and the breast with oils that are “the sweet perfume of Christ.” (p. 123) The purpose of these anointings is to share in the priestly and kingly mission of Christ. Confirmation strengthens our faith in the Holy Spirit and it calls us to openly be warriors of Christ and share his message with others.
In the sacrament of baptism, we cleanse ourselves of the ancient cloth of sin and emerge in the sparkling white robe of purity to announce we are of Christ. In the sacrament of Confirmation, we are anointed with sweet, perfumed oils to strengthen our faith with the Holy Spirit and joins in Christ’s priestly mission. The sacrament of the Eucharist is however the crescendo of the Sacraments of Initiation. In the Eucharist, we share the traditions of feasts while also celebrating the sacrifice of Christ as represented by our sacrifice at the alter and the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into his body and blood. (pp. 128-131) For centuries, meals were a celebration. Sharing of the bread and the wine were symbolic of our communion with one another and of God. They were the sustenance that provided us with the strength to survive and thrive provided by God. Our celebration of the Eucharist is such a celebratory meal in that we share the bread and the wine. (p. 136) At the Last Supper with his apostles, Christ shared such a meal and consecrated it by making the bread his body and the wine his blood. This sacrament not only provides us with the physical strength, but also provides us with the spiritual strength by actually consuming Christ into our bodies. Each time we partake in the sacrament of Eucharist, we celebrate the feast with our community and the nourishment of our bodies and our spirit with the body and blood of Christ. It is this nourishment of our spirit that gives of the strength to live out our commitments from receiving the sacraments of baptism and confirmation.
In the receiving of the Sacraments of Initiation, we purify ourselves through baptism, we commit ourselves through confirmation and we nourish our spirit through eucharist. I congratulate once again those who willingly received these glorious gifts this evening. You, and indeed our entire faith community, are called to live as Christians, to share our Christian faith and to always strengthen it. This is not the end. We are just now at the beginning. Let’s get to it.
Blog #2
Regardless of whether one has been a Catholic all their lives (so called “cradle Catholic”) or if they are more recent in joining the faith, a Catholic knows the Sacraments and how important they are to our faith. What is much less well known is the history behind what makes them “sacramental” to us. I would like you to join me on a journey through the Christian cosmos about myths, magic and rituals that have been shaped over time by biblical authors, theological scholars and religious leaders all of which has brought meaning and shape to our sacraments. Our guide through this journey will be the great modern-day theologian and scholar, Father Louis Bouyer and our map will be his work, Cosmos: The World and the Glory of God. Let us step off.
Bouyer begins our journey technically before the beginning in a time of myth and magic. In a time before the authors of the Jewish bible – or the Old Testament – formed much of the Genesis story, the Babylonian empire which had enslaved the Israelites, had created their own myths to explain their world. In the Babylonian account of creation, there were many gods which created the world through conflict and disorder. In these myths, the Babylonians explained that greater gods attacked lesser gods to shape the world as they knew it.
The Genesis creation account is similar but with distinct differences. For the Israelites, there was but one transcendent God who was a god above all others. This one and only God placed them above all other nations. Bouyer explains, “It is clear that we have moved from a world view in which the development of the material universe is but a fragmenting or scattering of divine reality to the concept of a single transcendent God who produced all things through a gradual communication of his benevolence.” (p. 41)
The other significant difference was the creation of man to be in the likeness of God and in participation with God in the world and the importance of sharing the Sabbath with God. According to Bouyer, “By the end of the first chapter of Genesis, it may be said that this narrative of creation has laid the groundwork for this final revelation. Man’s participation in the divine Sabbath, upon completeness of creation, leads us toward the ultimate revelation, by expressing both man’s innate likeness to his creator and the reciprocal assimilation which God is proposing to man.” (p. 41)
Through the structuring of these ancient myths and recognizing the one true God, the Jewish religion began to emerge and with it followed activities to worship and celebrate. Bouyer claims “The human activities which coincides with divine activity is ritual activity.” (p. 18) These rituals began to form and with it the significance of water, which cleanses and brings life, and sacred oil which purifies the holy leaders. However, as Bouyer warns, there is a temptation of man to believe that the power in these rituals comes from him, in a way, magic. This belief in magic vice holy ritual can only be countered when it is a proper divine activity not of man but of God. Such became the ritual of the celebration of the new year and the victory of life over death found in the Passover. It is here that we find the divine ritual of sacrifice and sanctification through blood.
Bouyer continues our journey in the cosmos of God from the myths to the intellectualism in ancient Greece from Plato and Aristotle about the viability of the presence of a God. In Plato’s view, there is no need to contemplate something external to nature as nature has always existed. Aristotle counters that by arguing that nature is constantly in a state of “becoming” otherwise it would have reached its end. Aristotle believes this change in nature “develops because it is moved toward God my its love for Him.” (p. 81) These beliefs help strengthen the belief of a one true God, which was about to arrive in human form as the Christ.
Our journey will not spend a great deal of time covering the life of Christ, as I am sure you all are well aware of that through the Gospels. There are many rituals we take from the life of Christ, though the greatest comes from his exhortation to “this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19) at the last supper. We move quickly forward though to an important time in the cosmology of Christianity to a time when things were not so clear and our early Church leaders and scholars came to make clear the focus of our rituals and our faith.
In the first centuries of Christianity, there was great controversies about who Christ was and their resolutions were very significant in defining our rituals today. At that time, there arose two heresies: Gnosticism and Arianism. Bouyer shares that “Gnosticism finds it impossible to concede that God the savior and God the creator are one in the same. Arianism refuses to acknowledge the transcendence of the God who only appeared to us, but also gave himself up for us and to us in Jesus Christ.” (p. 98) Gnosticism mostly “cherry-picked” passages from the Old Testament to counter the one, true Triune God.
The Ante-Nicene Fathers (following the Apostolic Fathers) who led the defeat of Gnosticism was St. Irenaeus. Bouyer explains “Since that fall, however, the Son has descended to us, in the Word which appears through the entire Old Testament…now it was the Spirit’s turn to become accustomed to living not only with the children of men but in them.” (p. 101) Arianism met the Doctors of the Church and lost. St. Athanasius, St. Augustine, St. Gregory and Nyssa and others proved that Arianism “does not fit the divine Word, by which the Father makes himself known to us in his Son; instead, it finds its fulfillment in mankind.” (p. 104) These Church leaders and scholars help clarify and define our faith.
In our journey, the final piece to our discovery of the sacraments is found in the opening of John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) The Word, or the Logos, is Christ. Christ was the creation story. The rituals from the beginning were tied to the divinity of Christ. Along our journey with the creation story, the great thinkers of Greece, the early Church leaders to our Church leaders of today, we have discovered that our sacraments are not “magic” because they are rituals which ties us always back to Jesus Christ and the love of our one, true Triune God. This, however, is not the end of our journey because through the sacraments we continue to share the rituals of our faith and the pure love of God until we experience it fully in Heaven.
Blog #1
Everyone likes a good party. They bring out the best in people – though some individuals might get a bit too “happy” sometimes! Regardless, a party is fun and it brings people together. But how does a party relate to the Sacraments and our finding of God in them? That is much the proposition that both Josef Pieper in the first chapter of his book In Search of the Sacred: Contributions to an Answer (as translated by Lothar Krauth) and then-Cardinal Ratzinger in his article Theology of the Liturgy: The Sacramental Foundation of Christian Existence begin their discussions – about a celebration of sorts. In this way, they tie the Sacraments to our history, our humanity and ultimately to God through Jesus Christ.
Pieper begins by establishing the difference between “sacred” and “profane”. Pieper makes his point in an almost sarcastic manner but quite effectively. Beginning with a discussion of a seemingly tedious request to stop – or not start – smoking in certain places or on certain days, he poignantly turns quickly to “the reason is to show reverence and respect. Respect for what? For something that ay any rate requires and deserves homage and reverence.” (Pieper, p. 12).
This is not enough for Pieper, however, in his search for the sacred. It is important to him (and he makes clear, also to his readers) that the boundary of a sacred place is “set apart” (Pieper, p. 14). He continues to explain that “[a] sacred space is “different” from all the other locations.” He challenges his readers against this argument because “Christ has sanctified the totality of the world, and therefore everything is sacred.” (Pieper, p. 16) and continuing with “then a Christian would indeed have to reject the distinction between sacred and profane as unacceptable.” (Pieper, p. 21) Setting the stage for the rest of the chapter, Pieper defines “sacred” and “profane” by contrast “[t]he terms holy and sacred, therefore are used here neither for the infinite perfection of God nor for the spiritual superiority of a man; rather, they are used to mean certain tangible things, spaces, times, and actions as possessing the specific quality of being separated from the ordinary and directed toward the realm of the divine.” Whereas “[t]he term profane here indeed denotes the area of what is common and devoid of that special distinction as mentioned.
Now that he has established the contrast, Pieper begins the main part of the chapter by turning to what he calls “Sacred Action” which is “a higher importance” than other things that we might call sacred. But what are these actions that are so sacred and not profane? It is something that “is never simply ‘done’ and ‘performed’ but rather always ‘celebrated’! A sacred action requires ‘celebration’”. (Pieper, p. 26) These social events, these celebrations, are considered sacred because of “its relation to the act of public worship”. (Pieper, p. 25) These events are special, they are sacred, what “truly happens what is altogether exceptional, what is absolutely nonordinary: God’s real presence among his people”. (Pieper, pp. 30-31) This presence of God is the significance of the Sacraments in our ordinary lives. Peper tells us that these special, sacred actions are our ties to the traditions of the Church and our humanity.
Pieper speaks of feast days, meals and sacred actions not “being ‘of this era or of this world”. (Pieper, p. 31). This is a perfect connection to the Ratzinger article. In this article, in true Ratzinger style, clearly explains what the sacraments mean to the following today and asks the question of whether we need the sacraments to encounter God. Ratzinger contends that we are sacramental creatures. The simple act of eating is different from animals than with humans. As humans, we make the meal, the cooking, the preparation, the sharing, into an event. It is part of the ceremony of our lives.
Ratzinger also discusses humanities ties to history. We do what we have experienced and how we have developed through our ancestry and this ties to our beliefs in the sacraments “The sacrament in its universal form in the history of religion is therefore at first simply the expression of the experience that God encounters man in a human way.” (Ratzinger, p. 158) We have ties in the sacraments to the vertical in how we encounter God but also to the horizontal where we have ties to our history and our humanity through the connection to Christ.
The sacraments are our connection to God and Ratzinger is clear that “God who is here for men and is defined precisely by his being with people. In a word: he appears as the personal God who is knowledge and love and who therefore is word and love with respect to us. Word that calls us, and the love that unites us.” (Ratzinger, p. 161) These sacraments help us stay connected to God and “this sort of staying in God’s memory is what makes man love forward – for God’s memory never ends; it is what makes a human being man and distinguishes him from animals.” (Ratzinger, p. 162)
Both of these authors both begin their discussions by offering a tie between the celebrations that we share as humans to our special sacred actions found in the Sacraments. They take us from a place that we can understand and with which we can relate to a place where we can understand how these Sacraments are special, how they are sacred, how they ties us back to our humanity and our history back to their initiation with Christ, and finally, how they ties us in these special rites to God. Ratzinger calls this being “immersed into the unity of the cosmic stream of life and thus expresses a fundamental interconnectedness with all those beings who are privileged to be called human.” (Ratzinger, p. 157) In this way, we find God in our celebrations and in our sacred actions. We understand His presence among us in these special events and know that “who God is no longer remains in dark secrecy; no more does he appear as the unfathomable mystery of the cosmos in general, but, that, he appears as the God of Abraham….here for men and is defined precisely by his being with people.” (Ratzinger, p. 161) knowing God is present makes the party so much better as Pieper and Ratzinger explain to us.