Sacraments of Commitment: Marriage & Holy Order

In reading the Holy Orders I valued the idea that the Church has a historical and “legitimate succession of witnesses” in the priesthood (Johnson).   In class, we talked about the Church as apostolic, Christ is sent to the world from God, and thus Christ is the first apostle.  We learn through just as God sends Christ, Christ sends the apostles.  I can appreciate this succession even more now that I understand the origins of the priesthood.  It is so important that the Church as an institution supports the continuation of the apostolic mission.  One idea about holy orders that  I do wonder is the exclusion of women.  I am curious about this topic and would like to learn about your experiences in your faith tradition.  I also hope to better understand what the Catholic faith has to say about it.

An important note was that in the qualities that priests should have as a person and as performing the functions of “martyria, leiturgia, and diakonia.”  I noticed that there is a very real awareness of the fact that “human beings fall short of the ideal” (Johnson, 240).  This is especially relevant given the issues with priests and the abuse scandals that have emerged lately.  Though this does not excuse any poor judgment or behavior on the part of priests, I think it brings just attention to the fact that none of us can be expected to be perfect.  The right steps must be taken to heal the wounded hearts of the victims and to heal the Church. 

The sacrament of marriage as explained by Ignatius of Antioch is one that “follows God’s will and not the promptings of lust” (Vorgrimler, 292).   I also appreciate the understanding of viewing marriage as “a sacred sign of a sacred thing, namely of union of Christ and the Church” (Vorgrimler, 292).   I am currently at a time in my life where my friends are getting married and with each wedding I attend, I contemplate marriage as a sacrament.  It really is a beautiful celebration and I am happy that it acts as a sign of love, fidelity, and God’s will.   It saddens me to think about how often marriages end in divorce.  Of the many reasons for divorce could one of them be that the marriage was not God’s will in the first place?  What other factors go into separating what God has joined?  I know that many students I teach deal with divorce and I wonder how they might view marriage as a sacrament.

Real Presence

Dear Class,

“Among the seven sacraments of the Church, the Eucharist has the highest place.” This statement serves as the introduction to the readings this week and sets the tone for this grandest of inquiries. In an attempt not to become mired in the centuries of divergent conceptualizations, let us lean into the Vatican II constitution which expresses the sacred mystery as, “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is received, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us” (Chapter II, 47). For me, when I am truly present to even the smallest degree of this reality, then the illusion, the walls of separation–created by the policies of men–come crumbling down. The Bad News is that none of us is worthy; the Good News is that it is okay! Jesus broke bread with the sinners and Christ continues to do so today. Vogrimler underscores this as he elucidates, “The presence of the triune God is a real presence…this presence of God cannot be comprehended in ideas of space and time…On the basis of biblical testimonies about God, Christian faith speaks of God as spirit of pneuma…God’s presence for us is thus a pneumatic presence.” He goes on to reveal that “It is fundamental to Christian faith, and thus also to the faithful preconditions for the Eucharist, that God’s presence is only evident for us through God’s holy pnuema, the divine Spirit. This Spirit is to be sought…in the innermost depths of our ‘hearts’. There, through the Spirit, and not through our own effort or achievement, occurs that opening, that disclosure that we call ‘faith,’ and that indwelling of God is a union or communio that cannot be described in words” (134, 135).

From the Father, through the Son, through the Holy Spirit, throughout the Mystical Body of Christ, permeating the miraculously inclusive universe of a mystery that is beyond time and space.  

My sisters in Him, I am prepared to discuss with you any of the particulars involving the origins and evolutionary historicity of divergent doctrines concerning the Lord’s Supper, but find myself infinitely more interested in the sharing of your existential experiences with this ineffable encounter.