Sacrament of Reconciliation & Anointing of the Sick-

Insightful words from all as always!

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most powerful and convicting  sacraments to me and my  spirit.  As I was reading, I found Vorgrimler's forms of forgiveness to revive the dimensions of human life, including mine!  ( Walter also stated these forms)  These forms of forgiveness are of primary  importance.  Matthew 5:23-24 speaks of reconciliation as a PRECONDITION within us for God's EFFECTIVE forgiveness.  Being conscious of this precondition... How can we ask for TRUE forgiveness and approach the Heavenly Father with a "clean and pure heart" if we harbor ill feelings toward a brother?  I along with many others have faced several heart wrenching situations.  It was not until the past five years that I realized being able to truly forgive was not an easy thing to do, but was vital in Christ.  With much prayer and supplication, God helped me to truly forgive and to draw nigh unto Him and the GRACE of God like never before.  I believe that it is within our pain and suffering that allows us to know God's divine grace and forgiveness in a way that transforms our thinking and our hearts forever.  One that allows us to forgive others without hesitation and with a clarity and effectiveness of God's forgiving word.  Vorgrimler states, "If it is true repentance, it also involves an inward longing for the sacrament" (210).  It was not until my life was "shaken" these past five years that I gained a true understanding of the sacrament of Reconciliation.  "For Christian believers this tangible place of divine forgiveness and reconciliation is called Jesus Christ" (Vorgrimler, 201). 

"Reconciliation begins with ourselves.  It begins with a pure heart, a heart that is able to see God in others." Mother Teresa

These sacraments are expressions of the church's life and are symbolic actions to the effectiveness of divine forgiveness.  This is predicated in a special way by Vorgrimler's view of the sacrament of anointing the sick.  "In the sacrament of anointing the sick the symbolic action unites the petition of the Church community that the sick person be strengthened in face of serious illness with a petition that his or her sins may be forgiven" (Vorgrimler, 205).  My church back home believes in anointing the sick by the laying on of hands and anointing of oil... on EVERYTHING!  :)  If I had the smallest sinus infection, my pastor would anoint me with oil in passing.  I would be thinking... "Seriously... Oh my goodness... Jesus has much bigger healings to respond to than my tiny stopped up nose!"  (I am not being disrespectful at all, it just makes me smile when I think about it!)
Although, the quote below reminds us that we serve a mindful and healing God no matter how big or small our situations are.
"The sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick presupposes that the situation is NOT concealed, but rather is brought to consciousness and thus placed in the presence of the loving and merciful God" (Vorgrimler, 235).  Is this quote not powerful???  This is a reminder to us as believers that once our situation has been brought to Him, we can do nothing, but TRUST and have FAITH in the one and only loving and merciful God!!  It is within the sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick that we can experience Christ in a more powerful, pure, humbling, faith-driven, and deeper way!

Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

            Good morning Saints! I am once again excited by the readings concerning the Sacraments of Healing. I rejoice for the revision of the meaning of the Sacrament of Penance, written about in Sacrosanctum Concilium, Chapter 3, Paragraph 73. As one of the Baptist faith, when we anoint the sick, we do so with the belief of a person’s healing. If it is not in God’s plan for that person to receive a healing, of his/her physical body, then his/her Spiritual body will be made ready to receive God. Please understand that we do not just go around “laying hands” on and anointing anyone who is sick. That person has to already have knowledge of Jesus being his/her Lord and Savior, or be willing to accept the teachings, before we go through the process of anointing and praying for one’s healing. The reason for this is because you have to know who God is, and what His will is for your life, in order to be healed. If you do not know God as a healer, who wants what’s best for you, then how would you be able to accept the Sacrament of Healing?

            Case in point, I come from a family riddled with just about every ailment there is. I see this as a generational curse. Through Christ, I have successfully broken that curse over the heads of my children. Before I had Knowledge and understanding of God and what these curses were, I too suffered from migraines, ulcers, and un-Godly marriages to name a few things. In 1992, the Lord graciously and lovingly granted my supplication and healed me from my ulcers. I have not had any more problems with ulcers since. In 2003 Father healed me of my migraines, and I have had no more problems from them either, PRAISE God!! I’m not saying that the enemy has not tried to attack me through my health anymore, but I now know that if God has allowed it, He must have something for me to learn from it being in my life; or to help others from my having experienced it.

            I guess why the Catholic faith believed at one time, and some still feel suffering is a good thing: that it brings you closer to God.  I too, believe that it brings us closer to the Lord, but have issues with it being good (ha, ha). Oftentimes the only time we communicate with God on a daily basis is when we are suffering in some form or another. “The purpose of the sacrament of anointing, especially in light of the rite's expectation that religious education, pastoral visitations, and a variety of rituals suited to individual and communal circumstances will be practiced, is not only to grace suffering believers with gifts that enable them to renegotiate (transform) their lives in relation to their illness. It is also to grace (transform) the community with greater faith through their interaction with the sick and suffering, who become living witnesses for them of a crucial dimension of the gospel, namely, that in the raising up of the lowly God's reign is known” (Morrill, BB 489-490). Can anyone think of a way for us to have a testimony without a test? Suffering sometimes is God’s way of testing us, before he can bless us. It’s just like when we are in school, before we can go to another level, we must first pass a test. 

           There is a song of reconciliation that comes to my mind I would like to share with you all. I pray you will be blessed!!

            

 

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.       

Baptism and Confirmation

The sacrament of baptism, according to Vorgrimler, “is a truly fundamental event, it is not restricted to a momentary action, but lasts throughout a lifetime” (107). Vorgrimler describes the baptismal call as” sharing in Christ’s destiny”.  This description of baptism rings true to me and leads me to wonder how I am living out my baptismal calling of sharing in Christ’s mission. How am I working to bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth as a part of my baptismal calling? How am I calling others to join with me as Church in bringing about the Kingdom of God?

        In the section on the baptism of children, I find it really beautiful that baptism is an even t in which the Church intercedes with a petition on behalf of the child being baptized. “..When a child is baptized the Church’s petition intercedes for the child in order that, when it comes to the age of decision, it may choose the way of Jesus Christ” (116). I think this is a wonderful way for the Church to come together and pray for new members of the Church. I have noticed that many baptisms now are done after the mass rather than during the mass. I am wondering why that is, and what has caused this change? It seems that baptism is a sacrament that can truly bring the community together.  “The ecumenical movement that has emerged more and more strongly since 1910 has made clear that baptism is not so much a meager remnant of unity as it is the expression of an existing community in faith and a promising beginning” (Vorgrimler 117). I have gained a new understanding of baptism through this chapter. I have been reminded of our unity with Christ through our baptismal calling and the importance of living out that baptismal call through words and actions, as well as through the way I respond to others.

Liturgy, Symbol and Ritual-

Beautiful picture Walter- Thanks for sharing!  Wish I would have taken a picture of that! :-(

Simonne... you are so right about the fact that we as Christians almost lose the real meaning of why we are here and who we are called to be.  If we could all come together in one accord with an understanding that we all have the same mission, it might just be with different approaches... (whether doctrine, rituals, etc.), how much more unified would we be as "THE" body of Christ?  A song comes to mind when thinking of this... "I pray for you, you pray for me, we're all a part of God's body... I want harm you with words from my mouth, I love you, I need you to survive."  (singing as I type) :-)  We all need each other, no matter the denomination, no matter the "rituals" we participate in... We just simply need the BODY.

One way liturgy is defined is service and is represented in many ways.  A few being symbols and rituals.  Symbol kindles relationship as shown in Hebrews 4:12, "The word of God is living and ACTIVE, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart," and in John 6:52-66, "in the liturgy God speaks to his people and Christ still proclaims his gospel." Symbols can unite or separate.
Chupungco states, "When applied to the liturgy, language denotes the entire system of signs and symbols, words and speech or song, moments of silence, gestures or postures, sacred images or icons, and some material elements of biblical origin, such as water, bread, wine, and oil, with which the Church celebrates the saving mystery of Christ.  In a broad sense the totality of this type of "language" is called ritual because it refers to rites or to the prescribed system governing the words, actions, and material things needed for a ceremony."  People tend to use the word "ritual," loosely, although "ritual" in itself is always something special, no matter if it is performed daily, several times a day, or once a week, etc.
Along with other Christians, for me, participating in the Eucharist is a symbol of Jesus' body and the blood that washes and cleanses us from within and a ritual that I partake in often.  Another song... "Who can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus."  Liturgy calls us to be active, yet if not in tune with the Holy Spirit, these symbols and rituals can separate rather than unite us with other relationships.

Board of Worship

Dear Class,

As you know from last week, I was knocked out by the beautiful contributions describing what worship means to each of us. This portrait reminds and refreshes the diverse beauty of this sacred, liminal space whereby we encounter the Presence. Take a deep breath and take it in. Pax.