The Church as Sacrament

The Church as Sacrament

1. The Church as Sacrament By Mateo

2. SILENT PRAYER The Church as Sacrament

3. PERSONAL INTENTIONS…. Glory be…

4. The Church as Sacrament

5. What is a Church?  the whole body  of Christian  believers; Christendom. The Church as Sacrament

6. What is Sacrament? a religious ceremony or act of the Christian Church that is regarded as an outward and Visible S ign of inward and Spiritual D ivine G race , in particular. (in the Roman Catholic and many Orthodox Churches) the rites of baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, ordination, and matrimony. (among Protestants) baptism and the Eucharist. The Church as Sacrament

7. The Church as mystery is further clarified and developed by the notion of sacrament. “By her relationship with Christ, the Church is both a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and of the unity of all mankind” (GS 42; cf. LG 1). The Church as Sacrament

8. 1366. Christ then has made the Church the effective sign and symbol of: 1) Our union with God; 2) The unity among men; and 3) Of salvation. The Church as Sacrament

9. 1) Our union with God; Jesus himself instituted the sacraments. Visible Sign Spiritual Divine Grace The Church as Sacrament

10. 2) The unity among men; and The Church as Sacrament

11. 3) Of salvation. The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God; but being signs, they also have a teaching function. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and object, they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called "sacraments of faith." The sacraments impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them disposes the faithful most effectively to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God rightly, and to practice charity. http://www.catholic.org/prayers/sacrament.php The Church as Sacrament

12. For the Risen Christ, continually active in the world, “sent his life-giving Spirit to establish his Body, the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation” (LG 48; cf. CCC 774-76). The Church as Sacrament

13. 1367. The idea that the Church is “sacrament” may sound strange at first to many Filipinos. We have been used to thinking of “sacrament” solely as the “seven sacraments,” individual liturgical rituals such as Baptism, the Mass, Confession, etc. The Church as Sacrament

14. But if we focus on the essentials of “sacrament,” we find both Christ himself as well as the Church fulfill the notion perfectly. A sacrament is a material sign which gives grace, effecting what it symbolizes ; it causes grace by symbolizing grace. The Church as Sacrament

15. . The Church signifies in a visible, historical, and tangible form the presence and redeeming activity of Christ, offered to all persons of every age, race and condition. The Church as Sacrament

16. So Christ, the eternal Word made flesh, is the visible sign, the sacrament of God . So too the Church, with her visible, institutional structure, is for us the sacrament of Christ, representing him, making him present. The Church as Sacrament

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19. 1368. Thinking of the Church as “sacrament” has many advantages. First, it unites inseparably the visible and invisible dimensions of the Church. “Sacrament” by definition is a visible sign making present an invisible reality. So the Church is a visible, hierarchically structured society making present a spiritual community. The two aspects form but one complex reality which comprises both a human and a divine element . The Church as Sacrament

20. Triumphant Church Pilgrim / Militant Church Suffering Church

21. 1369. Second, “sacrament” directly relates the Church to non-Catholics. Without neglecting the necessity of the visible Church, it helps explain how the grace of Christ can be operative beyond the limits of the institutional Church. The Church as sacrament is “used by Christ as an instrument for the redemption of all, and sent forth into the whole world as the light of the world and the salt of the earth” (LG 9). The Church as Sacrament

22. Ecumenism   refers to efforts by Christians of different church traditions to develop closer relationships and better understandings. The term is also often used to refer to efforts towards the visible and organic unity of different Christian  churches  in some form . The Church as Sacrament

23. The adjective  ecumenical  can also be applied to any interdenominational initiative that encourages greater cooperation among Christians and their  churches , whether or not the specific aim of that effort is full, visible unity. The Church as Sacrament

24. The terms  ecumenism  and  ecumenical  come from the  Greek   οἰκουμένη ( oikoumene ), which means "the whole inhabited world", and was historically used with specific reference to the  Roman Empire . The ecumenical vision comprises both the search for the visible unity of the Church (Ephesians 4:3) and the "whole inhabited earth" (Matthew 24:14) as the concern of all Christians. The Church as Sacrament

25. The Church, then, is the tangible sign of Christ’s presence in the world, a beacon of light visible to all and drawing them in the power of the Spirit to communion with God and with one another in Christ (cf. Acts 13:47; Mt 5:14-16). The Church as Sacrament

26. 1370. Third, it unites the Church closely with the Eucharist. • As the Eucharist is composed of bread and wine “which earth has given and human hands have made,” so the Church is composed of men and women called together. The Church as Sacrament

27. • As the Eucharist makes sacramentally present the body and blood of the Risen Christ , so the Church is the visible sign of the presence of the Risen Christ in His Spirit. As the Eucharist’s bread and wine have no meaning outside of Christ’s words, so the Church cannot be understood except through Christ’s promise “I am with you always until the end of the world” (Mt 28:20). The Church as Sacrament

28. • And as Christ’s presence in the Eucharistic bread and wine is not effected by any human holiness or fidelity, but by the Risen Christ’s own saving activity in the Spirit, so too is his inseparable union with the Church affected. The Church as Sacrament

29.   1371. “Sacrament” can also foster a strong loyalty and personal sense of belonging to the Church, even while recognizing our human limitations The Church as Sacrament

30. This implies our constant need for renewal and purification. We come to love the Church as our spiritual mother and home. Yet we know that we are a pilgrim people, already on our journey but not yet arrived. Therefore, we can appreciate the counsel that “guided by the Holy Spirit, The Church as Sacrament

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32. the Church ceaselessly ‘exhorts her sons and daughters to purification and renewal so that the sign of Christ may shine more brightly over the face of the Church’ ” (GS 43; LG 8; PCP II, 141). The Church as Sacrament

33. The Church as Sacrament purification and renewal

34.   1372. PCP II openly averred that the Church in the Philippines is not, and will never be on this earth, the perfect bride of Christ. Ours is an imperfect Church living amidst and ministering to a very imperfect society. Both in her internal renewal, therefore, and in her service to society, the Church as the community of the Lord’s disciples is destined to share in His passion and death so that she may also share in his risen life (PCP II 142, 246-49).   The Church as Sacrament

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42. VIDEO PRESENTATION What the Church is really about by Jon Jorgenson_ Spoken Word.mp4

43. In short The Church as mystery is further clarified and developed by the notion of S acrament . “By her relationship with Christ, the Church is both a sacramental sign and an instrument of intimate union with God, and of the unity of all mankind”

44. Thanks! The Church as Sacrament

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