MEETING JESUS IN THE
SACRAMENTS
CHAPTER 2
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE
SACRAMENTS
Celebrating our Redemption
Redemption: “to recover ownership by paying a sum;
to set free or ransom”
Redemption is the action of
Jesus Christ whereby he paid
the price of his own death on
the cross to save us from sin
In the liturgy (the work of the people) we actually
participate in the events of the Paschal Mystery—the
power of the Holy Spirit makes these events (which
happened only once historically) present and real for
us.
The liturgy is the way Christ
communicates the fruits of the
Paschal Mystery, our Redemption,
until he comes again.
Christ Acts Through the
Sacraments
Pentecost forever
changed the
Apostles.
After the Holy Spirit
came to them, they
became enlivened,
rejuvenated, and
filled with courage.
Christ Acts Through the
Sacraments
The Apostles entrusted
others to carry on their
work of teaching, baptizing,
serving, and building up the
Church.
Through an unbroken chain
of this apostolic
succession, today’s Church
can trace a continuous line
of leadership back to the
days of the Apostles.
God the Father:
Source and Goal
of the Liturgy
God the Father is the
source of the
blessings—divine
life-giving actions
that are both word
and gift—we receive
from the liturgy.
God acts first—we
act in response by
giving him worship
and accepting his
Word as the truth.
The Work of Christ
in the Liturgy
Christ acts through the
sacraments to
communicate his grace
and is always present in
the Church:
In the minister of the
sacrament.
In the Word, since it is
Christ who speaks when
the Scriptures are read at
the liturgy.
When the Church prays
and sings and is gathered
in his name.
In the Eucharistic species,
his own Body and Blood.
The Holy Spirit
Prepares Us to Meet
Christ in the Liturgy
The Holy Spirit
prepares us for Christ
He enables the
Church to understand
the Old Testament as
the preparation for the
New.
He prepares us to
encounter Jesus in the
liturgy.
He serves as “living
memory” of the
Church—anamnesis.
Introducing the Seven
Sacraments
The Church’s entire liturgical life revolves around
the Sacrifice of the Eucharist and the other
sacraments
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Penance and Reconciliation
Anointing of the Sick
Holy Orders
Matrimony
Introducing the Seven
Sacraments
 Christ instituted each of the
sacraments while he was on
earth.
 Each sacrament is rooted in
and based upon the Paschal
Mystery.
 Christ gave the Church
authority to determine which
rituals would be sacraments
and what the rituals
themselves would consist
of.
The Sacraments
of Faith
The mission of the
Church to evangelize—
to bring the Good News
of Jesus Christ to
others—was always a
sacramental one.
The faith of the
Church—saying
“yes”—comes before
the faith of the believer.
“Lex orandi, lex credendi”
Graces of the Sacraments
 The sacraments confer the
grace they signify—ex opere
operato, “by the very action
being performed.”
 The fruits of the sacrament
depend on the disposition of
the one who receives them.
 Marana tha: “O Lord, come”
 Union with the Trinity, which
we will only experience fully
after death, begins to live in
us now through the
sacraments.
Celebrating the
Church’s Liturgy
We “celebrate” the sacraments because
they are acts of divine worship.
Sacraments are celebrations that are
“woven from signs and symbols.”
Who Celebrates
the Liturgy?
THE LITURGY IS
AN ACTION OF
THE “WHOLE
CHRIST”—HEAD
AND BODY
IT IS THE WHOLE
COMMUNITY
UNITED WITH ITS
HEAD THAT
CELEBRATES
How Is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
Signs and Symbols
Words, actions, and objects that
express the meaning of each sacrament
FORM
MATTER
How Is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
People saying and
doing the same thing
at the same time is a
sign of unity.
Word of God, especially in
the Liturgy of the Word
Liturgical singing and
music
Sacred images, or icons
Liturgical Traditions
The mystery of Christ
is so rich that it is
celebrated by several
liturgical traditions
Certain elements of
the liturgy are
adapted to the
cultures of diverse
peoples
Earthly Signs
Used by Jesus
WATER
OIL
BREAD
HUMAN TOUCH
When Is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
The liturgy is structured around Sunday—the
first day of the week.
Catholics are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on
Sundays and other holy days of obligation.
When we celebrate the liturgy, we are brought
into the presence of the Paschal Mystery.
Preparing for the
Incarnation of
Jesus Christ
The Incarnation is marked
during Advent and Christmas.
Advent: “coming”
We remember the centuries of
people who waited with faith
and hope that God’s promise
to send a Savior would one
day be fulfilled.
We celebrate our own
anticipation of the Second
Coming of Christ at the end of
time.
Christmas on December 25—
Jesus is the true Son of God
and Light of the World
Focusing on the
Paschal Mystery
The Paschal Mystery is
marked during Lent and Easter
Lent: “springtime”
Easter Triduum: most sacred
days of the Church Year—Holy
Thursday, Good Friday, Holy
Saturday
Easter: “passover”
During the season of Easter,
the Church reads accounts of
the Resurrection appearances
of Christ
Celebrates the Ascension and
ends with Pentecost
Marking
Ordinary Time
Ordinal: “numbered”
The liturgical periods
between Easter and
Advent, and Christmas
and Lent
The purpose is to
teach Christians how
to follow Jesus in
everyday, ordinary life
Mary
The Church Year also
includes the feasts of
Mary—the perfect
model of Christian
discipleship
“Advocate”
“Helper”
“Benefactress”
“Mediatrix”
The Sanctoral
Cycle
The feasts of saints
found throughout the
year on the Church’s
liturgical calendar
They “have suffered
and have been
glorified with Christ”
Liturgy of the Hours
The public prayer of the Church that makes
holy the entire course of the day and night;
also called the Divine Office
The Church at Prayer
What is prayer?
“the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or
the requesting of good things from God”
Prayer is founded on humility and comes from the heart, our
“hidden center . . . the place of decision . . . the place of truth . .
. the place of encounter . . . the place of covenant”
Vocal Prayer
Meditation
Contemplative Prayer
Where Is the Liturgy
Celebrated?
Jesus is not limited to one
place—the whole earth is
consecrated to Jesus
However, Catholics
construct buildings for
divine worship—churches
In churches, you will most likely
find:
Altar table
Tabernacle
Chair—“cathedra”
Ambo
Aumbry
Baptistery
Reconciliation room
Churches have an eschatological—
“last things”—significance
St. Katharine Drexel
Founder of the Sisters of
the Blessed Sacrament
Her true mission: to
evangelize Native
Americans and African
Americans into the Catholic
Church for the Salvation of
their souls
“My sweetest joy is to be in
the presence of Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament.”