SACRAMENTALITY - SYMBOLISM AND RITUAL
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A sign is a general term referring to any object that represents something else.
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Sacramentality is a sign of things spiritual and sacred.
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A symbol is a sign that operates on many levels (ex. Physical and spiritual) and
has more than one meaning.
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A symbol’s meaning is connected to what it is. (Water is a symbol of Baptism,
partly because it cleans).
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Symbols are most powerful when the personal meaning is shared with others
(ex. Hockey sweaters).
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The most universal symbols are symbols found in nature (rocks, water, light).
These tend to have the deepest meaning.
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Symbolic seeing leads to sacramental awareness.
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Sacramental awareness is the ability to see God present around us.
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Rituals are symbols in actions. Rituals are considered symbolic because there is
significance in them beyond the acts themselves (ex. Birthdays, anniversaries,
and holidays).
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The Latin word, sacramentum, is a translation of the Greek word, mysterion.
Either can be translated simply as mystery. When the language of the early
Christian Church changed from Greek to Latin, mysterion was sometimes
translated as the Latin word sacramentum; it is in this word that we find the
biblical roots of the word, “sacrament.”