The Sacraments: Signs and Symbols

Introduction

The sacraments are signs or symbols, which Jesus gave to the Church. These symbols play an important moment in everyone's lives. Within the Liturgy of the Sacraments, we proclaim God's word to help us remember the promises to his people, through Jesus Christ, and to lift hearts of the people to the special grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit we celebrate in that Sacrament. Each of the seven sacraments, marks important milestones, transitions, and needs in everyone's life. These experiences leave unforgettable memories in the minds of the people and help them to keep them balanced, healthy and growing in faith through our life.Discussion

It may be helpful to realize that every religion in the world makes use of sacraments. A broad definition of the sacrament is: “a sign or symbol of something which is sacred and mysterious.” The religions of the world have many sacraments understood in that way. The signs and symbols of sacraments can be categorized into: sacred actions (praying, singing, eating, fasting, dancing, meditating, rituals, gesturing, etc.); sacred objects (pictures, statues, vestments, vessels, tools, writing, food, drink, etc.); or consecrated persons (priest, victims, kings, saints, shamans, virgins, gurus, prophets, etc) (Osborne, 96).

There are other understandings of sacrament. For instance, there are sociological interpretations which say that, sacramental rituals are usually social ceremonies. Parents often see the sacraments as rites of passage and this sometimes influences their desire to have their own child with intellectual, cognitive, and developmental disabilities included in the local church ceremony. There are psychological interpretations which say that, sacraments are design to affect the thoughts and feelings of those who believe in them. Students with intellectual, cognitive, and developmental disabilities, as well as the other students, are influenced by the thoughts and ideas that taught. They are also receptive to the manner in which they taught. There are theological interpretations which say that, sacraments are symbolic expressions of sacred realities which recognized and accepted by those who have faith. From this understanding of sacrament, we approach the descriptions of Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist and Confirmation in the related information sheets (www.thedarksword.darktech.org).

The sacrament is a symbolic action in which human beings engaged as believers, as those who celebrate liturgy, as narrators, as persons who act symbolically; but the divine spirit uses this physical action as a means and a way by which to make Jesus Christ, with his historically unrepeatable saving activity, memorably, and actually present. The church desires to give us every possible aid for increasing holiness in the life of a Christian. The greatest aids at her disposal are the scriptures and the seven sacraments. God's word shows us the father's plan for sanctification and each of the sacraments brings us in to the life of the Trinity through the supernatural working of sanctifying grace (Mueller, 418).

The Christian's perceptions of sacred space and sacred time appear in the configuration of sacred actions. The core of the Christian sacramental system is the Eucharist, also known as the Divine Liturgy, the Lord's Supper, the Communion service, and the Mass. The ritual ...