Third: Sacramental

A traditional understanding of the term sacrament is that it is a sign instituted by Christ to give grace.  In many ways, then, the Church is the first sacrament of Christ, as it is a visible sign of his presence and a means through which his grace is given.  The Church is also the living context in which other sacramental experiences take place--some of which are formally designated to call to mind Christ’s presence in special ways.  All Christian denominations recognize baptism as a sign of initiation into new life in Christ and membership in the Church (they don’t all use the term sacrament, however).  Many others also celebrate Eucharist, although there are differences among the Churches concerning the nature of Christ’s presence there.  In addition, Churches close to the  Catholic tradition recognize matrimony, confirmation, penance, holy orders, and anointing of the sick as sacramental experiences. 

One of the primary purposes of sacraments is to help us realize that Christ is with us during those special times and rites of passage in life.  His self-communication through a sacramental mode speaks to our ordinary, human modes of knowing, but invokes symbols which point beyond the literal unto transcendence.  For example, we understand that water is commonly used to quench our thirst and as a cleansing agent.  When it is used in baptism, we intuitively understand that just as water cleanses a body, so, too, does Christ cleanse the soul, and that he is the Living Water who will now quench our deepest thirst.  The water used is ordinary, but it points to the Living Water, which is the extraordinary.  Likewise, bread and wine broken and shared in Eucharist maintain their appearance, but communicate now the Body and Blood of Christ.  A married couple show love to one another, and this signifies the love between Christ and the Church.  And so forth. 

In terms of the spiritual life, we can say that sacraments help to train us to look beyond the literal toward a deeper reality.  They do not reject the literal or ordinary modes of human knowing; the forms used in sacraments are not merely incidental, but essential.  But they do lead us to be open to modes of encountering Christ beyond what the senses and the concepts of the mind are familiar with.  They are like windows into the spiritual realm: we can look through them and find Christ looking back, and if we open the windows by receiving the sacraments in faith, we can be refreshed by the breath of his Spirit.