DSHA Theology Department The Sacramental Life: Encounters with Christ Unit 1: The Liturgy: Official Worship of the Church 1. The liturgy is the official, communal, and public worship of the church. 2. In the liturgy, the People of God participate in the work of God. 3. All of the Church s liturgies are celebrations of the paschal Mystery of Christ 4. In the liturgical year, the whole mystery of Christ unfolds. 1. Who is at work in the liturgy? 2. How do we participate in the Paschal Mystery of Christ in the liturgy? 3. Why is the liturgy important in the life of the Church? 4. How does participation in liturgy make our lives better? Liturgical Books Liturgical Year Liturgy, Scripture & Tradition Liturgical Rites & Traditions Unit 2: The Sacraments: Redemptive Love Made Visible 1. Through the Sacraments we are given a door, a way in, to the life of grace, which is the life of relationship with God. 2. Through the Sacraments we encounter Christ and enter into the mystery of his death and resurrection. 3. Through the Sacraments Christ works today. 4. Symbols and rituals play an essential role in the Sacraments. 5. Jesus is the sacrament of the Church and the Church is the sacrament of Jesus. 6. There are many different forms of prayer in the Catholic tradition. 1. What are the Sacraments so important in the Church? 2. How does meeting Christ in the Sacraments change us? 3. Why do human beings need more than words to express deep meaning? 4. How do symbols work, and what do they have to do with the Church s sacraments? 5. How can the various forms of prayer be practiced in our lives? Symbols and Rituals *Jesus as Sacrament, Church as Sacrament
Sacraments are Sign & Mystery Sanctifying Grace / actual graces Sacramentals *Forms of Prayer Unit 3: Baptism: Plunging into New Life 1. The three Sacraments of Christian Initiation begin and strengthen our life in Christ. 2. The Easter Vigil is the most appropriate time to celebrate the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. 3. Baptism requires an ongoing conversion. 4. Through Baptism we are united in Christ and made adopted children of God. 5. We are commissioned to become priest, prophet and king at our Baptism. 1. Why is the Easter Vigil the most appropriate time to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation? 2. Why is conversion of heart and renunciation of sin essential for all who are initiated into the Christian faith? 3. Why is immersion in water or the pouring of water and apt symbolic action for Baptism? 4. What does it mean to you to be given a share in the priesthood of Christ through Baptism? Scriptural foundations Christian Initiation in the Early Centuries Sacraments of Initiation RCIA Symbols of Baptism Effects of Baptism / Original Sin Common Priesthood of the Faithful *Priest - Prophet - King Unit 4: Confirmation: Anointed to Run the Good Race 1. The Holy Spirit brings life, guides and clarifies, brings hope and creates unity. 2. The Sacrament of Confirmation seals the Christian with the Holy Spirit. 3. Conformation unities us more firmly with Christ, strengthens our relationship to the Body of Christ, and helps us bear witness to our faith in words and service. 4. The Holy Spirit empowers us to discern God s will.
1. Who is the Holy Spirit and how does the Spirit work in the world? 2. What is the central symbolic action of Confirmation and how does this action convey meaning? 3. What are the effects of Confirmation? 4. What is the relationship among the Holy Spirit, Confirmation, and the discernment of God s will? Holy Spirit Pentecost Confirmation Rite *Gifts and Fruits of the Spirit *Spirituality Discernment of God s Will Unit 5: The Eucharist: Source & Summit 1. Through the Eucharist, we enter into the Paschal Mystery of Christ. 2. In the Eucharist we are united with Christ and the entire Church. 3. Jesus Christ is the bread of Life, our food for life s journey. 4. The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian life. 1. How does the concept of anamnesis help us to understand that we are participating in the one sacrifice of Christ as we celebrate the Eucharist today? 2. Why is the Eucharist described as the new Passover? 3. How do both the Old and the New Testament help us to understand the meaning and significance of the Eucharist? 4. Why is the Eucharist the source and summit of Christian life? Passion Signs of Bread & Wine Institution of the Eucharist Anamnesis / Thanks & Praise Sacrifice & Memorial Eucharist in the Scriptures Unit 6: The Eucharist: Bread for the World 1. Our participation in the Eucharist flows from our Baptism into the Body of Christ.
2. Jesus Christ is truly and fully present in the Eucharist. 3. Every member of the assembly is essential to the celebration of the Eucharist. 4. Our participation in the Eucharist calls us to be the Body of Christ in the world. 1. Why is it important for us to gather for the Eucharist, especially on Sundays? 2. In what ways is Jesus Christ truly and fully present in the Eucharist? 3. What are the effects of the Eucharist in our lives and in the world? 4. What is the relationship between reverence for the Eucharist and living a life of moral integrity and service to others? Gathering of the Assembly Celebration of the Eucharist Real Presence / Transubstantiation Order and parts of the Mass Liturgical Roles (Laity vs. Ordained) Effects of the Eucharist Living the Eucharist Unit 7: Sacraments of Healing: Restoring Relationships 1. The Sacraments of Healing are rooted in Jesus ministry. 2. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation offers us God s forgiveness. 3. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick strengthens our relationship with God, supports us in grave illness, and offers spiritual and (if it is God s will) physical healing. 4. The Sacraments of Healing compel us to offer forgiveness to others so that we might be forgiven, and to share the compassion of God with those who suffer. 1. How do we encounter Christ in the Sacraments of Healing? 2. Why is forgiveness a key component of the Christian life? 3. What human and spiritual needs does the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick meet? 4. How do we share the effects of the Sacraments of Healing with others? Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation Scriptural & Historical Background Sin & Forgiveness Rite of Penance The Communal Celebration Ongoing Effects and Conversion in our Lives
Sacrament of Anointing the Sick Scriptural & Historical Roots Symbols Rite Effects of the Sacrament Unit 8: Sacraments at the Service of Communion: Let Me Be as Christ to You 1. Through the Sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony, Christians receive particular consecrations for special service in the Church. 2. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, baptized men are ordained to serve the Church in varying degrees. 3. In the intimate union of man and woman in both body and spirit, marital love is an image and likeness of God s love for all of us. 4. The key elements essential to Marriage are unity, indissolubility, and openness to children 1. Why are the Sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders called Sacraments at the Service of Communion? 2. What is the particular role of a priest, bishop and deacon? 3. How are the roles of men and women described in the Nuptial Blessing? 4. Why is freedom from constraint an essential element in the Sacrament of Matrimony? Sacrament of Holy Orders Meaning of ordination Degrees of ordination Graces of the Sacrament Sacrament of Matrimony Covenant God s plan for marriage Scriptural foundation Rite of Marriage Requirements of Marriage The gift of children / procreation The domestic church
*Will need supplemental materials to present more thoroughly