God and Sacramental Theology

“The word sacrament in Greek means “mystery.” A sacrament is an outward and visible sign instituted by God in order to convey inward and spiritual grace. Thus the sacraments have become a main stay of the Church. It is important to note that God’s grace is expressed through these religious rights known as sacraments.” [Donald McKim, Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms pg. 245]

God wants to communicate and be in touch with human beings.  Creation is an overflow of God’s divine love, and since God created humanity to partner with God in taking care of creation, God seeks an intimate association with us. We experience this interaction between God and ourselves through the actions of prayer and meditation. Human acceptance of God takes place by faith, not evidence. This process is called Revelation, meaning God speaking to us. God’s revelation takes place not only within individuals, but corporately as well. We have the capacity to see God working in the lives of others, thus we experience revelation. When people exchange their experiences of God through their conviction, communities of faith arise; in our case the Church.

When God allows God’s self to touch the lives of humanity God is fully present. God excludes no one from the divine love expressed within the “God Head” or Trinity. This is often revealed in the sacraments. God holds no one apart from God’s love. God’s love is concrete and embedded in the mostly resistant nature of humanity. God seeks to radically change our lives by reconciling God’s self to us. Like it or not we humans are dependent on God’s revelation. How then does God get through to our often-hardened hearts? The answer is by becoming vulnerable to us and our understandings. Thus vulnerability is important for humanity in our relationship with God. We cannot give or accept love unless we are willing to become vulnerable. God sets the example.

God’s presence is often communicated to humanity through the sacramental acts of the church. God approaches people in life, often seeking to change them in a positive manner. Yet God is present in the sacraments of the church without destroying our uniqueness. Through the sacramental structure God seeks to shape our lives whether we are aware of it or not.

The language of the sacraments is often seen in symbols. These symbols are signs or indicators of God’s holy presence in our participation. A symbol is effective in our lives because it leads us into the reality of God’s presence. The sacraments cause humanity to exercise the spirit within. Thus we discover that God decisively shapes human reality from the beginning of our lives to the end. Through the sacraments we experience God’s grace and become aware of the intimate nearness of God; it is at this point that revelation occurs.

In order to fully understand the sacraments we must first believe that Jesus is God’s self-communication to humanity. Christology is essential in understanding sacramental theology. Jesus is the authentic revealer of God’s will, drawing humanity ever deeper into a relationship with God. In Christ we recognize the how the most intimate nearness to God does not disrupt our uniqueness, but rather liberates it to be ourselves.

Through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation and unction we grow closer in our relationship to God through the love of Christ, who is present in all the sacraments. God restores our hope, heals our wounds and reconciles us to God through the sacramental acts founded on the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Much of the information contained in this article is credited to the book “Sacramental Theology” by Herbert Vorgrimler, as well as “Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms” by Donald K. McKim.