Talk #1: THE SACRAMENTAL SYSTEM AND CATHOLIC PRACTICES INTRODUCTION

We humans have nothing else apart from finite instruments to express our own response to Gods self-communication. Just as the divine reaches us through the finite, so we reach the divine through the finite. Man seeks God according to his own nature, that is b outward expression of his sentiments and aspirations. God recogni!es this and in order to express his great love for man, God bent "imself to the level of man. We are citi!ens of two worlds, living now in the world of visible things from which our knowledge comes to us, even our knowledge of God# et, citi!ens, too, of an invisible world which is to be our permanent abode. $t is in accordance with this dualit of nature that Jesus provided for the dispensing of his grace. %he grace itself would be invisible, as b its nature it must be# but it would be through the visible things with which we deal dail that grace comes to us.

I THE SACRAMENTAL SYSTEM

%he point at which this occurs is the point of sacramental encounter. &or 'hristians, the point of a sacramental encounter with God is the humanit of Jesus 'hrist, the primordial sacrament i.e. the spirit of God becoming available to humans. Jesus is God incarnate becoming one of us. (ur )edemption was accomplished in a visible manner, through a living *erson whom people could see, touch and hear, Jesus 'hrist, God and Man. Moreover, he continued to be with man in a visible manner b means of the 'hurch established b "im. %hus, Jesus is the sacrament of God and the 'hurch is the sacrament of Jesus. SACRAMENTALS: Man needs to sense the presence of God in wa s that engages his senses. 'atholics experience of God begins with a sensual connection, which elicits emotional response. &or instance, the crucifix is meant to conve Gods closeness to us and evokes the presence of Jesus in a powerful wa as it calls to mind what he went through to demonstrate his great love for us. %he more a 'atholics senses are awakened, the more awareness there is of God. %he bells, the beads, candles, rosaries, images, statues, hol water, incense, medals, blessed palms, and ashes are sacramentals. +nd then there are the relics of saints. ,o 'atholic has ever claimed that these sacramentals and relics have -magical powers.. %he sacramental s stem is the opposite of magic. $n magic, something material is regarded as the cause of something spiritual. + lower cause is expected to produce a higher effect. %he sacraments and, derivativel , sacramentals and relics dont compel God to work in a certain wa . %heir use depends on God, who established their efficac . Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page /of /0

%heir effects are divine, not natural, in origin. $t is God who sanctions the use of sacramentals and relics# it is not a matter of priests -overpowering. God through their own powers, which is what magic amounts to. %he proper use of them accrues grace. 'atholics do not worship relics as the worship God, b adoration. %he certainl venerate the relics of the saints. We reverence their remains even after death. 1ut God "imself can certainl grant favors even of a temporal nature through the relics of 2aints, thus honoring "is 2aints. 2t, Matthew tells us that the diseased came to 'hrist. And they besought Him that they might touch but the hem of his garment. And as many as touched were made whole.. %hen there was a woman who touched the hem of 'hrists garment and who was cured. 3Mt. /45678. And Jesus, knowing in Himself the virtue that had proceeded from Him, said: Who has touched my garments 3Mk. 956:8 %hat la s the principle that God can grant temporal favors through inanimate things. $n 0 ;ings /650/, a dead man who was being buried in the sepulcher of <lisha, was restored to life the moment his bod came into contact with the bones of that great prophet of God. $n the +cts of the +postles, too, we read - -! ! ! they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as "eter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them! 3+cts 95/98 +gain in the same 1ook of +cts, we read that #od did e$traordinary miracles by the hands of "aul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them! 3+cts /=5 //-/08. 1ut ou will notice that it was God who wrought these miracles. +nd we 'atholics sa that God can >uite easil do similar things even in our da s as "e has in fact wrought such things throughout the course of the ages within the 'atholic 'hurch. %here is a perfect congruit between present-da 'atholic practice and ancient practice. +n one who re?ects all 'atholic relics toda as frauds should also re?ect these biblical accounts as frauds. %he senses are Gods gatewa to the soul. %hroughout "is life, the $ncarnate God constantl used visible and material things to signif what he was doing. "e put cla on the e es to which "e restored sight# "e touched with his fingers the ears whose deafness was to be cured and the tongue to which the power of speech was to return. Man *rotestants sh awa from the sacramental aspects of 'atholicism. Man of them are firml convinced that God does not utili!e the ph sical to interact with us spirituall . %his bias limits their abilit to appreciate the sacramental aspects of spiritualit . What man dislike is the mixing of spirit and matter, the transfer of something spiritual 3grace8 b means of ph sical things. IMAGES AND STATUES %he ob?ection about the 'atholics practice of making images usuall stems from their interpretation of <xodus 0:5 4-9 which reads @ %hou shalt not make to thyself any graven image of anything in the Heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth& thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them! We must immediatel point out that the commandment does not forbid the making of images. God was forbidding idolatr . God is forbidding the worship of these images or adoring them but "e did not forbid the religious use of statues.

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'atholics give religious images veneration, or honor, not adoration, or worship. 3''' 0/608 %his honor is directed not at the image but along the image, as attention is directed along a pointing finger to the realit it points to. '(eligious worship is not directed to images in themselves ! ! ! %he movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is! 3''' 0/608 $n the (ld %estament, God actuall commanded the use of images in religious contextsA $n <xodus 095/B, God ordered the Jews to make images of +ngelsA "e sa s, - %hou shalt make two cherubims of beaten gold, on the two sides of the oracle! $n other words, the Jews were to make images of things in the "eaven above. $n ,um 0/5B, God ordered Moses to make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole& and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live! Moses was to make an image of things in the earth beneath. And as )oses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the *on of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life! 3Jn. 65/4-/98 ! ! ! in the +ld %estament, #od ordained or permitted the making of images that pointed symbolically toward salvation by the incarnate Word& so it was with the bron,e serpent, the ark of the covenant, and the cherubim! 3''' 0/6:8 'learl , what God forbids is the making of images in order to adore them. An image is an idol only when it is the o !e"t o# di$ine worship% 'atholics use statues and other images to call to mind the hol people the represent @ Jesus, the angels, and the saints @ in the same wa *rotestants use 'hristmas nativit scenes to depict the same hol people. 'atholics do honor representations of those who are in "eaven, ?ust as we all honor our dead soldiers b tributes of respect. 2tatues, paintings, or other artistic devices are used to recall to mind the person or thing depicted. Just as it is easier to remember ones mother b looking at her photograph, so it is easier to recall the lives of the saints, and thus be edified b their examples, b looking at representations of them. %hese things are intended to be reminders or aids to de$otion which focus ones attention on pra er and the practice of virtue. 'atholics reverence images and statutes onl in so far as the remind him of God, of 'hrist, or of (ur Cad and the 2aints. Weve alread shown that God doesnt prohibit the making of statues or images of various creatures for religious purposes. 1ut what about statues or images that represent GodD Man *rotestants would sa thats wrong because Eeuteronom 4 sa s the $sraelites did not see God under an form when he made the covenant with them. %herefore we should not make s mbolic representations of God either. 1ut does Eeuteronom 4 forbid such representationsD <arl in its histor , $srael was forbidden to make an depictions of God because he had not revealed himself in a visible form. Given the pagan culture surrounding them, the $sraelites might have been tempted to worship God in the form of an animal or some natural ob?ect 3e.g., a bull or the sun8. 1ut later God did reveal himself under visible forms, such as in Eaniel F5=5 As - looked, thrones were placed and one that was Ancient of .ays took his seat& his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool& his throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire! *rotestants make depictions of the &ather under this form when the do illustrations of (ld %estament prophesies. Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page 6of /0

%he "ol 2pirit revealed himself under at least two visible forms @ that of a dove, at the baptism of Jesus and as tongues of fire, on the da of *entecost. *rotestants use these images when drawing or painting these biblical episodes and when the wear "ol 2pirit lapel pins or place dove emblems on their cars. 1ut, more important, in the $ncarnation of 'hrist his 2on, God showed mankind an icon of himself. *aul said, He is the image of the invisible #od, the firstborn of all creation! 'hrist is the tangible, divine -icon. of the unseen, infinite God. %hough God did not reveal a form for himself on Mount "oreb, he did reveal himself in the house in 1ethlehem. %he bottom line is, when God made the ,ew 'ovenant with us, he did reveal himself under a visible form in Jesus 'hrist. &or that reason, we can make representations of God in 'hrist. <ven *rotestants use all sorts of religious images5 *ictures of Jesus and other biblical persons appear on a m riad of compact discs, and manger scenes. 'hrist is even s mbolicall represented through the -cthus or -fish emblem.. 'ommon sense tells us that, since God has revealed himself in various images most especiall in the incarnate Jesus 'hrist, its not wrong for us to use images of these forms to deepen our knowledge and love of God. %hats wh God revealed himself in these visible forms, and thats wh statues and pictures are made of them. $mages and statues are generall not idols. ''' /977 teaches that idolatr is committed b worshipping idols and images as #od, or believing that they possess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our worship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them! ''' 0//4 provides @ -dolatry is a perversion of man/s innate religious sense! An idolater is someone who 0transfers his indestructible notion of #od to anything other than #od/! $dolatr is worship of an thing except God. Man commits idolatr whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons, power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, mone , etc. 3''' 0//68 %he re?ection of statues and other images in 'hurch devotional life is a heres known as -iconoclasm.. $t was first seen in 'hristianit in the eight centur when the wicked <mperor Ceo the $saurian, influenced b the new religion of $slam 3founded in 700 +.E.8, began attacking the use of statues and icons in the 'hurch. $n the 2econd 'ouncil of ,icea in FBF +.E., the 'hurch condemned this heres . $t did not resurface in 'hristianit until the )eformation. 1asing itself on the mystery of the incarnate Word, the seventh ecumenical council of 2icea 3454 A.6 7ustified against the iconoclasts 3-mage smashers6 the veneration of icons 3sacred images6 8 of 9hrist, but also of the )other of #od, the angels, and all the saints! 1y becoming incarnate, the *on of #od introduced a new 0economy of images/ 3''' 0/6/8 Cike Jews and Muslims, 'hristians know the Eivine ,ature is purel spiritual and cannot be pictured, and accept the first 'ommandments prohibition of the attempt. 1ut unlike Jews and Muslims, 'hristians know that God became man. %he primar -image. of God is 'hrist. What about bowingD 2ometimes anti-'atholics cite Eet. 95=, where God said concerning idols, :ou shall not bow down to them! 2ince man 'atholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-'atholics confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatr . %hough bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page 4of /0

worship. $n Japan, people show respect b bowing in greeting 3the e>uivalent of the Western handshake8. 2imilarl , a person kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. $n the same wa , a 'atholic who ma kneel in front of a statue while pra ing is not worshipping the statue or even pra ing to it, an more than the *rotestant who kneels with a 1ible in his hands when pra ing is worshipping the 1ible or pra ing to it. &undamentalists further accuses the 'atholic church of removing the above commandment from its text of the ten commandments or -hides. the second commandment. %his is because in 'atholic catechisms, the first commandment is often listed as -Gou shall have no other gods before me. 3<x. 0:5F8. &rom this, it is argued that 'atholics have deleted the prohibition to ?ustif their use of religious statues. 1ut this is false. 'atholics simpl group the commandments differentl from most *rotestants. $n <xodus 0:50-/F, which gives the %en 'ommandments, there are actuall fourteen imperative statements. %o arrive at %en 'ommandments, some statements have to be grouped together, and there is more than one wa of doing this. 2ince, in the ancient world, pol theism and idolatr were alwa s united @ idolatr being the outward expression of pol theism @ the historic Jewish numbering of the %en 'ommandments has alwa s grouped together the imperatives :ou shall have no other gods before me 3<x. 0:568 and :ou shall not make for yourself a graven image 3<x. 0:548. %he historic 'atholic numbering follows the Jewish numbering on this point, to recogni!e that the imperatives against pol theism and idolatr are two parts of a single command. %o make memori!ation of the %en 'ommandments easier, Jews and 'hristians abbreviate the commandments so that the can be remembered using a summar , ten-point formula. &or example, Jews, 'atholics, and *rotestants t picall summari!e the 2abbath commandment as, -)emember the 2abbath to keep it hol ,. though the commandments actual text takes four verses 3<x. 0:5B-//8. %he 'atholic 'hurch is not dogmatic about how the %en 'ommandments are to be numbered, however, the 9atechism of the 9atholic 9hurch sa s, %he division and numbering of the 9ommandments have varied in the course of history! %he present catechism follows the division of the 9ommandments established by Augustine, which has become traditional in the 9atholic 9hurch! -t is also that of the ;uther confession! %he #reek <athers worked out a slightly different division, which is found in the +rthodo$ 9hurches and (eformed communities! 3''' 0:778 %he 'atholic version of the ten commandments is a thumbnail or abbreviated version of the scriptural text. $n truth, the bible itself has two versions, one in Eeuteronom and the other in <xodus. %he *rotestant enumeration of the commandments splits what the 'atholic and <astern (rthodox enumeration of the commandments, subsumes into the first alone# the content is, however, the same. %he numbering makes no difference to the substance# all 'hristians accept all the words in <x. 0:5/-/F. THE SACRAMENTS: %heolog covers three broad fields. %here are first of all the truths we must believe! %hen, we concern ourselves with what we do in the light of what we believe and finall the helps which Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page 9of /0

#od gives us to enable us to believe and to do. Man needs the help of +lmight God, to lift him up to that level called the -supernatural.. Without the supernatural means God himself provides for us, we can do nothing of supernatural value. We cannot on our own believe and do what we believe without the infusion in us of a supernatural life. %he sa"raments are the o##i"ial "hannels o# s&pernat&ral li#e. 2impl put, the raise us up to the supernatural level that make us united to God. When Jesus ascended into "eaven, "e left "is 'hurch to be the channel of grace to men. %he fruits of "is death had to be applied to souls. God decreed that certain signs @ perceptible b mens senses, and signif ing grace @ should actuall be the means b which the soul would receive grace through the 'hurch. %hese certain signs are called in a special wa , the 2acraments. God took the common things from the world about us @ ob?ects which we could taste and touch and feel, words that we could hear and gestures that we could understand @ and made these the carriers of his grace. "e even proportioned the sign to the purpose for which the grace was given5 water for the grace which cleanses, the appearances of bread and wine for the grace which nourishes and gives growth, oil for the grace which strengthens. %o this combination of outward sign and inner grace, welded b 'hrist, the 'hurch gives the Catin name of sacramentum a hol thing. %he 'ouncil of %rent defines a 2acrament as something perceptible b the senses which possess b divine institution the power not onl of signif ing, but also of accomplishing holiness and righteousness. $n ever 2acrament there are three elements5 the outward sign, the inward grace and the institution of 'hrist. a8 The o&tward sign% 2ome things are of their ver nature signs. 2moke is alwa s the sign of a fire. (ther signs are conventional, instituted b men. %he red and white pole is the sign of a barbers shop# various trumpet tunes have special militar significance. 1ut there are some signs speciall appointed b God. $n the (ld %estament, for instance, there was unleavened bread# in the ,ew %estament there are the 2acraments. %hese differ from other signs especiall in that the have in themselves the power of producing the sacred effects of which the are the signs. %hus, a crucifix is not a 2acrament, although it is a sacramental sign of our )edemption. 3b8 The inward or interior gra"e% %he 2acraments give grace independently of anything human, automaticall and solel b Gods will, as expressed b 'hrists institution and promise. %echnicall , this is expressed b a Catin phrase for which there is no <nglish e>uivalent, e$ opera operato! $t is contrasted with e$ opera operantis @ which would mean that the efficac or lack of efficac of a 2acrament would depend on the worthiness of the minister or the recipient, which is not true. $t is not that we believe that no dispositions are re>uired on the part of the recipient of the 2acraments or that the 2acraments work like infallible charms. What the 'hurch teaches is that there must be no o sta"le to grace on the part of the recipient, who must receive the 2acraments worthil and rightl . 'ispositions are re(&ired as "onditions #or the "on#erring o# gra"e) &t not as "a&ses o# the gra"e "on#erred%

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%he 'ouncil of %rent explains this rather difficult point as follows5 -2ince the ministers of the 2acraments represent in the discharge of their sacred functions, not their own but the person of 'hrist, be the good or bad, the validl perform and confer 2acraments, provided the make use of the matter and form alwa s observed in the 'atholic 'hurch according to the institution of 'hrist, and provided the do what the 'hurch does in their administration. "ence, &nless the re"ipients wish to depri$e themsel$es o# so great a good and resist the Holy *host) nothing "an pre$ent them #rom re"ei$ing +thro&gh the Sa"raments, the #r&it o# gra"e%. Just as a closed tap is an obstacle to the flow of gas or water from a pipe, or oil on paper is an obstacle to the flow of ink from a pen, so mortal sin, unrepented of, is an obstacle to the flow of grace from the -2acraments of the Civing.. Just as in each of these cases it is not the gas or the water or the ink that prevents the re>uired effect, but an obstacle outside of them, so it is not in the 2acraments that the reason for their inefficac is to be found, but in an obstacle in the recipient. 3c8 Instit&tion y Christ% %he 'ouncil of %rent defined that the 2even 2acraments of the ,ew Caw were instituted b Jesus 'hrist. 2uch an infallible decision settles the matter as far as 'atholics are concerned, but in this as in other cases, the know that the defined doctrine is supported b weight support from 2cripture, %radition and right reason. $f the 2acraments are the signs of grace, and if grace is a sharing in the divine nature, then obviousl the 2acraments come from God. %hat is the wa 'atholics have regarded the matter for almost twent centuries. %here is not list of the seven 2acraments in the ,ew %estament# it is not necessar that there should be. ,or do we find the earl 'hristian writers making lists of seven 2acraments. $n fact, the first statement that we have record of that there are seven was probabl not made until the twelfth centur , but that does not mean that the 'hurch had not alwa s professed her belief in the 2even 2acraments b using them. $t is not until the twelfth centur that medical experts have established man conclusions about food values, vitamins, calories, balanced diet and the rest, but that does not mean that these things were not understood and used in a general wa through much of the histor of the human race. 2o, for centuries the 'hurch used the 2acraments, but it was onl at the beginning of the era of the great scholastic philosophers that a scientific stud of them developed. $t is universall agreed that the 1ishops in the earl 'hurch were extremel conservative in regard to introduction of innovations. $t would have been impossible for an one, or for an group of them, to have introduced a new 2acrament without a protest from the rest. *acraments of the ;iving and the .ead %wo of the 2acraments, 1aptism and *enance 3'onfession8 are called the -2acraments of the Eead. because the ma be received b those who are spirituall dead because of sin. 1aptism gives the life of grace to those who have not et received it while *enance restores the life of grace to those who have lost it b mortal sin. 1 contrast, the other five 2acraments are called -2acraments of the Civing. because the can onl be received b people who are in the state of grace, -living. the life of grace. %he sacraments are the official channels of grace to the souls of men. We should therefore be ver grateful to God who has given them to us through "is love, and we should prove our Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page Fof /0

gratitude b making use of them. %he supernatural life is our most precious treasure. <ver time we receive a 2acrament, we nourish that life. $n addition, each of the 2acraments confers its own grace, in accordance with its purpose. $t would be wicked pride to sa that we do not need these graces.

II% CATH-LIC .RACTICES:

RIT/AL AN' CEREM-NY: %he 'hurch uses ritual to connect the original experience of Jesus on earth. 'atholic "eremonies are the means o# "reating an e0perien"e o# the sa"red , not something to be proven, but something to be felt. 'atholic rit&als engages the senses 3sound, sight, smell, touch8 and the emotions that are evoked. +t a much deeper level, it opens the religious imagination, the deepest place in the human ps che where we connect with the sacred. %he followers of Jesus in essence created the earl ritual 'atholics follow toda i.e. getting together, talking about the stories Jesus told them, eating a ritual meal, etc. 'atholics activate the senses through ritual and ceremon and create a dialogue with God that occurs at the ph sical level. &or instance, on reaching their pews, the gen&#le"t in the dire"tion o# the ta erna"le . %his is a sign of respect, similar to the wa one treats ro alt since 'hrist is ro alt of the highest order. When 'atholics enter the church for worship, the stop at the holy water and make the sign o# the "ross o$er themsel$es. %he touch their forehead, then their chest, then each of their shoulders. %he water reminds them of their baptism. %he sign o# the "ross reminds them of the %rinit and what it cost to grant them redemption. $t reminds them that the are called to carr a cross dail as well. %he tabernacle is where 'hrist dwells, bod , soul and divinit . + special candle is alight near the tabernacle so all will know that 'hrist is ph sicall present in the church. When the leave, the will again genuflect on one knee and use the water to make the sign of the cross as the exit. +ll these actions strike most *rotestants as strange. %he think it is -ritualistic. or -superstitious.. 1ut 'atholics worship God with their whole bodies. 'atholics en?o using ever sense in their worship. -THER 1-RMS -1 .IETY AN' .-./LAR 'E2-TI-NS 1esides sacramental liturg and sacramentals, 'atholics have forms of piet and popular devotions. %hese expressions of piet e0tend the lit&rgi"al li#e o# the Ch&r"h, but do not replace it. &or instance, true devotion to Mar never obscures the uni>ueness of 'hrist because 'atholics know that the onl command of Mar recorded in the 2criptures is one that must be scrupulousl obe ed5 .o whatever he 3Jesus6 tells you! 3Jn. 0598 $n the final anal sis, devotion to the saints can best be appreciated when one sees the saints in glor as friends of God and fellow members of the household of faith. %he pra ing of the rosar is a form of devotion to Mar . %he ob?ection has alwa s been raised that the )osar is a kind of repetitious pra er condemned b Jesus in Mt. 75F. "owever, in Mt. 75F, Jesus is not condemning all repeated pra ers, onl repeated pra er -in the manner of the pagans.. Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page Bof /0

3vain repetition8 Hain repetition relies mechanicall upon the mere number of pra ers or formulas uttered. We rel on the intrinsic worth of each pra er and upon the fervor and earnestness with which it was said. Jesus is teaching 'hristians that the are not to pra with the pagan attitude that the more ou repeat a pra er the more likel ou are to be heard 3see / ;ings /B509-0=8 for an example of this pagan mentalit 8. + 'hristian who thinks he needs to repeat a pra er in order to be heard in heaven has a problem with faith. %his is the error Jesus is correcting. ,otice that Jesus repeats the same pra er three times in the Garden of Gethsemane 3Mt. 075448. %he publican who humbl repeated, -( God, be merciful to me, a sinner. 3Ck /B5/68 went home ?ustified. %he four living creatures in heaven repeat da and night -"ol , hol , hol is the Cord God +lmight , who was, and who is, and who is to come. 3)ev. 45B8. %hese verses show that pra er repeated with the proper attitude is ver pleasing to God. %he )osar is recited devoutl in the meditation of the m steries of our faith. We meditate or think of the ?o s, or sorrows, or glories of 'hrists life and of that of "is mother, Mar . We contemplate of the m steries of life, death, and resurrection of (ur Cord. + )osar is a garland of flowers. (ne rose does not make a )osar . *ra ers are the flowers of the spiritual life, and in offering that group of pra ers, known as the )osar , we la a garland of spiritual flowers at the feet of God. *astoral discernment is needed to sustain and support piet and, if necessar , to purif and correct the religious sense which underlies these devotions so that the faithful ma advance in knowledge of the m ster of 'hrist. %heir exercise is sub?ect to the care and ?udgment of the bishops and to the general norms of the 'hurch. 3''' /7F4, /7F9 I /7F78 PRAYERS TO THE SAINTS A COMMUNION OF SAINTS $n order to understand the 'atholic practice of pra ing to the saints, we must first understand what we recite in the +postles 'reed that -we believe . . . in the Comm&nion o# Saints . . .. +s the word suggests, the communion of saints refers to the ond o# &nity among all elie$ers , both the living and the dead, who are committed followers of 'hrist. We are ?oined in a supernatural union as members of 'hrists own bod , and thus as members of one another. / 'or /0509-0F states5 #od himself arranged the body in this way ! ! !that each member may care for the others ! ! 2ow, you are the body of 9hrist and each of you individually is a member of it! Eeath cannot separate 'hristians from 'hrist or from one another. 3)om. B569-6=8 We who are united in and through 'hrist are in "omm&nion with ea"h other. We care for each other, we share each otherJs ?o s and sorrows# we provide for each otherJs needs# we make the needs of the saints our own# we do to others as 'hrist does to us# we support each other and pra for each other. %he 2criptures indicate that our union with Jesus 'hrist does not cease with death. $f we die in the Cord, we live in the Cord. %herefore we are certain that 'hristJs members who have left this world are still caring for us, supporting us, pra ing for us. We pra for each other here on earth# that pra er does not cease when death comes. %hat much would be granted b ever one.

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INTERCESSORY PRAYER

%he principle of the communion of saints gives us the biblical reason wh 'atholics ask the saint to intercede for them. We are members of 'hrists one bod , united in "is divine life even be ond the grave, and concerned with each others salvation and growth in Gods famil . $n that union, we call for help and support from our older brothers and sisters who have alread won their crown of glor . Just as in our human families, we naturall turn to our siblings for aid and example, how much more should we turn to our supernatural famil for help and inspiration. While the 1ible does not explicitl refer to the veneration and invocation of saints, there is scriptural warrant for the practice. 2t. *aul asked fellow believers 3saints8 to pra for him 3)om /956:# 'ol. 456# / %hess 9509# <ph 75/B-/=# 0 %hess 65/8. $n )om. /956:, he said5 - - appeal to you brethren, by our ;ord Jesus 9hrist and by the love of the *pirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to #od on my behalf! "e asked for intercessor pra ers of his brethren ?ust as we ask our friends and relatives to pra for us. ,ow we can ask *aul and the other saints in heaven to pra for us too. %he (ld %estament clearl indicates that those in heaven are aware of the pra ers of those on earth. %his can be seen, for example, in )evelation 95B where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our pra ers to God under the form of -golden bowls full of incense, which are the pra ers of the saints.. 1ut if the saints in heaven are offering our pra ers to God, then the must be aware of our pra ers. %he are aware of our petitions and present them to God b interceding for us. We are explicitl told b John that the in"ense they o##er to *od are the prayers o# the saints . *ra ers are not ph sical things and cannot be ph sicall offered to God. %hus the saints in heaven are offering our pra ers to God mentall . $n other words, the are interceding. ,ot onl do those in heaven pra with us, the also pra for us. $n )ev. B56-4, we read5 An angel came and stood at the altar in heaven with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne& and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before #od! %hose in heaven who offer to God our pra ers arent ?ust angels, but humans as well. John sees that the twenty=four elders, the leaders of the people of #od in heaven, fell down before the ;amb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints! 3)ev. 95B8. %he simple facts is, as this passage shows5 %he saints in heaven offer to God the pra ers of the saints on earth. We see that angels and saints place the pra ers of the hol ones at Gods feet, supporting those pra ers with their intercessions. %hese verses also mean, apparentl , that the angels and saints are the ones pra ed to and that the then take these pra ers to God. %he angels and saints in heaven will intercede for us before the throne of God if the are petitioned in pra er. <arl 'hristian inscriptions on the catacombs 3ancient burial places8 attest to the belief of the primitive 'hurch in the power of saints to pra and intercede for those on earth# the also attest to the practice of earl 'hristians in +2;$,G the saints of heaven to pra for us here on earth. $n )ome, *eter and *aul are invoked ver fre>uentl in these inscriptions to pra both for the living and for the dead.

Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices

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ANSWERING OBJECTIONS:

3% %he saints are dead. 'atholics practice ne"roman"y, communication with the dead, which is condemned 3Et. /B5 /:-//8. +nswer5 ,ecromanc means summoning forth spirits from the shadow underworld 3(% -2heol.8, in order to converse with them. 1 asking the saints in heaven to intercede for us, 'atholics are not con?uring roaming spirits or communicating in an -spiritualistic. wa for purposes of gaining information. 2o pra er to the saints has nothing to do with necromanc . ,or are the saints dead. %he saints in heaven are ali$e and with *od% $n fact, the are more alive than we are. %he are free from all sin. %he en?o the fullness of Gods life-giving presence. We are not cut off from each other at death, rather we are brought closer through the communion we share in 'hrist. $n the parable of Ca!arus and the rich man 3Ck /75 /=-6:8, the departed rich man is able to pra to +braham and intercede for his brothers. %his implies that there can be communication across the ab ss, and that fraternal charit extends be ond the grave. 0. "ow can saints hear all these pra ers, from all different people, all the timeD +nswer5 "eaven has no space and time. <ver thing appears to God as one eternal present% Cike God, the saints are outside of the limitations of time and space. %his does not impl that the saints in heaven must be omniscient, as God is, for it is onl through Gods willing it that the can communicate with others in heaven or with us. %he problem here is one of what might be called a primitive or even childish view of heaven. (ur earthl wa of knowing is limited and incomplete. (ur heavenl wa of knowing is full and perfect. 6. $s it not wrong to honor the saintsD +nswer5 $f there can be nothing wrong with honoring the living, who still have an opportunit to ruin their lives through sin, certainl there can be no argument against giving honor to saints whose lives on earth are done and who ended them in sanctit . $f merit deserves to be honored wherever it is found, it s&rely should be honored among GodJs special friends. $f the heroes of the nation can be so honored, wh not the heroes of the 'hurchD &undamentalists agree with this that is wh the do not take offense in the statues and monuments of the great heroes of the past and the present. 4. Wh not pra directl to JesusD +nswer5 (f course one should pra directl to Jesus. 1ut that does not mean it is not also a good thing to ask others for one as well. *aul strongl encourages 'hristians to intercede for man different things and he assured them that he was pra ing for them as well. Most fundamentall , Jesus himself re>uired us to pra for others, and not onl for those who asked us to do so. 3Matt. 95448. %he reason is that the faith and devotion of the saints can support our own weaknesses and suppl what is lacking in our own faith and devotion. Jesus regularl supplied for one person based on another persons faith. 3e.g. Matt. B5/6# /950B, /F5/9-/B8 +nd it goes without sa ing that those in heaven, being free of the bod and the distractions of this life, have even greater confidence and devotion to God than an one on earth. Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices Page //of /0

CONCLUSION
%he topics covered were 'atholic practices, customs, and devotions. %heir roots can be found in the customs and practices of the earl 'hristians. %he are enrichments of the religious practices and are not an end in themselves. %o attribute the efficac of pra ers or sacramental signs to their mere external performance apart from the interior dispositions that the demand, is to fall into superstition. When one attributes an importance in some wa magical to certain practices otherwise necessar , it becomes superstition. 3''' 0///8

Part 2; Talk #1 Sacramental System and Catholic Practices

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