Kevin Doherty, Adm., Parish of Clonmany
A word on ‘Sacraments’
This is not the place for a deep discussion on what we, as Catholic Christians, believe about sacraments. But there is a need to say something — otherwise, we could be presuming all kinds of things that have nothing at all to do with what we are about.
This is what we fundamentally believe about sacraments
- Jesus Christ, who is GOD, after dying on Good Friday, was raised from death by the Father’s Glory. In this way He conquered death and opened for us the way to Eternal Life.
- Jesus Christ, who is GOD, invites us to share in this way to Eternal Life through the grace and life of the seven sacraments.
- Nothing else.
Without knowing this (and, indeed, coming to believe in it), the sacraments will never ever make sense in our lives. They will remain at the level of ‘a thing to do’, (this is what we call ‘religion’) — rather than becoming what they truly are, ‘a life to live’ (this is what we call ‘Faith’)
A sacrament is where we ‘encounter’ the Risen Christ. We believe that :
As sure as Mary of Magdala encountered Him (in her grief) at the tomb on the first Easter morning — and was brought to a Joy unconfined;
As sure as the apostles encountered Him (in their fear) when they were hiding in the upper room after the crucifixion — and were brought to a Joy unconfined;
As sure as the two disciples encountered Him (in their disillusionment) on the road to Emmaus — and were brought to a Joy unconfined;
As sure as Peter and the others encountered Him (in their apathy) at the Lake of Tiberius when they had abandoned Jesus after the crucifixion — and were brought to a Joy unconfined;
… so we too are invited to ‘encounter’ the Risen and Glorified Jesus Christ in the sacraments of our Church — and be brought to a Joy unconfined.
