Traditional Catholic Teaching - Lesson 9

Lesson 9 - Supplement A

Comments

Despite the brevity of this introductory chapter on the seven sacraments, Bishop Dwyer has presented us with an extraordinarily clear understanding of how they continue the work of the living, risen Christ among us. The sacraments are exceptional gifts to the members of Christ's Body: the Church. In a sense, they are the more visible, tangible ways we are enveloped in the lovingkindness of the Blessed Trinity. They are our normal means of becoming fully grafted into the Body of Christ.

There are tens of thousands of books written to disprove the Traditional Christian acceptance of seven Sacraments. Those the writer has read all miss the key concepts of sacramental life in the Church. More than anything else, the sacraments draw us unto the loving warmth of, and constant communion with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Our emphasis in this course is to outline how two thirds of Christianity live in the close, nurturing community of the Church through the seven Sacraments. We do not seek to denigrate the views of those who have chosen a different path. There are, however, some matters which have to be tackled openly. One of these is the constant gibe about the place ceremony and ritual have in our worship. Our youth are under frequent attack from religious extremists who stand outside Catholic schools handing students leaflets condemning Catholic worship, and trying to divert them away to another faith. Apart from being reprehensible behaviour it demonstrates an unwillingness to examine issues openly. We know they are not typical of Protestantism, but they are nevertheless the visible tip of a massive iceberg of misunderstanding which exists about ceremony and ritual. Bishop Dwyer's explanation is very helpful. As he points out, ceremony is a normal human activity. Frankly, it is also necessary in expressing our relationships with God or with other people. Of course ceremony can be lifeless and unhelpful, but that is more likely to be the result of some inadequacy in those performing or participating rather than in the ceremony itself.

Even the most "evangelical" denominations settle down to their own traditional ways of doing things; yet so often the adherents cannot see that they have established their own form of ritual. This is both natural and commendable. It seems to us a great pity that some organisations spend so much effort criticising the Catholic way of worship because it follows set rituals, (and is therefore, as they see it, unchristian) but overlook their own practice. Are we suggesting their position approaches hypocrisy? In the case of our more rabid critics, yes!

Catholic ceremony and ritual is full of life-giving significance and continues to evolve in a culture of a living Body: the Mystical Body of Christ as it moves throughout humanity and establishes itself in every nation, down through the ages. The real issue with appreciating the meaning of ceremony and ritual is to understand it. Sadly those who criticise most do least to try and learn what it is they are protesting about. We recommend our readers avoid falling into this common error.

Our Gospel meditation in Supplement B shows our Lord dealing to those who reduce religion to empty, arid ritual which has either lost its intended meaning, or was imposed for the wrong reasons. For two thousand years the Church has carefully crafted Christian ceremonies to ensure they are never abused or used as a false charade of religious piety. There are some good lessons for all of us in this Gospel meditation since we could all stumble into this form of behaviour, in one way or another, if we don't take a look at ourselves and our own religious practice.

Supplement B - "They Worship Me in Vain"

End of Lesson 9 Supplement A

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