news@gatech.edu (Network News) (11/24/89)
Earlier, someone posted an inaccurate list of the 7 Sacraments. For the
record, they are:
1. Baptism
2. Confession
3. Communion
4. Holy Orders
5. Matrimony
6. Confirmation
7. Unction for the Sick/Extreme Unction
Christian burial isn't on the list, although extreme unction is. Hmmm, the
sacraments are visible signs of the real presence of Christ on earth. I
believe I've heard it stated that, when Christ comes again, the Sacraments will
no longer be necessary or even appropriate. I'm not sure I go along with that,
although I understand the reasoning. At any rate, Christian burial isn't a
sacrament, per se, since the dead person is now alive in Christ and has no
furhter need for sacraments, as such, on earth. Sacraments are for the living
just as burials are for the living, not for the dead. It might be said that
the sacraments are preparations for Christ; our way of preparing our selves,
our whole selves, to meet Christ; once inside the sacred heart of Christ, in
perfect union and joy with Him, the preparatory measures, having served their
function, are no longer necessary. Hmmm, this being the case, why then do the
angels and saints sing mass with us? Part of the joy of being in heaven, in
perfect union with Christ our God, is, I think, being allowed by God to help in
the preparatory process; that is, their joy overflows with the Holy Ghost, and
they've just got to help people out on earth, so God allows them the
opportunity and joy of distributing His graces for Him.
I'm amazed at some descriptions of Mass as ritual cannibalism. Christ is
really present, toenails and all. As if we take Christ, toss him into a
garbage compacter, and out comes the Body of Christ. Do you think, if you
scrunch a human body in such a way, and then eat it, you are consuming that
person's life, teachings, suffering, death, and resurrection? All these things
are in the Eucharist in a way that simple ritual cannibalism doesn't adequately
describe. The Creation of the Universe is in the Eucharist, as is every event
in the life of Christ; all of his parables are there; his Sermon on the Mount
is there; his anger is there; his joy is there; his love is there; all his
human feelings are there. We consume the humanity and the Godness of Jesus in
the Eucharist. We are joined to his sacrifice in a unique way, a very special
way, to which a garbage compacter could not do justice. In Christ, God became
more than one of his creation; in Christ, we become more than one with God.
Our union creates something more.
Take your favorite novel. You love the characters, the story, the drama. You
wish you were the main character. Take a series, the Darkover series, by
Marion Zimmer Bradley. Pretend you are the author, you created the Hastur
clan, you created the laws of laran, the crystals, you developed the culture.
After so long a time, you, the Author, decided that you loved the work you
created so much, you wanted to become part of it, to be real inside of it. So
you placed your seed inside the womb of one of the characters and you became a
Darkovan. You grew, you lived, you taught them about yourself, the Author, who
created you inside your mother's womb, shaped you inside his mind like every
author shapes a character in his mind before putting pen to paper or fingers to
keyboard. You knew about the conflicts and the suffering you had seen develop
in your creation; you knew it could not be avoided since the freedom is in the
design. Why do you go to movies? Do you like to be scared at horror movies?
Do you like to experience sorrow in drama, happiness in comedy, joy in sorrow
that is ultimately triumphant? If you don't like to be scared and feel sorrow,
why do you go to movies? Because you like the movies. You like the story;
sad, happy, stories of torture, pain, sorrow, joy. Darkover stories are often
sad; but I read them because I like the stories. You, the author, wanted to be
able to see inside the window, not just from outside the window. Now you can
see the inside from the inside, the outside from the inside. Now, whenever God
the Father looks upon His Creation, upon human beings, the only way He can see
us is through the wounds of his Only Son. When we consume the Eucharist, as
food, we are becoming one with God in an unbroken chain of life. God is our
food; we need God in the same way we need food because God is our food. God is
our drink. In the parched, dry gulches of Israel, where oases are an
occasional miracle, the authors of the Old Testament often used running water
to refer to God. Without God, we would die of thirst. All life is in the
blood. Unless ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, ye have
no life within ye.
--
Sincerely,
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