the reciprocity between faith and sacraments
healing power that emanates from the body of Christ, which is the Church, to heal from the wound of sin and to give new life in Christ. 2. [And from Tradition]. In the Trinitarian economy of salvation there is a rich intertwining of faith and sacraments: Faith and baptism are, however, two mutually inherent and inseparable modes of salvation, for faith is in fact perfected through baptism, and baptism, for its part, is founded through faith, and both attain their fulness through the same names. For as we believe in the Father, in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, so we are baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And certainly the confession of faith goes forward, which introduces us into salvation, but baptism follows, which seals our assent.5 The personal relationship with the Triune God is realised through faith and the sacraments. Between faith and the sacraments there is a mutual ordination and a circularity, in a word: an essential reciprocity. However, as Basil testifies in the above text, confession of faith precedes sacramental celebration, while sacramental celebration secures, seals, strengthens and enriches faith. Yet today, in pastoral practise, this interaction is often blurred or even ignored. 1.2. CURRENT CRISIS OF RECIPROCITY BETWEEN FAITH AND SACRAMENTS
a) Faith and Sacraments: A Reciprocity in Crisis 3. [Finding]. Already in 1977 the International Theological Commission, referring to the sacrament of marriage, warned of the existence of “baptised non-believers” who demand the sacrament of marriage. This fact, they said, raises profound
5
Basil the Great, De Spiritu Sancto, XII, 28 (SCh 17bis, 346).
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