+ The Holy Sacraments of the Orthodox Church ● ●
Economy of Salvation→ Establishment of the church through the apostles → Traditions Self Reflection: In what ways do I interact with God in my life, and which ways do I wish I could know Him more or differently? How do I show Him love or receive His grace? ○ Just like a fit person who diets and exercises, and no other gimmicks work, the fundamentals of honoring God are at the core of the spiritual man’s life.
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What are the sacraments? ○ John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” ○ The mechanisms by which we interact with the Holy Spirit, and we receive its graces. He is meeting our various human and spiritual needs through these. ○ They are a guide for salvation and worship, as set by our early church fathers. ○ It combines 2 elements: visible and invisible. ■ St. Augustine calls the sacraments a “visible form of an invisible grace” ○ Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Repentance/Confession, Anointing of sick, Marriage, Ordination/Priesthood. ○ 2 types: 4 necessary “Redemptive,” and 3 elective “non-redemptive” ■ Redemptive= Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Repentance/Confession ■ Non-redemptive= Anointing of sick, Marriage, Ordination
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When were the sacraments established? ○ The sacraments were present from the origins of the Church, although they may not have been neatly “packaged” as the “Seven Sacraments” at the time. Each sacrament, according to some, finds its counterpart in Scripture: ○ Baptism— at the Baptism of Our Lord. Matthew 3:13-17 ○ Chrismation—the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Acts 2:1-4 ○ Confession—the various accounts of individuals repenting and receiving forgiveness. James 5:14-17, John 20:22-23 ○ The Eucharist—the Mystical Supper and accounts of the “breaking of the bread” in Acts, etc. Acts 2:42. ○ Holy Unction—various healings performed by Christ Himself. James 5:14-17 ○ Ordination—the call of the disciples and appropriation of responsibilities to them. Luke 5:1-11, John 20:22-23 ○ Marriage—the Wedding Feast at Cana. Multiple references to marriage by Jesus. John 2:1-11.
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Why do we need them and have them as a part of the church? ○ Every relationship has ‘rules of engagement’ and norms based on the nature of each party: men vs. women, child vs. adult, etc.
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e.g. marriage has Love Languages, military and workplace have hierarchy and rank, etc. ○ Our relationship with God is dictated by His nature vs our nature: ■ Physical and limited (us) vs. unlimited and spiritual (God). ■ He uses the sacraments to meet our needs for physicality in our relationship with Him. ○ In medicine there are preventative medicines (vaccines, blood pressure, etc), curative medicines (anti-biotics, anti-virals, etc), and supplementary medicines (vitamins, healthy food, exercise, etc) ■ St. John Chrysostom: “are you a sinner? Then go to the church, which is a hospital, not a court.” ■ The church is a hospital for the soul, and the priest a physician for the soul. The sacraments are some of the key medicines he may use to treat. ● Preventive Medicines ○ Myroon/Holy Oil: Holy Spirit dwells to provide strength. Imperishable, should not be repeated. ○ Matrimony: provides a safe engagement for the passions ● Curative ○ Repentance and confession: forgiveness of sins ○ Baptism: Cure for original sin, and already committed sins for those being baptized at an older age. Imperishable, should not be repeated. ○ Unction of sick: healing powers of the Holy Spirit for those who are physically or psychologically ill. ● Supplementary ○ Communion/Eucharist: power to help us in our struggle against sin and to gain virtue. ○ Priesthood: provides power to those who are called to lead and serve in this function. Imperishable, should not be repeated. How do we utilize these ○ For sacrament to be administered the following elements are needed: ■ Ordained priest to perform the ■ Adequate substance, e.g. water for baptism, oil for unction of sick, wine and bread for communion, etc. ■ Invocation of the priest for the Holy Spirit to work the sacrament. ○ As directed by our spiritual fathers ■ For medicine we would seek a physician, for fitness a trainer/coach. For the soul we need guidance by the spiritual father for this most important investment. ○ As with any relationship, it takes work, and a genuine heart. ■ Along with the non-sacramental traditions of the church, a relationship is formed, and walking with God becomes synonymous with experiencing a relationship with Him in these ways.
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Our physical interaction with God is realized in these ways.