Wednesday, March 11, 2020

A sacramental faith

Thanks to Steve for passing along this Ligonier update from a pastor in Milan, Italy.

It'd be good if Christians could pray for them.

At the same time, I wanted to note a contrast in a word-based faith vs. a sacrament-based faith:

Reformed Protestant and evangelical churches can hold worship services online. We can join in and listen to live streamed sermons preached over the internet. Sure, it's not as ideal as meeting in person and worshiping together, but it's not necessarily fatal to faith.

By contrast, Catholic worship is different. Of course, Catholics can do all these things too. However, these aren't as central to their worship or liturgy; at best, the sermon might be on par with the sacrament. Rather Catholic worship centers on the eucharist. The transubstantiated blood and the body of Christ. Catholicism is a sacramental faith.

However, if there's no priest to consecrate the holy sacrament, nor a physical place to receive the holy sacrament, then how can Catholics partake of the eucharist? Can priests go door to door consecrating and administering the body and blood of Christ for lay Catholics? If Catholics can't receive the eucharist, then wouldn't that affect their faith? No wonder so many Catholics were up in arms when they heard that mass was suspended across Italy!

5 comments:

  1. Not so quick there. If you have the TRUE faith, then you don't need to worry at all about such things... at all.

    https://www.orthodoxytoday.org/blog/2020/03/an-orthodox-christian-response-to-the-coronavirus/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+OrthodoxnetBlog+%28OrthodoxNet.com+Blog+-+Shining+Light+of+Wisdom+and+Truth%29

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    1. The laity may have faith, but what about the hierarchy? For example:

      "But humor aside, it's pretty amazing that public masses have now been suspended throughout Italy. The hierarchy is sending a clarion message about its lack of faith, and the dispensability of this central sacrament. Logically, they should trust in God to protect faithful communicants. Yet they're afraid to take the risk in case the gamble doesn't pay off. But if you can't bet on your own religion..."

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  2. That piece was written by the hierarchy, but as with all things in the EOC, your milage may vary.

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    1. I think it should be quite clear I wasn't referring to the EOC in my post, nor the piece you cited, but Catholicism.

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  3. There are inconsistencies in sacramental beliefs when it comes to sickness. A perfect example of that is how some dioceses offer a gluten reduced host. The question I have always had is, how can something that is fully and completely changed, only the appearance remaining, still interact chemically with the human body as the substance it was before the change? Why do people who get sick from eating gluten, also get sick from eating consecrated hosts?

    It seems to me, though I realize I am a nobody, that something physically changed into the flesh of God, truly and fully, would not react in concert with elements of the curse (ie disease and sickness). How does that chemical reaction still happen?

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