|
Page 2 of 6 SACRAMENTS
The Sacraments, and most especially Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper), communicate a heavenly grace that sanctifies material and everyday events and individuals. The physical water of baptism cleanses the sinful soul, tangible bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ, and anointing oil becomes a means of divine healing. Physical and “spiritual,” temporal and eternal are united through the Sacraments. They are a window to and a channel for heavenly intervention.
Monasticism demonstrates sacramental living. The monastery, with all of its shortfalls, is aimed at being a little bit of heaven on earth. It is sacred space where, away from the distractions of the world, God can be purely pursued. Monasticism began as a protest against the church’s accommodations to the world. It developed into a nurturing community (although some lived reclusively) where spiritual direction and renewal could be sought. Colleges and hospitals also emerged from this movement. Spiritual direction, formation and transformation are inherent to monastic practice. As such, monasticism can be seen and understood as an incarnational movement where the ministries of prophet, priest/pastor, healer and teacher are all cultivated and shared.
Every one of us who seek to be transformed into the image of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit need to learn this monastic lesson. We must all learn to recognize the seed of eternity in every living thing. We must learn to live and think sacramentally: where we become both the mirror and window of the eternal. We must become far more incarnational: where, according to the image of God becoming Man, there is no distinction between the temporal and the eternal. We must become so practically involved in the lives of other people (a natural result of mature prayer) that conversation and conversion are almost synonymous terms. When we embrace such practices, when we become practically sacramental, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary.
|
