I could write a paper about the sacraments and the beauty of the symbols, however, I will instead simply define the word, (as per Episcopalian Catechism, although I believe the definition is quite universal) "A Sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace". Let me debunk for a moment the misunderstanding that all 7 sacraments are necessary for salvation, this is impossible because one of the sacraments is ordination and one is marriage and clearly not everyone is a priest nor is everyone married.
The most beautiful picture of physical earthly representations of Christ to me is the Maundy Thursday service. At the end of this service the priest and altar guild strips the altar. In the dark during the reading of Psalm 55 every thing that would make the church look like a church is taken out. This service is supposed to incite the parishioners to imagine life without Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. As the lights raise, everyone is quiet and somber as they leave for the end of Holy week. In Silence, I believe as the stark reality of the church and Rodriguez's denial of Christ personifies the Holy Week experience both in the text of the Bible and exemplified in the liturgical worship.
PS Anglicans ARE Evangelical.
I commented on Anna's "Pursuing Truth in the Most Unexpected Places"
I have very close Anglican friends and grew up around that church, and even though i consider myself pretty fairly around the baptist/presbyterian side of things, i'd say that the Anglicans have played a part in my understanding of Christ. often times protestants can miss the beauty that art and symbols and even poetry can add to a service. We, the post enlightenment protestants, often miss the holistic understanding of God. that is, a God that is far more than 3 point, logical sermons. A God of art and pictures and metaphor- who requires all of our being not just our rational mind. (like in the Maundy Thursday Service) The thing is- symbols are dangerously powerful. I think that's the question of Silence. What do these symbols mean? And can you discard the clearly western understanding of Christ and still find Christ himself, transcending even our own views of Him. (that last sentence sounded more like a Talmage quote than I intended....) Because God gave us those things in order to worship Him, at the same time- he transcends them.
ReplyDeleteYes, everything you said Malory. I think it is hard for those of us in class who have never experienced the things described in Silence to understand the importance. I could say a lot but, as we said in class, really, it was a huge deal for them to step on the image of Christ. Period. Not because these people worshiped idols, etc, because they found tangible things of importance.
ReplyDeleteMy Mother's parents are Catholic and I attend Mass with them at least once a year, if not more. So I understand what you are saying about the images and events holding such an importance. Yet, sometimes I wonder whether or not some people put too much of an emphasis on the images and events, as if those things alone could save them. Sometimes I think that some people forget the Christ is first and foremost the Savior. This isn't saying anything against people who do hold by the Sacraments, this is just an observation!
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