A RESOURCE FOR PREACHING AND TEACHING …

1 A RESOURCE FOR. PREACHING AND TEACHING . about THE SACRAMENTS. Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis September 2015. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops A RESOURCE FOR. PREACHING AND TEACHING . about THE SACRAMENTS. Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis September 2015. i a RESOURCE for PREACHING and TEACHING about the sacraments Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) 2013, Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV), Vatican City; Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy (Misericor- dia Vultus) 2015, LEV, Vatican City; Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on the Holy Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia) 2003, LEV, Vatican City; Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Homiletic Directory 2015, LEV, Vatican City. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, copyright 2000, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

2 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Excerpts from the English translation of the Aparecida Final Document copyright 2008, Consejo Episcopal Lati- noamericano (CELAM), Bogot , Colombia. The English translation of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults 1988, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. Copyright 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder. Table of Contents List of Resources .. 1. Introduction .. 2. General Considerations .. 3. Prayerful Reflection on the Scriptural Texts for Each Sacrament Is Crucial .. 3. An Opportunity for Evangelization .. 3. Invitation to Inactive Catholics.

3 5. Introduction to Treatment of the Seven Sacraments .. 7. Baptism .. 7. Confirmation/Chrismation .. 9. Eucharist .. 10. Penance and Reconciliation .. 12. Anointing of the Sick .. 14. Matrimony .. 16. LIST OF RESOURCES. Scripture Documents from Vatican Offices or New American Bible, rev. ed. Congregations bible/books-of-the- Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, Decree on the revised Rite of Penance (Rite of Penance). December 2, 1973. Canon Law Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship Code of Canon Law: Latin-English Edition: New and the Discipline of the Sacraments, English Translation (Code). Washington, Homiletic Directory. Washington, DC: DC: Canon Law Society of America, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, USCCB, April 1998. 2015. Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches: New English Translation (CCEO). Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America, Documents from the USCCB. 2001. Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist.

4 Washington, DC: Documents of the Universal Church USCCB, November 14, 2006. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. National Directory for Catechesis (NDC). (CCC). Washington, DC: LEV-USCCB, Washington, DC: USCCB, 2005. 2000. PREACHING the Mystery of Faith: The Sunday Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Homily. Washington, DC: Committee on Church (CCCC). Washington, DC: Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, USCCB, 2006. of the United States Conference of Vatican Council II: The Conciliar and Post Catholic Bishops (USCCB). 2013. Conciliar Documents, edited by Austin The Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Flannery, OP (Vat II). Collegeville, MN: Sacrament of the Eucharist: Basic Questions Liturgical Press, 1975. and Answers. Washington, DC: USCCB, 2001. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, study ed. Papal Documents (RCIA). Washington, DC: USCCB, 1988. Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation The Joy The Rites of the Catholic Church as revised by the of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium) [EG], Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, study Washington, DC: LEV-USCCB, 2013.

5 Ed. Volume One, (Rites). Collegeville, Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction of the MN: The Liturgical Press, 1990. Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy Sacramental Catechesis: An Online RESOURCE (Misericordiae Vultus) [MV]. Washington, for Dioceses and Eparchies (SACCAT). DC: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, USCCB, Washington, DC: Committee on April 2015. Evangelization and Catechesis, Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter on the USCCB, 2012. Holy Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia), United States Catholic Catechism for Adults Washington, DC: Libreria Editrice (USCCA). Washington, DC: USCCB, Vaticana, USCCB, April 2003. 2006. 1. a RESOURCE for PREACHING and TEACHING about the sacraments Introduction Catechesis both precedes the Liturgy and springs First reception of a sacrament often is an occasion from it. It prepares people for a full, conscious, for families of the candidates, plus extended fam- and active participation in the Liturgy by helping ily and friends, to join their relatives at church.

6 Them understand its nature, rites, signs, rituals, Typically among this group, there are active and and symbols expressed in the Liturgy; to discern inactive Catholics, baptized non-Catholics, and the implications of their participation in the non-Christians. While the homilist's main focus Liturgy; and to respond to its missionary summons is on those catechumens or candidates receiving to bear witness and offer service. And Liturgy the sacrament, it is also important to enrich the itself is inherently catechetical. 1 faith of active Catholics, to invite those support- ing the candidate to consider returning to the Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into Catholic faith if they have drifted away, or to the mystery of Christ .. by proceeding from the invite non-Catholics to consider the Catholic visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing faith for the first time. This is best done through signified, from the sacraments' to the myster- a heartfelt and loving invitation that clearly ies.

7 ' Liturgical catechesis fosters a deeper sense of explains the faith in language accessible to the meaning of the Liturgy and the sacraments. all present. In other words, sacramental life is impoverished and very soon turns into hollow ritualism if it Attention is also important for the faithful who is not based on serious knowledge of the mean- celebrate sacraments that may be repeated ( ing of the sacraments, and catechesis becomes Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, and intellectualized if it fails to come alive in sacra- Anointing of the Sick). Preparing for the hom- mental practice. 2 ily, the homilist may want to consider using one or more of these homily RESOURCE ideas to invite In service to this important relationship the congregation into a deeper relationship with between catechesis and the Liturgy, the USCCB Christ and his Church. Obviously, although it Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis will not be possible or advisable to include all this has prepared this RESOURCE .

8 It is designed to assist material in any one homily, it is important for homilists in preparing an evangelizing and cat- the celebrant to keep in mind the comprehen- echetically rich homily on all but one of the sac- sive nature of the TEACHING while choosing which raments. Because the Rite for the Ordination of points will be important to emphasize at a par- Priests already has specific homily guidelines for ticular sacramental the Bishop's Address, and because no priest or deacon would serve as the homilist for an ordina- tion, no additional resources were provided for this sacrament in this set of resources. 1 National Directory for Catechesis. Washington, : United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2005, 110. 2 Idem, 110-111. 3 See Pope Francis, EG 145-159. 2 a RESOURCE for PREACHING and TEACHING about the sacraments General Considerations Here are a few general considerations that might listeners to an intimate relationship with Jesus be helpful in preparing the Christ and a commitment to be his witnesses for the building up of his Body in faith and love, and 1.

9 Prayerful Reflection on the Scriptural to teach what the Church teaches about that sac- Texts for Each Sacrament Is Crucial5 ramental encounter with The Bible, the Among the general principles which guided the Catechism and the Rites9 book are key resources Fathers of Vatican II in the revision of the litur- to use in better understanding the words, ges- gical books was an enlarged view of the impor- tures, signs, and symbols used in celebrating tance of Sacred Scripture as a source of the lit- each sacrament. urgy. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states It is very likely that the congregation will be that Sacred Scripture is of the greatest impor- composed of a diverse group with various religious tance in the celebration of the liturgy. For it is affiliations or no religious affiliation. For example, from it that lessons are read and explained in the there may be many practicing Catholics, but there homily .. 6 Speaking of Baptism, the Catechism may be others who have fallen away from the explains that The proclamation of the Word of Catholic faith, or who have never been presented God enlightens the candidates and the assembly with the Gospel.

10 This could be the first time ever, with the revealed truth and elicits the response or in a long while, that someone has heard about of faith .. In treating the Holy Eucharist, the faith in Christ and why it is In Catechism reminds us that .. the homily .. celebrating liturgies where individuals receive a is an exhortation to accept this Word as what it sacrament for the first time, there may also be a truly is, the Word of God, and to put it into prac- number of families where one spouse is Catholic tice .. As in the case of these two sacraments, while the other is a baptized non-Catholic or a so it is also with the other sacraments. The hom- non-Christian. Welcoming them and thanking ilist's prayer and meditation upon the Scripture them for presenting their children for the sacra- readings proclaimed is crucial in setting the con- ments, as well as helping them understand the text for the homily (see Catechism of the Catholic meaning and ritual involved in each sacrament, is Church [CCC], 1228, 1236, 1349).