LITURGICAL FORMATION & RENEWAL PROGRAM

What is Sacramentality?
Featuring the Very Rev Fr Vincent Glynn

28 February, 2023  

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Welcome to the first in a series of four videos for the Liturgical Formation and Renewal Program for the Archdiocese of Perth.

In this first video, Episcopal Vicar for Education and Faith Formation, the Very Rev Fr Vincent Glynn explains, What is Sacramentality and its role in the celebration of liturgy?

One of the unique features of our Catholic faith is our sacramental life. This sacramental life is most commonly expressed in the celebration of the seven sacraments. Today in your parish community, you are gathering or have gathered to celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or as is commonly expressed, the Mass. One of the great gifts of the Catholic faith is that it can enables us to look at and experience creation, people and events through a particular lens. This lens is sacramentality.

Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si’, states that Catholic Christianity experiences and sees the world through the lens of sacramentality, in other words, Catholics can with the eyes of faith, recognise and see the presence of God in and through human experiences.

Sacramentality is the building block of the action of liturgy. In liturgy, we use the gifts of creation such as oil, water, or fire to allow us to experience the God who is the source of all creation. In the liturgical celebration of the sacraments, important stages of life and human experience are made holy. Baptism sanctifies our human life, marriage sanctifies our love for another, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick allows us to experience God entering into our suffering or God’s healing power. The Eucharist feeds us and nourishes us, feeds us for this life and eternal life.

The celebration of the Eucharist should also be seen through the lens of sacramentality, The singing is not just singing, it is praise of God, the responses and gestures lead us to certain disposition of prayer or attentiveness. The beauty of the celebration leads us to the beauty of God. The community gathered is not just a gathering of people, but becomes the Body of Christ, the Word of God proclaimed is not just mere words, but the presence of the living Word of God who is Christ, the bread and wine is not just food, it is the presence of the Body and Blood of the risen Jesus.

In the celebration of the Eucharist, we are called to celebrate with the eyes of faith, to look beyond the reality in front of us to the reality of Christ present with us. In the liturgy, God comes to us through Christ and is present with us. Being present to another is always central to any relationship and our relationship with God is no different.

In Christ Jesus,

Very Rev Fr Vincent Glynn

Episcopal Vicar for Education and Faith Formation