Sacraments

THL 307

Professor:  Daniel G. Van Slyke, S.T.L., Ph.D

 

COURSE PURPOSE

This course introduces students to the concept and nature of "sacrament" in general and to the historical, liturgical, and theological development of the seven sacraments in particular. Primary emphasis is given to the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation, Eucharist), with due consideration of the sacra­ments of healing and of Church service/governance. Students will also study the principles of divine worship.  

 

Required Books:

  1. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. Washington DC: USCCB, 2000. [CCC]

  2. The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent. Trans. H. J. Schroeder. Rockford IL: TAN, 1978.

  3. International Theological Commission. From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles. Chicago: Hillenbrand, 2004.

  4. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The Spirit of the Liturgy. Trans. John Saward. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2000.

 

Required Readings Available on Online (in chronological order):

  1. Pope Pius XII, Encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy Mediator Dei (20 November 1947)

  2. Pope Paul VI, Encyclical on the Most Holy Eucharist Mysterium fidei (3 September 1965)

  3. Pope Paul VI, Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth Humanae vitae (25 July 1968)

  4. Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution on the Sacrament of Confirmation Divinae consortium naturae (5 August 1971)

  5. Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Letter/Motu Proprio Ministeria quaedam (15 August 1972)

  6. Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution on the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick Sacram unctione infirmorum (30 November 1972)

  7. Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Infant Baptism Pastoralis actio (20 Oct 1980)

  8. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World Familiaris consortio (22 November 1981)

  9. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter on Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone Ordinatio sacerdotalis (22 May 1994)

  10. Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest Ecclesiae de mysterio (15 August 1997)

  11. Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter/Motu Proprio On Certain Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance Misericordia Dei (7 April 2002)

  12. Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction on Certain Matters to be Observed or to be Avoided Regarding the Most Holy Eucharist Redemptionis Sacramentum (23 April 2004)

  13. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Note on the Minister of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, with commentary (11 February 2005)

 

Students are free to use any editions of these texts that are available to them. They also can be accessed through the interactive course calendar below and the syllabus posted on Blackboard.

 

Recommended for Further Reading:  

  1.  Auer, Johann, and Joseph Ratzinger. Dogmatic Theology 6: A General Doctrine of the Sacraments and the Mystery of the Eucharist. Washington DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1995.

  2. The Catechism of the Council of Trent. Trans. John A. McHugh and Charles J. Callan. Rockford IL: TAN, 1982.

  3. Documents on the Liturgy 1963-1979: Conciliar, Papal, and Curial Texts. Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, 1982.

  4. International Commission on English in the Liturgy, The Rites of the Catholic Church, vols. 1 and 2. Collegeville MN: Liturgical Press, 1990-1991.

  5. Lang, D. Why Matter Matters: Philosophical and Scriptural Reflections on the Sacraments. Huntington IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 2002.

  6. Leeming, Bernard. Principles of Sacramental Theology. Westminster MD: Newman, 1960.

  7. Stravinskas, P. M. J. Understanding the Sacraments: A Guide for Prayer and Study. San Francisco: Ignatius, 1984.

 

 

 

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COURSE CALENDAR

 

 

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I. The Sacraments in General

 

Class 1, Wednesday August 30

READINGS:

a)       CCC §§ 1066-1209

b)       Hugh of St Victor, De sacramentis, selections [distributed by professor]

c)       Peter Lombard, Sentences, selections [distributed by professor]

d)       Selections from the Fourth Lateran Council [distributed by professor]

e)       The Confession of Faith of Michael Paleologue, presented at the Second Council of Lyon [distributed by professor]

f)        The Decree of the Council of Florence for the Armenians [distributed by professor]

 

 

Class 2, Wednesday September 6

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 7: Decree Concerning the Sacraments, Canons on the Sacraments in General

b)       Pope Pius XII, Encyclical on the Sacred Liturgy Mediator Dei

 

 

ESSAY # 1 DUE Saturday September 9, by 11:59 p.m.

 

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II. The Sacraments of Initiation

 

Class 3, Wednesday September 13

TOPIC: Baptism

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 5: Decree Concerning Original Sin

b)       Council of Trent, Session 7: Canons on Baptism

c)       CCC §§ 1210-1284

d)       Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Infant Baptism Pastoralis actio

 

 

Class 4, Wednesday September 20

TOPIC: Confirmation

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 7: Canons on Confirmation

b)       Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution on the Sacrament of Confirmation Divinae consortium naturae

c)       CCC §§ 1285-1321

 

 

ESSAY # 2 DUE Saturday September 23, by 11:59 p.m.

 

 

Class 5, Wednesday September 27

TOPIC: RCIA

READINGS:

a)       Christian Initiation, General Introduction [also available in The Rites, vol. 1, pp. 3-12]

b)       Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Introduction [also available in The Rites, vol. 1, pp. 15-54, 75-94, 81, 85, 87-88, etc.]

 

Class 6, Wednesday October 4

TOPIC: Eucharist I

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 13: Decree Concerning the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist

b)       Council of Trent, Session 21: The Doctrine of Communion Under Both Kinds and the Communion of Little Children

c)       Council of Trent , Session 22: Doctrine Concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass

d)       CCC §§ 1322-1419

 

 

Class 7, Wednesday October 11

TOPIC: Eucharist II

READINGS:

a)       Pope Paul VI, Encyclical on the Holy Eucharist Mysterium fidei

b)       Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction On Certain Matters to be Observed or to be Avoided Regarding the Most Holy Eucharist Redemptionis Sacramentum

 

 

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III. The Sacraments of Healing

 

Class 8, Wednesday October 18

TOPIC: Reconciliation/Penance

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 14: The Most Holy Sacraments of Penance and Extreme Unction (section on penance only)

b)       CCC §§ 1420-1498

c)       Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, Introduction to the New Order of Penance Misericordiam suam (2 December 1973) [DOL 368; to be distributed]

d)       Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter/Motu Proprio on Certain Aspects of the Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance Misericordia Dei

 

 

ESSAY # 3 DUE Saturday October 21, by 11:59 p.m.

 

 

Class 9, Wednesday October 25

TOPIC: Anointing of the Sick/Extreme Unction

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 14: The Most Holy Sacraments of Penance and Extreme Unction (section on extreme unction only)

b)       Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Constitution on the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick Sacram unctionem infirmorum

c)       Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Note on the Minister of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, with commentary

d)       CCC §§ 1499-1532

 

 

November 1 – ALL SAINTS’ DAY, no class

   

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IV. Sacraments at the Service of Communion

 

Class 10, November 8

TOPIC: Orders

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 23: The True and Catholic Doctrine Concerning the Sacrament of Order

b)       International Theological Commission, From the Diakonia of Christ to the Diakonia of the Apostles, selections

c)       Pope Paul VI, Apostolic Letter/Motu Proprio on First Tonsure, Minor Orders, and the Subdeaconate Ministeria quaedam

d)       CCC 2563 §§ 1533-1600

e)       Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Congregation for Legislative Texts, Congregation for the Clergy, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, Pontifical Council for the Laity, Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest Ecclesiae de mysterio

f)        Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter on Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone Ordinatio sacerdotalis

 

 

ESSAY # 4 DUE Saturday November 11, by 11:59 p.m.

 

 

Class 11, Wednesday November 15

TOPIC: Matrimony

READINGS:

a)       Council of Trent, Session 24: Doctrine of the Sacrament of Matrimony

b)       CCC §§ 1601-1666

c)       Pope Paul VI, Encyclical on the Regulation of Birth Humanae vitae

d)       Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation on the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World Familiaris consortio §§ 11-16, 18-21, 33, 38, 47, 51-52, 54-58, 66-69

 

 

November 22 – THANKSGIVING BREAK, no class

 

 

Class 12, Wednesday November 29

TOPIC:

READINGS:

a)       Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy, pp. 13-111

 

 

Class 13, Wednesday December 6 

TOPIC:

READINGS:

b)       Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy, pp. 115-224

 

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FINAL EXAM:  Wednesday December 13 – check Blackboard for details

 

 

 

 

† The professor reserves the right to make substitutions, deletions, or additions to the schedule of readings.

 

 

 

in te domine speravi non confundar in aeternum


© 2006 Daniel G. Van Slyke