Sacramental Metaphysics
I hope to demonstrate how classic theology of the Christian sacramental framework can prove to be an authentic way of explaining what reality is itself. I endeavour to prove that a sacramental outlook in theology and broader worldview is the most coherent to our human experience.
If I were to sum up my outlook on the world, how I view reality metaphysically, I would say that I have a sacramental perspective. To understand what this means, we must first explain the common definition for what a sacrament is. It was St Augustine of Hippo in the 5th Century who devised a clear manner in which to define the sacraments of the Christian faith: “A visible sign, of an invisible grace.”
This definition, though being a theological concept, gives a genuine metaphysical claim: it suggests a universe where two realities exist intertwined and inseparable in a form of hypostatic union much alike the natures of the God-man.
These two realities have been given many different names throughout history, the most common being the natural world and the supernatural world. I prefer to use different terms for various reasons. Building upon the definition of St Augustine, I employ the terms matter to indicate the “visible sign” and essence to describe the “invisible grace”.
Much alike early existential philosophy, I think we can understand the fundamentals of how our reality functions and what it is by studying the ontology of the human person, looking deep within ourselves. What do we find when we look deep within ourselves? We find that we are a sacrament. We are a visible sign of an invisible grace.
If one studies the matter of a person, they would gain knowledge of how we function biologically. One can fathom the workings of a cell and DNA, or how our heart pumps blood around an entire body. We can study the matter of a man. Yet, there are some things that one would not find. Through the scientific method, one cannot discern raw emotions within a person. One cannot find the inner secrets, opinions, and past history of a person. It is true, the body does reflect the internal essence of a man. As an example, a person who is highly anxious has physical repercussions of their stress in there body. Yet, even though we can observe the effects of anxiety in essence manifesting in the matter of the body, by simply studying the matter one cannot discern the cause of the anxiety. The cause of the anxiety is found in a different order of thinking: in emotions, phycology, and sociology. It is found within the essence of man. This phenomena of essence affecting the matter of man demonstrates the inseparable nature of matter and essence. The matter is a concrete materialisation of the hidden essence.
What is it that makes us human? It is that we are a union of both body and a soul. Body and soul are different terms we commonly use for matter and essence. I hear many people today speak as if they “possess” a soul. That the soul is somehow trapped within a depraved body but totally foreign to it. This is not an orthodox Christian understanding. Orthodox Christianity asserts that the body and soul are one. This is what makes us sacramental. What we are is a union between matter and essence, a union that is not supposed to be broken. It is only death that this union is severed, as our matter ceases to function as it should and our essence is separated from it. This severing between our matter and essence is not natural and only occurs as direct result of sin (disorder) entering the world — and we know that eventually in the New Creation our essence will once again be perfectly united with matter.
Sacraments in a theological sense are one of the primary ways we can experience the fruit of Christ’s work at Calvary. They are matter with a purified divine essence. The Eucharist is a paramount example of this. Before consecration, lying upon the altar is bread. It is in matter bread and in essence bread. However, after the bread is consecrated with the words of Jesus Christ, there is a transformation. In accord with Christ’s two perplexing decrees that firstly: we are to eat his flesh and drink his blood, and secondly: the Passover bread and wine he breaks and drinks and tells His Apostles to break and drink is that flesh and blood. How is it that Jesus could tell His Apostles (and us) that this bread is His body? It is since the matter truly is bread whereas the essence is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. When someone is baptised, their matter is washed with water which signifies the spiritual cleansing at work by Christ within their essence. All of the seven Sacraments work in this manner: they do in essence what their matter signifies. Their matter and essence are so closely bound that they cannot be separated.
The Bible, though not being one of the sevens Sacraments of the Church, is a sacrament in of itself. Rather ironically, even Christians who claim not to believe in sacraments believe the Bible is a sacrament. The Bible is in matter simply a book. If you were to examine it scientifically you would find it to be made of paper — or whatever natural resource is being used. Nevertheless, no Christian believes a Bible is just that. In essence, the Bible is very literally the word of God itself. It has very real spiritual power, not simply symbolic or figurative power. The more we look at different elements of our Christian faith, the more we see that God uses a sacramental system to bring us to Him. Even Jesus Christ Himself can be a called a sacrament (the first and greatest sacrament), as the Incarnated Logos is a sacrament of the Father. He is both man and God, matter and essence.
When we are Christians, Christ is at the core of one’s life. It is then reasonable to say that as the Sacraments are prime ways of encountering Christ they would be created by God in accord with the nature of the universe. The same goes in reverse. By studying how the Sacraments function, we can study how we function and how the universe itself functions. I do not think it is a coincidence that a human being and a theological Sacrament function in the same manner, in that they both have matter and essence. It is for this reason I believe I can speak with confident certainty that all of Creation functions sacramentally. All of creation has inseparable both matter and essence and all of our lives can be studied through a sacramental lens.
Whilst sacramental theology certainly draws upon Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy, I think sacramental theology has developed into a formidable philosophical framework in of itself. The genius of the ancient philosophers I contend, are fulfilled by the concept of sacraments. Why would this be? Sacraments are first and foremost an action of Christ — the philosophy is completed by Christ. Sacramental theology includes a pastoral and spiritual element to cold philosophy, it includes a benevolent God who gives us life: essence and matter.