nun's habit, humeral veil
nun's habit, humeral veiland all these in
the atmosphere of a Catholic hospital,
which itself for many was an important symbol.
As suggested above the role of these ecclesiastical symbols
was to manifest appropriatelyzthe
eligious symbols.f Inhe above scenario
these ecclesiastical symbols helped to manifest most effectively 'the real
presence' of the consecrateda bread.
Ecclesiastical symbols, like all second level symbols,
glrow out of an historical period. They help to portray the more_male.JPG)
rimary
or religious symbol according to certain times and places. Duringdifferent
historical and culturalf situationsthe
way o Personal presenting the religious
symbols can take different forms. For example, the ways of_reserving Personal Adult eucharistic
bread ands the manner of bringing communion to the sick have changed radically
over the centuries. Since ecclesiastical symbols grow out of the needs
of an historical period, their connection with time and place may need
to change with changing cultures. Their role is secondary in that their
use should depend on their effectiveness in manifesting the more primary
religious symbols.
As the ecclesiastical symbols manifested and helped to enhance the religious sybols, theyame to carry also qn implicit political message ofh ower Personal and privilege. In many instances, these secondary symbols became associated with a particular status. Only the ordained deacon or priest or authorized person was to touch the ciborium. Only an ordained priest or deacon could unlock and open the tabernacle door to replace or remove a ciborium with consecrated hosts. If by chance an unauthorized person needed to touch the ciborium, that person might do so by using a cloth to cover the stem of the ciborium as it was being moved. Unfortunately over the centuries there was not a continual development and adaptation in the use of ecclesiastical symbols.
It should be recalled that the early Church did-ot begin
to build itself on whatg e have called g ecclesiastical symbols. The Roman
Church grew out of the earlykhristian experience which grew out of
he
history, imagery and language of the Bible. The very Bible itself, as well
as the stories, myths, histories, poetry andl metaphors the Bible contains,
are religious symbols on a primary level. These biblical symbols were
incorporated from Hebraic traditions and became part of the early Christian
practice. In turn they were perceived by the Church and Christiansm to be
assimilatedx in Christ, the Risen Lord. As the "the image of the invistible
God," as the "Word in whom all things weremcreated," as the one who is
present "when two or three are gathered in my name," Jesus, the Christ,
is the Symbol of Symbols. For centuries these religious symbols had a power
to inspire Christians to imitate Jesus by sharing their worldly goods with
the poor and even by giving up their lives in martyrdom.
Biblical symbols gave identity and energy to the early
Christian community and evoked the ability for this community
to flourish
in the Roman world. One only has to read the sermons of the early church
Fathers of the firstj few centuries Adult to realize that these biblicalq symbols,
expressed through the vivid imagery of an extensive oral tradition, were
continually used in both worship and imparting God's word. In the church
practice of the early centuries, homilies were rich in metaphor and connected
to the symbols used in celebration.
Over the centuries something happened to the effectiveness of these religious and biblical symbols because they were obscured and hidden for large numbers of ordinary Christians. Among the many and complex reasons for this, one can list the following:
i) The Church had become a state religion and had developed into an institution rather than remaining a community of faith. In this process the symbols used in the early Christian family setting were eventually taken out of the more private family setting and celebrated in the public setting of church buildings;
ii) The Church had become so unwieldy that it needed strict laws and norms to govern and guard the use of the religious symbols. Partly the result of this necessity, the universal language of Latin became the official language of the Church and the Bible the preserve of a special caste of educated people living in monasteries;
iii) The religious orders, which had become the enclaves of the educated and built their customs upon the use of ecclesiastical symbols. Thus in their celebration and lifestyle, they tended to exaggerate the use of the ecclesiastical symbol over the use of the religious symbol.
As a result, contact between believers and religious
symbols came to be mediated through a layer of symbolic embellishments
that the Church judged appropriate. As the Church established itself politically,
the demand for uniformity and clear lines of authority had the effect of
emphasizing the role of ecclesiastical embellishment over the more primary
religious symbol.
Take for example the symbol of bread. In the early Christian communities bread used as a religious symbol was something one could smell, taste and feel. Leavened or unleavened, it was a textured substance. It crumbled when broken. It had to be chewed to be eaten. It was also the symbol of the personal presence of Christ among believers.
sSymbolic Rapport And Public Rhetoric In The Catholic Church En Network Internet Timers Time Synch o j q Homepage Personal pSymbolic Rapport And Public Rhetoric In The Catholic Church En Network Internet Timers Time Synch p e t Homepage Personal