Holy Rehearsals

We have been discussing Catholicism in our small group Sunday School class and I started to get a little worked up this last week. We were specifically talking about Baptism and Communion; what they mean to "us" and what they mean to "them". One of the group members said that Baptism is a personal choice, another said it is not necessary but highly suggested, others said it does no good to baptize infants, and most were very adamant about Baptism not being a means of salvation. I do not claim to know or understand all the mysteries and purposes of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, but I and several others pointed out that the Holy Scriptures are very clear about the necessity of Baptism, that it is not a suggestion. One said it is very clear that Baptism was and is an important part of identifying oneself with the Body of Christ. As far as Baptism being a "means to salvation", I think that most in the class understand that term as being synonymous with a "means to heaven". This was demonstrated by several comments that Baptism is not necessary in order to get into heaven. I started to understand at that point that most people (perhaps myself included), have really missed the point when it comes to this ancient and blessed tradition. It is true that the Holy Scriptures do not say that Baptism is necessary to get into heaven. But the problem is I don't think that this is the right question to ask regarding Baptism.

Another hot point in the meeting was when someone said that she had heard a preacher on the radio recently say that if we are going to take a stand against Catholics for anything, it needs to be the doctrine of transubstantiation. This person agreed wholeheartedly with this comment and was eager to share this with the group. I was ready to vomit at this point.

The biggest problem that I see with Catholic doctrine regarding the Eucharist is not that they believe in transubstantiation, but rather that they will not permit their "separated brethren" to partake in this blessed sacrament. Likewise, the biggest problem that I see with many non-Catholic Christians I know, including those in my Sunday School class, is that they do not wish to partake with Catholics (unless it is on their terms).

So who is right about these sacraments? Is there reconciliation between Catholics and other Christians in these matters?

A further reflection brings me back to the title of this post. Recently I was listening to a Rabbi saying that the "Holy Convocations" that the Lord commanded the Israelites to celebrate were not only immediately relevant to an Historic event in their history but also were to prophetically point to a future event (i.e. Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks). More interesting is his understanding of the Hebrew word rendered in English as "convocations", which would be more accurately translated as "rehearsals". Perhaps much like the Jews' misunderstanding of their own Holy Convocations or Holy Rehearsals (some have been at least prophetically filled in part, and others have yet to apparently be fulfilled), we as Christians are misunderstanding the prophetic nature of the sacraments. The command is not to create a very specific doctrine about Baptism or Communion and only Baptize and share Communion with those who believe exactly like you do, the commands is to repent and be baptized and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and to break bread with one another in remembrance of Christ's death and resurrection.

The "sacraments" or "mysteries" of the Christian faith are named that precisely because we are not meant to fully understand their meaning and purpose. Enough has been revealed to us to be sufficiently blessed for the time being and to continue "rehearsing" for the present and coming Kingdom of Heaven.