In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place. As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols. As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God.
God speaks to man through the visible creation. The material cosmos is so presented to man's intelligence that he can read there traces of itsCreator. Light and darkness, wind and fire, water and earth , the tree and its fruit speak of God and symbolise both his greatness and his neareness.
In as much as they are creatures, these perceptible realities can become means of expressing the action of God who sanctifies men, and the action of men who offer worship to God. The same is true of signs and symbols taken from the social life of man: washing and anointing, breaking bread and sharing the cup can express the sanctifying presence of God and Man's gratitude towards his Creator.
The great religions of mankind witness, often impressively, to this cosmic and symbolic meaning of religious rites. The Liturgy of the Church presupposes, integrates and sanctifies elements from creation and human culture, conferring on them the dignity of signs of grace, of the new creation in Jesus Christ.
Consequently, the Chosen people received from God distinctive signs and symbols that marked its liturgical life. These are no longer solely celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant, symbols of God's mighty deeds for his people. Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcusion , anointing and consecration of priests and kings, laying on of hands , sacrifices, and above all the Passover. The Church sees in these signs a prefiguration of the Sacraments of the New Covenant.
Samuel Nyonje Muhanji Thanks you for reading this article .
Wishing you grace filled and fruitful day.
No comments:
Post a Comment