What do you call sacraments without priests or church blessing?

[MysticMonist]

Hello,
Happy Easter to everyone!

I’ve been researching the theology on sacraments. Is there a term for when someone practices a sacarement in secret by themselves without being a priest or when they modify the liturgical rites for thier own use, not blessed by the church? Clearly you all think that’s a sin, but I don’t find that much written about it. Is it just assumed people don’t do that do?
The Protestants often believe in a priesthood of all believers but they don’t tend to make use of private sacrements, since they tend to have rejected mysticism or deeper spirtual practices.

Anyone have any leads to writers that address this issue?

Thanks!

 

[midori]

What kind of sacrament are you talking about? I think the only one ordinary people can practice is Baptism, but you don’t baptize yourself, you baptize another person, usually in an emergency situation. Marriage is another sacrament that people confer upon themselves; there, the priest acts as the witness, but by default, it’s a sacrament conducted in public. But for the others, you need a priest for it to be a sacrament; otherwise, I think all you have is a prayer, although that’s not to say the prayer doesn’t have a lot of heart in it.

A quick tick through the other sacraments-- you can’t absolve yourself, although you can apologize very much to God. You can’t confect the Eucharist yourself, although you can remember Christ’s suffering and make a spiritual communion. You need a Bishop for Confirmation, unless it’s been delegated. You usually have several Bishops for Holy Orders. And you need a priest for Anointing of the Sick, although you can certainly pray for others any time you wish.

I was reading a thing from the Cure d’Ars the other day–

Go to confession to the Blessed Virgin, or to an angel; will they absolve you? No. Will they give you the Body and Blood of Our Lord? No. The Holy Virgin cannot make her Divine Son descend into the Host. You might have two hundred angels there, but they could not absolve you. A priest, however simple he may be, can do it; he can say to you, “Go in peace; I pardon you…”

…

The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you. After God, the priest is everything. Leave a parish twenty years without priests; they will worship beasts. If missionary Father and I were to go away, you would say, “What can we do in this church? there is no Mass; Our Lord is no longer there: we may as well pray at home.” When people wish to destroy religion, they begin by attacking the priest, because where there is no longer any priest there is no sacrifice, and where there is no longer any sacrifice there is no religion.

When the bell calls you to church, if you were asked, “Where are you going?” you might answer “I’m going to feed my soul.” If someone were to ask you, pointing to the tabernacle, “What is that golden door?” “That is our storehouse, where the true Food of our souls is kept.” “Who has the key? Who lays in the provisions? Who makes ready the feast, and who serves the table?” “The priest.” “And what is the Food?” “The precious Body and Blood of Our Lord…”

 

[MysticMonist]

So I guess “sacraments” is too vague. Yes I researched the rules on baptism and marriage and penance if no Catholic priests are available and that’s not what I’m talking about.
But what I’m most interested in is communion. Also we might include modified versions of baptism like the triple baptism of water,fire,blood in the pisits Sophia or the water, Chrism and bridal chamber in the gospel of Phillip.
I suspect you may have already answered “you can’t confect the Eucharist yourself”. That seems to imply that any Eucharist performed by a lay person or non-catholic is simply not a Eucharist and any modified baptism is no longer a baptism? Correct?
That would explain why there isn’t much written on the topic.

 

[midori]

That seems to imply that any Eucharist performed by a lay person or non-catholic is simply not a Eucharist and any modified baptism is no longer a baptism?

Re: Baptism, we believe that the formulas vary, but it needs to be done with a Trinitarian invocation along the lines of “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, with water, on a live person, because sacraments are for the living. But we (#1256) don’t even require the person doing the baptizing to be baptized themselves, in cases of emergency, although it’s always nicest for it to be done in a community setting, with a priest or deacon administering the sacrament with all the other externals-- the candle, the oils, the white garment, and so on.

Other people disagree-- some denominations say that only full immersion baptisms are valid, or some people try to baptize the dead, or they say that only people who are old enough to place their faith in Christ and make a conscious decision to obey him are qualified for baptism.

Communion is something that takes place in a group. The smallest Mass I’ve ever taken part in was a retired priest’s private Mass, where my family was invited to attend. Occasionally, when the parish priests are at Diocesan retreats, and no one’s available to conduct the usual weekday Mass, we would have a communion service, where the Sacristan or some other trusted lay person was authorized to do the readings, skip the Liturgy of the Eucharist, go straight into the Our Father, the Agnus Dei, etc, and distribute communion, plus some closing prayers. But in my diocese, they’ve really cracked down against offering communion services in the last ten years, and instead they offer a Liturgy of the Hours session.

Without a priest, the best we can do on our own is a spiritual communion–

My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen.

 

[midori]

For the Priesthood of the Laity, you might consider this snippet from the Catechism–

901 "Hence the laity, dedicated as they are to Christ and anointed by the Holy Spirit, are marvelously called and prepared so that even richer fruits of the Spirit may be produced in them. For all their works, prayers, and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit - indeed even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In the celebration of the Eucharist these may most fittingly be offered to the Father along with the body of the Lord. And so, worshipping everywhere by their holy actions, the laity consecrate the world itself to God, everywhere offering worship by the holiness of their lives."

 

[MysticMonist]

That’s a wonderful response and it shows the depth that is Catholic theology’s great strength. I really love how the value of the lay person’s daily life as an expression of holiness is really valued. As well, we didnt mention all the beautiful sacarmentals like the rosary or the scapular, that are available to lay Catholics.
And as a side note, Pope Francis’ Easter address about renouncing the glitter of wealth and greed is desperately needed and points to what I believe is the core of the gospel.
I am continually impressed by Catholic thought and thank you for sharing this with me.
As for performing solo communions, you answered my question I think. Thanks. In my case I’m not Catholic, I’m technically episicopalian and on the church roles there. But I’m also a heretic and practicing gnostic, so I’m outside of church magistrate anyways. From a Catholic perspective my practices are probably considered sorcery and that would be another reason why it’s hard to find much writing about it.

Christ is Holy! (Greeting from the prayer of the apostle Paul).