OUR SACRAMENTS

Some deep truths cannot be communicated through words, but only through symbols and ritual which touch the unconscious depths within us. When our bodies, emotions, minds and spirits are fully involved in a ritual, we move into a higher level of consciousness which enables us to penetrate the outward form and grasp the spiritual reality which the ritual portrays.

The church throughout the centuries has used ritual to convey spiritual truth, particularly through the seven sacraments. Our organisation has taken these ancient rituals which are great sources of power and strength, revived their inner meaning and re-interpreted so that they speak to people of today.

Baptism:

The Centre's baptismal service, which also includes a name-giving, recognises and proclaims the individuality, rights and freedom of the soul that has entered into incarnation. Infants, up to three months old, are baptised at the request of their parents, but no vows are taken on their behalf. Baptism is a means of purifying and strengthening the child's body and affirming its link with the spiritual worlds from which it has come.

Confirmation:

In The Centre, confirmation takes place in two stages at times of particular significance in the child's growth and development. At seven years of age there is a Realisation Service, which recognises that the child is moving from the period where the building of the physical body was primary to the period where the etheric body is to be developed. The service confirms what has taken place so far and strengthens the child for the next phase of development.

The rite of confirmation is administered only by the Meritus to children between the ages of twelve and sixteen. It is around the age of fourteen that the astral of the child develops and the body, mind and emotions begin to mature. Through confirmation, the spirit is given every opportunity to manifest freely so that the child grows into an integrated and harmonious adult. In this rite a new power is given which enables the child to enter into a closer relationship with Christ and to express this relationship more openly and publicly in their lives. The sense of belonging to a community of people striving together for an ideal is also established.

The Mass:

Our mass is called a cosmic mass; it is celebrated on behalf of the cosmos. We recognise that the whole of creation has been affected by the coming of the Christ into the world to turn it from its destructive path. When we attain our destiny as co-creators, the cosmos too will be transformed. So when we celebrate the Mass we are aware that we do so in the company of spiritual beings who are assisting in that process of transformation.

Cosmic has another sense also, for it indicates that the mass is not the property of any particular church. It belongs to the whole cosmos - it is universal. Therefore, people of any religious persuasion or none are welcome to share in the communion.

Anointing or Unction:

Christ was followed by those who sought the touch of his hands, and he commissioned his apostles to follow his example in healing the sick.

Healing, or holy unction, consists of anointing with oil and laying on of hands. This helps and strengthens the recipient but does not remove the need for individual effort. There must first be the desire for healing, and then those receiving healing must endeavour to do all they can to heal themselves. In this way, the human and divine powers work together to produce freedom and wholeness.

Within The Centre the holy unction occurs during the Spiritual Healing Service, during private healing, and during extreme unction or the last rites.

Marriage:

The sacrament of holy matrimony consecrates a relationship between two people. Marriage, as well as being a proclamation of a spiritual union, recognises the personal union of two individuals and the social contract between them. The Centre has different liturgies for members, non-members, and people who wish to celebrate the Covenant of Love. 

The Sacrament of Grace:

This sacrament involves little ritual or ceremony. It is the Sacrament of the Word. It is a conversation between a priest and a person with the priest wearing their cross and stole to indicate that this is not an ordinary conversation. Words are not used idly. Every word is uttered as if in the presence of God. And through the power of the word - in prayer, confession, admonition and blessing - problems, challenges, decisions and the soul's higher purpose can be perceived in divine context. The aim of this sacrament is not to receive advice, to confess sins or to "get something of our chests." The purpose of this sacrament is to bring our problem or situation before the Throne of God and to hold it up in his light and see it from the perspective of spirit and the purposes of our own higher selves have set before us.

Ordination:

The Centre has a charismatic ministry; that is, it believes that men and women are called and equipped by the spirit to be priests. Certain people have been called to this priesthood before the beginning of the world and are by nature true priests. The rite of ordination is a recognition and an outward confirmation of that which is already within them through the working of the spirit.