By Kevin Goodrich

The work of the sacramental counselor is to be an agent of the Triune God for the development of holiness in the lives of parishioners. Sacramental counseling seeks to bridge the modern gaps between biblical counseling, spiritual direction, and the wider secular work of therapists, psychologists, and those in the medical community. This is not a new emphasis in the history of Christian soul care, but rather an effort to recover the ancient practice of the great Christian confessors, directors and counselors throughout Church history.

The local congregation should be the locus of human change and development for Christian believers. Therefore the Eucharist, the principal act of Christian worship, should shape not only the common life of Christian congregations but also the specific work of counseling people toward holistic health and growth — the pursuit of holiness or sanctification.

In The Shape of the Liturgy, Dom Gregory Dix identifies a four-action shape to the celebration of the Eucharist. These four actions can also provide a four-fold understanding for the sacramental counselor in working with congregants. In chapter four of the book Dix outlines these four segments: (1) The offertory; bread and wine are “taken” and placed on the table together. (2) The prayer; the president gives thanks to God over bread and wine together. (3) The fraction; the bread is broken. (4) The communion; the bread and wine are distributed together.

Each of these actions translates specifically to the Christian counselor, director, or pastor who deals with someone asking for help.

1. The offertory; bread and wine are “taken” and placed on the table together.

Just as ordinary bread and wine are taken and offered to God, so do the sacramental counselor and parishioner seek to take a problem and place it on the altar of God’s presence. Bread and wine show up in many contexts in human living, but placing them on the altar in the context of worship is a signal that human beings are seeking the presence of God in a unique way.

Similarly, the sacramental counselor and parishioner when engaged in holy conversation seek to take the ordinary stuff of life (a problem, a hope, or fear) and bring it into the particular presence of God. This is a significant step that is often initiated by the parishioner in seeking help formally (can I meet with you sometime this week?) or informally (that was a good Bible study; I was wondering what you think about …). Either way, the sacramental counselor needs to cultivate an inner awareness that an offertory of sorts is beginning and seek to move the liturgy of conversation toward the next step.

2. The prayer; the president give thanks to God over bread and wine together.

In most eucharistic prayers there is a rehearsal of salvation history — God’s saving acts as recorded in Scripture — and an acknowledgement of humanity’s sin, need for redemption, and salvation given in the unique life, death, and resurrection of Christ. An invocation of the Spirit through prayer also takes place in which the celebrant asks the Holy Spirit to enter into the elements or the gathered assembly in a unique and sacramental way. Here the ordinary bread and wine becomes extraordinary through the action of God.

In the same way the sacramental counselor and parishioner seeking help need to ask God to enter into the particular circumstances being discussed and transform them. There are many helping specialists in modern society, but it is usually left to the sacramental counselor to bring God back into the center of human struggle and development. It is therefore imperative that the sacramental counselor center the conversation within the context of Christian faith, the Bible, and the parishioner’s relationship with Jesus.

3. The fraction; the bread is broken.

The climax of the liturgy in some traditions is the breaking of the bread, where the congregation is gathered at the cross of Christ and his crucifixion for the sins of the whole world. The redemptive effects of suffering with God’s action are a central paradigm for understanding human development in the Christian faith.

The sacramental counselor does not see suffering as inherently useful, but sees suffering with God as inherently redeemable. Therefore, just as the host is broken, so must the problem that the parishioner is facing be broken open before the cross of Christ. This requires exploring the problem in light of the ultimate realities of Christian life: creation, fall, and redemption.

4. The communion; the bread and the wine are distributed together.

One of the tragedies of the medieval Church was that rarely did the faithful attending the liturgy actually receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. This left them progressing through the great movements of the liturgy where they could hear the Word of God, acknowledge their sin, and realize their need for sacramental grace, and then not receive it.

While the reception of Communion is often seen as being near the end of the liturgy it actually forms the beginning of the liturgy of living our lives for Christ in the world. Receiving Christ in the mystery of the Eucharist strengthens the believer to face all problems hand in hand with Christ.

Just so the sacramental counselor must strive to find ways to strengthen the parishioner in a continuing struggle with a particular problem. This must involve regular prayer support, but might also include referrals to other helping specialists, books, and the practice of certain Christian disciplines. Without this step the sacramental counselor has essentially opened the wound, but not provided any salve or course of treatment for its healing after the spiritual appointment is over.

By centering a practice of counseling, spiritual direction, or pastoring in the Eucharist, the sacramental counselor can have greater assurance of being used as an instrument of God’s healing and saving grace.  Eucharist-shaped counseling also acknowledges the wider sociological context that is necessary for human beings to achieve substantial changes in their lives — and affirms an active life in the gathered, scattered, and domestic Church (the family).

The Rev. Kevin Goodrich, OP, serves as canon missioner for the eastern region of the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota and teaches and writes on Christian spirituality and living in a variety of venues.