Signs and Symbols in Liturgy

For a human society to exist it is necessary that its members agree, presuppose a common code of values,
norms, functions, and above all a language. This code is the object of convention, which constitutes the
symbolic order in human society. As Chauvet writes, “the symbolic order is to indicate that all the elements
of the cultural puzzle are joined to one another and that each element acquires its significance only by
being put back into the conventional diversity”.[1] Therefore, there is no symbolic order without partners to
the other. Without the signs and the symbols, it is impossible to enter into communion with one another in
our daily lives. We use lot of signs and symbols to express ourselves to others. Primarily to understand the
theological meaning of the symbol, let us try to understand the meaning of the concepts; then it would be
easy to understand the theological meaning of them, when they are used in our liturgy.

1. ‘Sign’-The Meaning

           Signs are physical objects, events, or human actions which point beyond themselves in such a way
as to express some further reality, occurrence or human conception.[2]  Commonly a sign has always a
fixed meaning.  Example for this could be a sign post or a signal which gives us information and tells us
what to do. It is commonly understood with fixed meanings. A sign is that which reveals a hidden
reality.  And any sign helps us to communicate with people.  Therefore, any sign gives us information and
has a fixed meaning.  Any sign points to another, draws attention to something else than itself. It gives
information about something.
Ex. Car parking, Traffic signals.. Way to Pollachi 50 km.

Kinds of signs:  According to A. Verheul, signs can be divided into three different types as natural signs,
social/cultural/free signs and personal signs.[3]

i)          Natural signs: The natural signs come from the nature of the things themselves such as smoke, fire etc., in
this type: there is always a relationship of dependency between the sign and the thing signified.  These
signs are independent of the will of man and have a universal value. Whenever there is smoke, there is fire,
and the footprints of a person/animal … walking.

ii)        Social/Cultural/ free signs: It is based on culture, and will be different according to the culture. They are
things, actions and gestures freely chosen by man to express the reality and there is no connection with the
nature.  For example a national flag, stamp, uniform etc are the free signs and they generally dependent on
the culture so they are also called cultural signs.  They don’t have the universal value they cannot be
recognized by everybody.  To know them one should have the knowledge of the culture in which they
originate. For example ‘a piece of white cloth’ is a sign of mourning in  China and Japan; whereas in India it
is a sign for peace and joy; and the sign for mourning is “black”.

iii)      Personal signs: it is based on the personal interest of the individual.  Personal signs speak about the interest
of the individual person by which a person expresses his/her inner self or the personality. The way of
combing the hair, dressing; buying of things etc are the ways of expression of an individual in relation to
others.
          
     We can discover a twofold function for the sign that it reveals the hidden reality and puts us into contact
with it. In fact, the sign belongs to the order of the knowledge or information. Therefore “the sign is situated
on the side of saying something about something; and information about something”.[4]

2. ‘Symbol’ -The Meaning       

          The word “symbol” comes from the Greek word: “συμβάλλειν” (sumbaleon) which means “to throw
together” “to place together” “to put together”.[5] But in the ordinary sense, symbol means the two matching
parts of a broken ring, staff, tablet, or coin joined to form a unity.[6] A symbol is closer to the thing signified,
and is less arbitrary than the sign. Thus, we can say that all symbols are signs, but not all signs are
symbols. Thus the symbol is the reality in which another attains knowledge of a being. Therefore, we can
say that all human situations, events, persons, and even material things have a symbolic value through
which we get the knowledge of a being/person.  In this line, Chauvet writes “the symbol belongs to the
order of recognition”.[7]

3. Symbols in Liturgy

It is interesting to observe that the symbols used in our liturgical celebrations are the natural
symbols – water; human symbols – community; and the transcendental symbols. For example, the liturgical
assembly enables us as one community having the same faith in God, the ekklesia- the church. However,
the believing human community is visible to our senses are not merely as a group of people but as one
community having and expressing the same faith in God. On this basis “the liturgical assembly stands as
the symbol of God’s call to salvation”[8] which is basically a call to faith and conversion.

The liturgical celebration is accomplished outwardly through visible signs which are either material
things: such as water, bread, wine, oil or the bodily actions such as immersion, laying on of hands, breaking
of bread, eating, drinking, anointing are not merely rituals but they are sacramental actions. The liturgical
signs have the dependency on Christ and of his Church. Christ has given a New Testament orientation to
various natural symbols that we use in our liturgy.  Ecclesial symbol of spiritual washing away of
sins.  Bread which symbolizes bodily nourishment become a liturgical-sacramental sign of spiritual
nourishment.                   
          
     The symbolic structure in liturgy develops on the mystery of life, death and resurrection of Christ. Thus
by the understanding of symbol in the liturgical practice has the dual structure: mystery and nature.  Even
though they are distinct but they are inseparable.  The mysterious presence of God can be seen in the
Church through the sacraments in a symbolic way. In fact, the “Sacraments belong to the order of the doing
and not of ideas.  This doing is symbolic; it aims at properly joining Christ and the church together with the
members among themselves as daughters, sons, sisters and brothers in Christ”.[9]

4. The Theology of Symbol.

 Theologians attempt to show that faith is not only rational but also reasonable. For this they use the
tools of analysis and reflection at their disposal.  This approach through symbol can be one way of getting
nearer to the mystery. The theological basis of the entire symbolism of the liturgy is the Incarnation of
Jesus.  Jesus by his passion, death and resurrection has saved the whole humanity. The saving act of
Jesus is not a past event; but becomes the present event.  For us now since his Resurrection, Christ is
invisible to us. The sign character of his divinized humanity has passed into the holy signs of the liturgy.  In
our liturgical celebration the same divine and redeeming power that operated in Christ is now present to us
through sacraments, which are perceptible to our senses. However, sacraments are regarded as the
symbolic activity of the Church, of Christ, and of man. 

 According to Rahner “the sacraments make concrete life of the individual, the symbolic reality of the
church as the primary sacrament and therefore constitute a symbolic reality.  Thus the sacraments are
described in theology as ‘sacred signs’ of God’s grace”.[10] The invisible grace of God is realized
symbolically through the sacraments.

      God’s salvific action on man, from its foundations to its completion, proves in such a way that God
himself is the reality of salvation. Since salvation is given to man not merely as a promised reality but
exhibits, something is present in the reality, by means of the formed symbol.[11]
Always the sacraments signify the action of Christ through the Church; reveals to the world the face of both
God and man and celebrates them in joy and peace.  Even more than the Church, Christ himself reveals,
actualizes and celebrates the true being of God and man by commemorating his own mystery, fulfilling it
and prefiguring the future.

    Vatican II SC 33. Says “the visible sings helps us to signify the invisible divine reality i.e. God” The
symbols can be objects, words, silence, actions, gestures and song which helps us to enter into real
relationship with God.  Faith has to be expressed in the ways of sings and symbols. SC. 60 says “the
sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments.  They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual
nature, which are obtained through the church’s intercession.

[1] L. M. Chauvet, The Sacraments, tras. P. Madigan & M. Beaumont, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville,
MN 2001, 15.
[2] A. C. Thiselton, “Sign, Symbol”, in A  New Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship , ed. J. G. Davies, SCM
Press LTD, London 31986, 491.
[3] A.Verheul, Introduction to the Liturgy, Antony Clarke Books, Herder -Vienna 1972, 106.
[4] Chauvet, The Sacraments, 76.
[5] Chauvet, The Sacraments, 14.
[6] D. Sartore,“Segno/Simbolo”, in Nuovo Dizionario di Liturgia,  Eds. D. Sartore & A. M. Triacca, Paoline,
Roma 1984, 1377.
[7] Chauvet, The Sacraments, 76.
[8] Chupungco, “Symbolism and Liturgical Celebration”, 175.
[9] Chauvet, The Sacraments, 85.
[10] Rahner, “The Theology of the Symbol”, 241.
[11] Rahner, “The Theology of the Symbol”, 245.