The core text for this course is Deconstructing Sacramental Theology and Reconstructing Catholic Ritual by Joseph Martos. Drawing upon his decades-long study of the sacraments, Martos reveals how teachings that seemed rooted in the scriptures and Catholic life have become unmoored from the contexts in which they arose, and why seemingly eternal truths are actually historically relative. He concludes, “Medieval Catholic theology of sacraments, although plausible in its day, is no longer acceptable.”