By DON FIER
Part 2
The sacraments of the Church, as we saw last week, have three essential elements: They are (a) sacred signs (b) instituted by Christ (c) to give grace. Precisely seven in number, they are the essential channels through which God has chosen to make available to mankind the divine graces (won by the Passion, death, and Resurrection of His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ) that make it possible for us to attain entrance into the eternal happiness of Heaven.
That the sacraments are seven in number — no more and no less — is a dogmatic teaching of the Church. As regular readers of this series may recall, the canon of Sacred Scripture was not dogmatically defined for several centuries after Christ’s coming (see volume 145, nn. 28-29; July 12-19, 2012).
Likewise, “the Church, by the power of the Spirit who guides her ‘into all truth,’ has gradually recognized this treasure received from Christ . . . [and] has discerned over the centuries that among liturgical celebrations there are seven that are, in the strict sense of the term, sacraments instituted by the Lord” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 1117).
Among almost all Catholic theologians, there is little disagreement that each of the seven sacraments was instituted by Christ. However, there have been differing views on His manner of institution. There is no question for some of the sacraments; for example, we know directly from Sacred Scripture the exact words with which our Lord instituted Baptism (see Matt. 28:19) and the Eucharist (see Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:24-25).
On the other hand, for sacraments such as Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick, though their existence during apostolic times is known by the testimony of tradition, details of institution are not clear.
In volume 3 of Fundamentals of Catholicism (FoC-3), Fr. Kenneth Baker, SJ, notes that a distinction has been made by some theologians between mediate and immediate institution of the sacraments.
“The first refers to a situation in which Christ would have conferred the power of instituting the sacraments on the Apostles, leaving them the right to determine the sign or form of the sacraments. Immediate institution means that Christ himself determined the meaning of the sacrament, that he gave at least some general indication of the rites to be used and instructed his Apostles to carry out his will” (p. 182).
During the scholastic age, such noted theologians as Hugo of St. Victor (d. 1141) and St. Bonaventure (d. 1274) held the view that “Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick were instituted by the Apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” (FoC-3, p. 183).
However, following the teaching of St. Albert the Great (d. 1280) and St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274), most theologians hold that all the sacraments were instituted immediately by Christ. Even according to Sacred Scripture, the apostles did not assume the right of institution for as St. Paul says, they regarded themselves “as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1).
Let us now look more closely at the sacraments as “sacred signs.” Inherent to our human nature is that we are creatures composed of a material body and a spiritual soul. Signs and symbols, perceptible by the senses, are integral in all aspects of our life — they regulate many of our daily actions.
Think of a traffic light, aisle markers in grocery stores, hand signals made by umpires and referees at sporting events, the nod of our head up and down for “yes” and a sideways movement for “no.” Each of these signs leads to knowledge of another thing.
Since signs and symbols are such an important part of our secular lives, it makes sense that they would also express something of our relationship with God. Since we are finite beings and unable to fully grasp the mysteries of God, our Creator has seen fit to make use of sensible signs to not only reveal, but to also make operative His plan of salvation. He has done precisely that in the sacraments in that “the outward signs of the sacraments make known to us the inward grace that is being produced in the soul” (Fr. John Laux, Mass and the Sacraments [MaS], p. 1).
Indeed, in the sacraments, our Lord has taken ordinary things of life — water, bread, wine, oil —and ordained that they be used to signify and accomplish in us extraordinary spiritual results. That is why they are called sacred signs: “They not only signify divine grace but also cause grace to be present in the soul” (FoC-3, p. 167).
The outward sign of each sacrament is composed of two elements — matter and form — which must be united to constitute valid administration. For example, the matter of the Sacrament of Baptism is water and the form consists in the words: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Pronouncement of the words must occur simultaneously with water being poured over the forehead of the person being baptized — together the two elements compose the sacramental sign. “Take the word away,” says St. Augustine, “and what else is baptismal water except ordinary water? But add the words to the element and it becomes a sacrament” (In Joan. tract. 80, 3; as cited in MaS, p. 2).
The third element of a sacrament — to give grace — has already been alluded to. In essence it means: “Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify” (CCC, n. 1127). In other words, the sacraments are efficacious (unless we on our part put some obstacle in the way) because it is Christ Himself who is at work in them.
What constitutes an obstacle? For one who has attained the use of reason, says Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, “Obstacles are a lack of faith or sanctifying grace or of a right intention” (Modern Catholic Dictionary, p. 477).
A Latin term was defined by the Council of Trent to describe how the sacraments confer the grace they signify: ex opere operato, which literally means “by the very fact of the action’s being performed” (CCC, n. 1128). As taught by St. Thomas Aquinas, “The sacrament is not perfected by the righteousness of the minister or of the recipient . . ., but by the power of God” (Summa Theologiae III, Q. 68, art. 8).
In other words, the efficacy of a sacrament derives from the actions of God in the sacrament, and not from the merits or holiness of the minister or the recipient.
Two important distinctions can be drawn from this definition. First, the subjective condition of the soul of the priest does not impede his valid administration of the sacraments. Provided he confers the sacramental signs as specified by the Church with the intention of doing what the Church intends, the validity and efficacy of the sacrament is guaranteed.
For example, suppose a priest in the state of serious sin hears one’s Confession or celebrates the Sunday Mass he attends. The recipient of the sacrament, of course, has no way of knowing this. However, it makes no difference — the validity of the sacrament is assured if he approaches and receives it with no obstacle on his part.
The priest, on his part, is personally bound in conscience to be in the state of grace when administering the sacraments; otherwise, he subjects himself to the sin of sacrilege.
God’s Remedy
The second distinction regards the fruitfulness of validly received sacraments. A person can, in fact, validly receive a sacrament but not receive the graces associated with it if he receives it unworthily.
How can this be? One of the conditions for worthy reception of a “sacrament of the living” is to be in the state of grace. With this in mind, consider a cohabitating couple who marry in the Catholic Church before a priest. Although fully realizing that their premarital relationship violates the clear teaching of the Church, they enter the sacrament without approaching the Sacrament of Penance and, at least objectively speaking, are in the state of serious sin.
Assuming no impediments are standing in the way of their union and all other requirements of the Church are in order, the marriage would still be valid. But if indeed they were in a state of serious sin in the eyes of God when the marriage took place, they would not receive the grace of the sacrament. Furthermore, one who deliberately receives a sacrament unworthily commits the grievous sin of sacrilege.
In His great mercy, however, God provides a remedy. If the man and woman subsequently make a good Confession, repent, and receive absolution, not only is the grace of the Sacrament of Penance received, but also the grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony that was received validly but unworthily. The same situation can occur in the reception of other sacraments such as Holy Orders and Confirmation.
Next week we will continue unpacking the common doctrine of the seven sacraments by considering the various classifications or categories into which they can be divided.
+ + +
(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress