Journeying Through the Catechism: The Sacraments

This is the tenth part of a series that follows The Catechism in a Year podcast. Dr. Matthew Minerd journeys with us and presents a “travel guide” through the major themes of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Need to catch up? You can find the other parts of the series here: The Catechism: A Guide for the Christian Life, Divine Revelation, A God Who Reveals Himself, Creation and the Fall, The Son, The Holy Spirit, The Church, The Last Things, and The Mysteries of Salvation.

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The Catholic Faith is “incarnational.” In other words, it is “sacramental.” Through the seven sacraments—those sacred signs, given by Christ, that convey the grace that they signify—the Church sanctifies its members by making us share in the divine life. The sacraments are not merely “spiritual”; they express the mysteries of faith through physical realities, such as water, oil, bread, wine, as well as words and gestures. Joining the “matter” (its physical sign) of each sacrament with its “form” (the words), the Church bestows the gift of divine life granted us through Christ, who became flesh so that we might receive such saving grace.

Through all the ages from Christ’s ascension until the last day when he comes in glory, these sacred signs, instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church, are the means for the communication of this grace, flowing from Christ’s side (see John 19:34 and 1 John 5:6–8). The sacraments are the gems around which the liturgy is woven. Through them, the whole of our lives is made holy. Through baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, we are “initiated” into the mysteries of salvation and sustained in this life by the body and blood of Christ. Through reconciliation, we are forgiven the sins that we confess and renewed in our life as children of God. In the anointing of the sick, we are strengthened in our physical suffering, so that that we might offer a spiritual sacrifice (see 1 Peter 2:5) in union with Christ, who himself “suffered in the flesh” (1 Peter 4:1). Through the sacrament of matrimony, Christ sanctifies the lives of married couples and builds up the Church. In holy orders, the sacred ministry of Christ continues through all generations.

This is the meaning of the definition of the sacraments given in the Catechism:

“The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.”

CCC 1131

They are actions of Christ, working in and through his Church, to apply the fruits of salvation to all generations. Through them, the mystery of salvation is really and truly alive today in a unique way proper to each sacrament. Let’s reflect a bit on each of these actions of Christ the High Priest through the Church.

Baptism

The sacrament of Baptism is not merely a symbolic ritual, externally reflecting the interior faith of the recipient (or, in the case of infants, the recipient’s parents and godparents). In baptism, we are truly born anew, “of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). However, a new birth implies a first birth, namely, our birth “into Adam,” into the state of original sin (see 1 Corinthians 15). This is the meaning of St. Paul when he speaks of our “old nature,” which must be cast off and replaced by a “new nature.” And he is very clear about what this new nature is like:

“Christ is all, and in all.”

Colossians 3:11

Therefore, Baptism is a sacrament of conversion. It has two effects: forgiveness of original (and, in adults, personal) sin and divine adoption as a child of God (which makes us members of the Church). Through baptism, we pass from the shadows of death and sin to the life of grace, by which we “put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27) and are made “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). This mystery was foreshadowed by the great deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt. Just as Israel was freed from Egypt by passing through the waters of the Red Sea, so too the Christian passes through the waters of baptism and becomes a “wayfarer” toward his or her heavenly homeland (see 1 Corinthians 10:1–4).

Thus, through Baptism, we are not merely called children of God; we truly are “Christified”:

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Galatians 3:27

This new birth and new nature will be the source of all the grace-filled deeds that we perform through all our life. All the other sacraments will serve in helping us to maintain, renew, and deepen this life, from baptism until the eternal dawn of heavenly glory.

Confirmation

In the sacrament of Confirmation, the grace bestowed at Baptism is strengthened and given a kind of seal. In the Roman rite of the Church, this sacrament is ordinarily administered by the bishop before or during early adolescence. This practice emphasizes the “strength and full growth in the Spirit” communicated by this sacrament, as well as communion in the Church, expressed in particular by the presence and activity of the bishop. In Eastern-rite churches, this sacrament is conferred at the same time as Baptism, thereby emphasizing the close unity of these two sacred signs, as well as their connection to the Eucharist, which is also received by the child who is thus fully initiated into the sacramental mysteries.

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The Eucharist

The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist stands at the center of all the sacraments, as the source and summit of our Faith (CCC 1324). In the Eucharist, the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus is truly and substantially present under the appearance of bread and wine. At every Mass and Divine Liturgy, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and his victory at the resurrection is made present through the words of consecration spoken by the priest, renewing the mystery of redemption for us today and until the end of time. In a way that is unique among the sacraments, the Eucharist calls for adoration and devotion, since it is the true presence of Jesus. In church tabernacles throughout the world, Jesus Christ is sacramentally present in the sacred reserved Eucharistic hosts.

Since Christ instituted the Eucharist to be the divine food of our spiritual life, “the bread of wayfaring pilgrims,” we draw close to the altar in humility, with consciences clean of serious sin (see Matthew 5:24; 1 Corinthians 11:27–34). Aware of our constant need for God’s grace and forgiveness, we approach this great sacrament with an attitude like that of the Roman centurion:

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…”

see Matthew 8:5–13

And Christ does indeed enter “under our roof,” becoming our living source of nourishment, making us more like him.

The Eucharist is the source of the Church herself, the Mystical Body of Christ:

“Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

1 Corinthians 10:17

An early prayer of the Church proclaims the foundational nature of the Eucharist:

“Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.”

The Church is born of the Eucharist, which is the center and source of her life—of her liturgy, prayer, sacraments, and teachings—for it is the very sacrament of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.

Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick

On earth, the Church is a pilgrim people, still on the way toward final glory, so sin remains a constant danger and illness is always at hand. How great the mercy of God, who instituted two sacraments as immediate remedies for these great evils as well—Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

In the sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus extends to us the forgiveness of sins through the ministry of ordained priests acting with his authority. On the day of his resurrection, he breathed upon the apostles and conveyed to them a power that was only his to give:

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

John 20:22–23

This sacrament extends Christ’s personal absolution to everyone who approaches this sacrament for forgiveness. How wonderful that the Lord makes his priests the instruments of his reconciliation, both with God and the Church.

In times of serious illness and the danger of impending death, Jesus stretches forth his saving hand in the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. In it, he sanctifies our suffering and configures it to his own, bringing spiritual healing—and even physical healing, if he wills it. Suffering and death, both of which are the terrifying effects of original sin, can become an opportunity for a unique offering of self to God through the sacramental action of anointing.

Matrimony and Holy Orders

How great, though, are the designs of God, who sanctifies the life of the Church through the sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders. Through Matrimony, a man and a woman enter into a lifelong covenant with each other that seeks the procreation of children and the mutual good of the spouses. As we see in Genesis, we have been created for communion as male and female, when Adam exclaims:

“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

Genesis 2:23

No other creature could fulfill him as could Eve, the one who was uniquely created for him. The bond of marriage joins spouses together in faithfulness to one another and the fruitfulness of loving parenthood, echoing the words of the psalmist:

“Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.”

Psalm 128:3

The mystery of Christ, however, has revealed something even more profound about marriage. Spouses are called to be sacramental images of Jesus’ relationship with the Church (see Ephesians 5:22–33). Therefore, every Christian family is a kind of “domestic Church.” As parents, husbands and wives are responsible for the catechesis of their children, teaching and forming them in the life of faith. This lofty, frequently difficult calling requires the special grace given by the sacrament and lived with increasing depth by faithful spouses. Experiencing life’s joys and sorrows together as a couple and as a family, those who are indissolubly joined together in sacramental marriage become a radiant image of Christ’s communion with the Church.

This same Church is ministered to by those who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders. Through this sacrament, Christ calls men to serve as bishops, priests, and deacons, who play particular roles in teaching, sanctifying, and governing the people of God. His one priesthood is communicated to men whose role is to be teachers and stewards of the mysteries of the faith. While they hold legitimate spiritual authority over the faithful, the ordained ministers of the Church are primarily called to selfless service of God’s people through word and sacrament.

Conduits of Grace

Such are the seven sacraments of the Church. While they are the ordinary means God uses to convey his grace, he is not prevented from acting through other means. That said, every grace comes from Christ and leads back to him, mystically present in his Church. Therefore, the sacraments are necessary for salvation, precisely because life in Christ as part of the Church is necessary for salvation. Elements of truth exist in other Christian communities, as well as in other religions, but these are “forces impelling toward Catholic unity.” As Catholics, though, we should rejoice that Jesus wishes to touch our lives personally through the sacraments he has given us in his Church. These conduits of grace are the continual source of spiritual renewal in the Christian life, which will be the subject of the entire remainder of the Catechism.

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