The What, Why, and How of the Sacraments

“And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all.” (Lk. 6:19)

Sacraments are sacred signs. The sacraments of the Old Law were significations of grace, but did not cause grace. They were fulfilled and replaced by Christ when He instituted the sacraments of the New Law, which are both a signification and cause of grace. They are tools through which Christ’s power operates. When the Church speaks of sacraments, she speaks of the New Law’s sacraments.

Christ instituted the sacraments for our salvation, and, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, they “take away the defects consequent on past sins . . . and . . . perfect the soul in things pertaining to Divine Worship in regard to the Christian Religion.” Our salvation is made possible through the power of Christ’s passion, which gives effect to the sacraments. St. Thomas Aquinas writes, “God’s grace is a sufficient cause of man’s salvation. But God gives grace to man in a way which is suitable to him. Hence it is that man needs the sacraments that he may obtain grace.” The sacraments are necessary for our salvation.

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There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Penance, Eucharist (called “the Blessed Sacrament”), Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. Christ instituted these seven, and they can neither be added to nor subtracted from. The sacraments of character (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders) leave an indelible mark upon the recipient’s soul and can only be administered once.

Sacraments are composed of form and matter. Matter is the material of the sacrament, such as the water of Baptism or the unleavened bread and wine of the Eucharist. Form is the words said by the minister of the sacrament, changing, through Christ’s power, the nature of the matter.

Just as the number of sacraments cannot be changed, neither can their form and matter. If either are substantially changed (such as using coffee in Baptism rather than water, or saying “We baptize you . . .”), the sacrament does not occur. Further, the minister must intend to perform the sacrament as the Church teaches.

The use of both form and matter, the immaterial and material, in the sacraments is fitting for our nature as immaterial and material beings composed of soul and body. They effectively extend the Incarnation through history, in which “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14), most especially in the Eucharist where Christ is present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

Each sacrament has an ordinary minister, and some have extraordinary ministers. For example, the ordinary minister of Baptism is a bishop, priest, or deacon, but, in cases of extreme necessity, anybody can act as extraordinary minister. However, there is no extraordinary minister of the celebration of the Eucharist: only a priest or bishop can celebrate the Mass.

Sacraments are valid when all essential aspects of the sacrament are present: form, matter, appropriate minister, and other requirements as taught by the Church. They are licit when they are in accord with Church law. A sacrament can be valid but illicit. For example, a laicized priest still has the indelible mark of Holy Orders upon his soul and, thus, can validly celebrate the Mass, but such would be illicit as his faculties have been revoked by the Church.

The sacrament’s validity does not depend upon the state of the minister’s soul. The sacraments act ex opere operato, or “by the work worked,” as through Christ the sacrament has effect rather than through the minister. If a priest is in a state of mortal sin and absolves somebody in confession, they are truly absolved. By virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, a priest acts in persona Christi Capitis, or “in the person of Christ the Head,” and thus stands in for Christ in the sacramental life.

Alongside personal prayer, the sacraments are the means of union with Christ. They ought to act as the cornerstone of our entire lives infused into our normal routines. St. Padre Pio said, “It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass.” We ought to attend Sunday Mass with greater devotion, and daily Mass more often. We should receive the Eucharist frequently in a state of grace. Frequent confession gives the necessary graces to overcome sins and weaknesses. If we are called to marriage or the priesthood, we should prepare ourselves for those each day by growing in virtue. Lord, give use the desire to seek to touch You and be healed, as the crowds did.