I.

CONCEPT NOTES

THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL

MEANING:
1. A sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace. (Our Catholic Faith – Bp. Louis Morrow)
2. Sacraments are holy actions and words instituted by Christ, which indicate and give us divine life. (The
Sacraments - Sr. Ma. Veritas Grau, FSP)
3. The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which
divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make
present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required
dispositions. (CCC 1131)

Essential Elements (from the definition):

1. Sign – holy actions and words – perceptible to one or more of our senses
2. Instituted by Christ (not even the Church can institute the sacraments)
3. Give grace (divine life)

Though Christ can infuse graces directly into our souls without the need of signs or any external aid. But more often,
Christ made use of external signs (cure of the blind man, five loaves of bread and two fishes, water into wine, etc.),
for He knew that our nature reaches understanding of the spiritual through sensible contact with reality. Similarly, in
the Sacraments, Christ makes use of specific signs through which He confers His grace.

The external sign is made up of three elements:

1. Matter – may be a material thing, such as bread and wine; or an action, such as the imposition of hands; or
combination of both(material thing and action), such as the pouring of water or the anointing with blessed oil.
2. Form – consists of the prescribed words that accompany the application of matter.
For the sacrament to be valid, it is necessary that matter and form be exactly as Christ established it.
3. Minister – a person authorized by Christ and the Church to administer the sacrament in the name of Christ.
-celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify.
-this is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation that the sacraments act ex opereoperato (literally: “by the
very fact of the action being performed’), that is, by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It
follows that “the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the
power of God. From the moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the
power of Christ and His Spirit acts in and through it, independent of the personal holiness of the minister.
Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them (CCC 1128).
-The sacraments of the Church now continue the works which Christ had performed during His earthly life.

What are the Sacraments of Christian Initiation? (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist)
-sacraments that establish the foundations of Christian life
-the faithful born anew by Baptism, are strengthened by Confirmation, and are then nourished by the
Eucharist

What are the Sacraments of Healing? (Penance, Anointing of the Sick)

-The new life given by Christ to us in the sacrament of Christian initiation can be weakened and even lost
because of sin.
-Christ willed that His church continue his work of healing and salvation by means of these two sacraments.
What are the Sacraments at the Service of Communion and Mission? (Holy Orders, Matrimony)
-they confer a special grace for a particular mission in the Church to serve and build up the People of God
-contribute in a special way to ecclesial communion and to the salvation of others

Why are there seven sacraments?

-from the teaching of the Church, from tradition and from Holy Scriptures, we know that Christ instituted only
seven sacraments
-Only Christ can institute a sacrament. The church has no power to institute a sacrament.
-There can only seven sacraments for Christ instituted.
-No sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the
supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily. CCC 1125

The Purpose of the Sacraments

CCC 1123 – The Purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ and, finally, to
give worship to God. SacrosanctumConcilium (The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), 59.
-sacraments are necessary for salvation

From whom do the sacraments receive their power to give grace?

-it is from Christ. The sacraments are actions of Christ. It is He who sanctifies those who receive the
sacraments.

What is Sanctifying Grace; Sacramental Grace?

1. Each sacrament possesses the power from God to make the soul of the recipient holy and pleasing to Him.
This supernatural power is termed sanctifying grace.

- Sanctifying grace is a habitual gift, a stable and permanent disposition that perfects the soul itself and enables
it to live with God, to act by His love. (CCC 2000)

- Sanctifying grace is abiding and permanent and is lost only by mortal sin. The sacrament that first gives this
grace is Baptism. The sacrament that restores this grace to those who lost it by sin is penance. The other
sacraments give an increase of sanctifying grace.

2. Each sacrament also gives a grace proper to itself, a special effect on the soul, distinct from the effects of
other sacraments: Sacramental grace.

- Sacramental grace are graces proper to each of the sacrament. (CCC 2003)

If received with proper dispositions, the sacraments always give grace. They derived their efficacy from Christ;
consequently they give grace of themselves, as long as we have the right dispositions.

Sacraments of the Living and Sacraments of the Dead

a. Sacraments of the Dead – sacraments that have for their purpose to give supernatural life of sanctifying
grace to souls spiritually dead.
- Sacraments of the dead – infuse divine life into a soul dead because of sin (baptism, reconciliation)
Baptism – the first sacrament to give sanctifying grace (supernatural life)
Penance and Reconciliation – it restore souls dead in sin to the life of sanctifying grace.
 b. Sacraments of the Living – sacraments that have for their purpose to give more grace to souls already
spiritually alive through sanctifying grace.
(Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, Matrimony)
– They increase grace in the person; they have to be received in the state of grace
It is sacrilege to receive the sacraments of the living if one is not in the state of grace.

What are the Sacraments that can be received only once?

Answer: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders

-The three sacraments confer an official and permanent status within the Church.
-This is because these sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders) imprint on the soul a spiritual
mark or character, which consists in a special dedication to Christ. This mark is indelible, and is not effaced by
anything, not even mortal sin. It will be borne by the soul for all eternity, for its greater glory if in heaven, and for its
greater glory if in hell.

Character – an indelible mark on the soul which unites it in a special way to Christ. Because of this, a sacrament
can only be received once: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders

Ex. -A priest will be known as a priest forever by the mark on his soul, whether he be in heaven or in hell.
-Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, and Matrimony leave no indelible mark, and may be
received more than once.
*Anointing of the Sick – could not be received more than once in the same sickness
*Matrimony – cannot be repeated until one of the parties die
*The more often Penance and Holy Eucharist are received, the better for the soul

HISTORY OF THE SACRAMENTS

-the first term to be used to refer to what we understand now as the sacraments is the Greek term
“mysterion.” It is a word that comes from pagan religious vocabulary.

-The mysterion were the non-public cults to which a person is introduced through rites of initiation which had to
be kept absolutely secret. Here, mysterionmeans something hidden or secret (it has no particular religious connotation).

-The term was given by St. Paul a Christian sense. For him, the word - mysterion, denotes God’s plan
(Ephesians 1:9, …he has made known to us the mystery of his will…), and even Christ in person, as one who
reveals this plan (1 Corinthians 2:1…when I came to you brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery
of God.., Colossians 2:2…I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the
riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery, that is Christ himself…)

Tertullian, in 210, preferred the Latin “sacramentum” because the term mysterion is easily confused with the
pagan mysteries. Looking for an equivalent of the Greek word mysterionfor his Latin-speaking audience, he adopted
the term sacramentum.

-The term sacrament comes from the Latin word, “sacramentum”

Sacramentum (Pre-Christian times) –a pledge of money or property which was deposited in a temple by parties to
a lawsuit or contract, and which was forfeited by the one who lost the suit or broke the contract

-In either case, the “sacramentum” involved a religious ceremony in a sacred place.

THE SACRAMENTS: EFFICACIOUS SIGNS OF GRACE

 All the sacraments either give or increase grace, but each sacrament has its own proper effect. St. Thomas
says each sacrament meets one of our seven spiritual needs (corresponding to our seven basic material needs).

1. Baptism – sacrament of our spiritual birth; grafts us into Christ’s mystical body
2. Confirmation – sacrament of our spiritual maturity; makes us Christ’s mature witnesses on earth
3. Holy Eucharist – gives nourishment to the soul; unites us with Christ in love
4. Reconciliation – Healing of our spiritual wounds; reconciles us with Christ when we have strayed from Him
because of sin
5. Anointing of the Sick – Spiritual emergency help; unites us with the dying Christ
6. Holy Orders – provides us with spiritual leaders; unites us with Christ the High Priest
7. Matrimony – provides new citizens for the Kingdom; elevates the love of the spouses in Christ’s love for the
Church

SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS / MATERIALS

Want to find out more? For further readings, seethe Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), The Seven
Sacraments of the Church, No. 1667– 1690.

REFERENCES
Catechism of the Catholic Church. Manila: ECCE/Word and Life Publications, 1994.