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C.F.P.

Shanahan Religion August 19, 2013 Word Count: 681 Wk1d1 Grade:

The Nature of the Sacraments


Grace is necessary for a person to get to Heaven; without grace, there can be no salvation. A person can be a Catholic, but if they are hypocritical, than they will not go to Heaven. Without grace, no good works can be done towards our salvation. For example, we could feed the hungry in the name of humanity, but if it is not done in the name of God out of our love for him, then we are not furthering our agenda to get to Heaven. Even in some rare cases, nonCatholics can get to Heaven; this is because God is merciful. This can only happen when that person has grace; they must will the good; they must seek after the truth fervently (this would lead them eventually to Catholicism); if they are unable to receive baptism, the must fervently desire it. In all of these cases, grace is necessary for a person to get to Heaven There are two ways to get grace; the first way is through asking Jesus for grace via prayer. The second way is to receive grace through the sacraments. There is a key difference between these two ways of getting graces. The sacraments produce grace in us; prayer obtains it for us.1 The exact definition of a sacrament is this: A sacrament is an outward or sensible sign instituted by Christ through which inward grace is imparted to the soul. The three requirements of a sacrament are: an outward sign, producing grace within us, and institution by Christ. An outward sign must be something that can be sensed by the human being: it can be via sight, smell, sound, etc. Now this requirement is broken down into two separate parts. There is the matter and the form. The matter is the action or the item that administers the sacrament. The bread and wine consecrated for the sacrament of Holy Eucharist or the Laying on of Hands by the Bishop at Conformation. The matter can be further subdivided into that which is proximate and remote. In relation to Baptism, Water in itself is the remote, the pouring of the water the proximate matter of the Sacrament of Baptism.2 The form consists of the words said by the person administering the sacrament in relation to the matter: the consecration at mass or the formula used by the Bishop for Confirmation.

1 2

Mass and the Sacraments, Fr. John Laux, PG.1 Ibid. PG.2

The second requirement is that of producing inward grace. This is one of the differences between sacraments and prayer, because sacraments produce internal grace. When the priest absolves one from their sins, that person is actually cleansed from all that they confessed. During Baptism, as soon as the priest pours the water over the recipients head and pronounces the form, that person is cleansed of original sin and the seal of Christ imprinted upon their soul. The third requirement is that the institution be founded by Christ. Baptism was instituted by Christ at the river Jordan when John the Baptist poured water over his head and the Holy Ghost came down from Heaven with the blessing of God. Similarly, at the Last Supper, when Christ blessed the bread and wine, he was instituting the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. Christ instituted visible signs to impart his grace for several reasons. Since man is imperfect, he often needs a visible sign to believe that something invisible is happening. A physical sign can point ones attention towards the graces gained. All of the sacraments have a degree of ceremony attached to them. These ceremonies prepare us for the sacraments; they impress upon us the solemnity of the sacrament.3 The sacraments have several different parts, all of which are necessary. The requirements that make a sacrament a sacrament are all important. Without the institution by Christ, it would not have the same effect. The sacraments are one of Gods instruments by which we can get grace.

Mass and the Sacraments, Fr. John Laux, PG. 3

Bibliography: 1. Laux, Fr. John. Mass and the Sacraments. New York: Benziger Brothers: 1928, 1934

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