Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification. What this means is that the sacraments are not just mere signs; they do not merely signify Divine grace, but in virtue of their Divine institution, they cause that grace in the souls of those who receive them.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that:
The sacraments are efficacious (having the power to produce a desired result) 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.
The Church celebrates the sacraments as a priestly community structured by the baptismal priesthood and the priesthood of ordained ministers.
The Holy Spirit prepares the faithful for the sacraments by the Word of God and the faith which welcomes that word in well-disposed hearts. Thus the sacraments strengthen faith and express it.
The fruit of sacramental life is both personal and ecclesial. For every one of the faithful on the one hand, this fruit is life for God in Christ Jesus; for the Church, on the other, it is an increase in charity and in her mission of witness. (CCC 1131 – 1134)
As Catholics, we look to both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition to us understand the Faith. In that belief, we can take a look at just a few of the many examples we find supporting the Church’s teachings on Sacraments.
In Sacred Scripture we find expressions which clearly indicate that the sacraments are more than mere signs of grace and faith:
"Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5);
"not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5);
"Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17)
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life . . . For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink" (John 6:54-55).
These and similar expressions are, to say the least, very much exaggerated if they do not mean that the sacramental ceremony is in some sense the cause of the grace conferred.
Sacred Tradition clearly indicates the sense in which they have been interpreted in the Church. From the numerous expressions used by the Church Fathers, these are just a few:
"The Holy Spirit comes down from heaven and hovers over the waters, sanctifying them of Himself, and thus they imbibe the power of sanctifying" (Tertullian, On Baptism 4).
"Baptism is the expiation of sins, the remission of crimes, the cause of renovation and regeneration" (St. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Baptism of Christ).
"Explain to me the manner of nativity in the flesh and I will explain to you the regeneration of the soul . . . Throughout, by Divine power and efficacy, it is incomprehensible; no reasoning, no art can explain it" (St. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Baptism of Christ).
"He that passes through the fountain [Baptism] shall not die but rises to new life" (St. Ambrose, On the Mysteries I.4).
The Church Fathers were men that lived closer to the apostolic age then we do. Some of the earliest wrote proudly of teaching what they learned from an apostle themselves, or from someone that learned from an apostle. It was their faith and teachings that guided the early Christian communities and defended the faith against the many heresies (false teachings) that arose throughout the early centuries. It was their teachings that formed and defended what we hold today as “gospel truth” such as the divinity of Jesus, the Trinity, and the infallibility of scripture, to name a few.
St. Thomas Aquinas sums up the various aspect of the sacramental signs and the reason that they are important. “Therefore a sacrament is a sign that commemorates what proceeds it – Christ’s Passion; demonstrates what is accomplished in us through Christ’s Passion – grace; and prefigures what the Passion pledges to us – future glory. (STh III, 60, 3)
To learn more about each of the Seven Sacraments, feel free to the explanations for each of the submenu pages to the left. You can also find more information by checking out some of the other websites we recommend in the section titled Spiritual Grown Helpful Links