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 under which the sacraments are celebrated signify and realize the graces proper to each sacrament.
The sacraments are sensible signs (words and actions), accessible to our humanity, through which Christ acts and communicates his grace to us.
In the Catholic Church there are seven sacraments which are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Priestly Orders and Marriage. (Cf. Catechism of the Church nn. 1131, 1084, 1113.)
1. To this end, it begins by presenting the figure of Jesus Christ within the framework of faith in the Triune God. In Christ there is an excellent and unique relationship between an external and visible reality (his humanity) and a deep and invisible reality (his divinity). Everything in the Christian life depends on Christ. And therefore everything, and concretely Christian sacraments, participates in that double dimension, visible and invisible, external and internal, signifier and signified, which is given to us in Christ.
Christ is the Eternal Word (the eternal Word, Son of the Father) of God who, through the work of the Holy Spirit, became the Word made flesh for us and for our salvation. Thus it is understood that, also by the action of the Holy Spirit, some human words -accompanied by certain gestures and other elements - can be, in the Christian sacraments, at once "words of God". That is to say, words that communicate truths and contents that come from God and that, at the same time, effectively produce his presence as effective signs of his action.
The key to this dialogue that God establishes with us - first in his Son made visible flesh for us and now through the sacraments that prolong and bring us closer to his saving action. is the action of the Holy Spirit. This is how the document explains it: "If the Holy Spirit is true God, then he can open us to God and introduce us to the divine life by means of sacramental signs" (n. 18).
Since the creation of the world -God has been revealing himself to us, so that all beings are certain signs or reflections of God. We men and women in particular have been made in the "image and likeness" of God. We are "signs" of a deeper reality which is the being and beauty of God, who is, in his intimate life, a communion (Trinity) of persons. And this is manifested both in our language and in our activity. Both are directed to the communication of truth and good among people.
At the apex of this divine pedagogy or economy of dialogue and "signification" (sacramental economy) is Christ. According to the Western Christian tradition, a sacrament is a "sign and instrument" of salvation. Well, this is so because the sacraments come from Christ -They are instituted by Him and unite us to Him. Christ is, according to the Christian Tradition, the "original or primordial sacrament". of God the Father. That is to say, Christ is a sacrament not in the sense of the seven sacraments, but in a much more original and radical sense, in that he is, par excellence, the Sign and Instrument of the love of God the Father for our salvation.
"In Jesus Christ, as the summit of history and the fullness of the time of salvation (cf. Gal 4:4), there is given the the closest possible unity between a creaturely symbol, his humanity, and the symbolized, the saving presence of God in his Son in the midst of history.. The humanity of Christ, as humanity inseparable from the divine person of the Son of God, is a 'real symbol' of the divine person. In this supreme case, the created communicates to the highest degree the presence of God" (n. 30).
Thus, we see how all of God's revelationwhich has become full in Jesus Christ, has this double characteristic: it is at the same time "...".sacramental "(made up of signs, meaningful gestures and words) and "dialogal"(because God addresses us personally with a dialogue of love, offering us salvation in the participation of his divine life). For this reason faith expresses itself and grows in the sacraments and vice versa, without faith the sacraments are empty of meaning.
"Jesus Christ concentrates the foundation and source of all sacramentalitywhich then unfolds in the various sacramental signs that generate the Church" (n. 31).
Christ institutes the sacraments so that the salvation He brings us may be adapted to our way of being human. Christian sacraments have visible and material elements (as we have and are body). And they signify invisible and immaterial realities (as we also have and are spirit).
R. Van der Weyden, Triptych of the seven sacraments (h. 1440-1445),
Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp (Belgium)
2. The Second Vatican Council has called to the Church "universal (general or fundamental) sacrament of salvation". always in dependence on Christ. The term sacrament is also used here in a broader and more fundamental sense than to designate the seven sacraments, but always in dependence on Christ. Precisely because of Christ's will in union with him, the Church is the sphere, the mother and the home, the body where the sacraments of the Christian life and other realities (such as the reading of Sacred Scripture, or the so-called "sacramentals" - signs, like holy water, that dispose us to the sacraments or sanctify the circumstances of life) are celebrated and lived. Thus, thehe very life of Christians becomes a "sacrament". (sign and instrument, living icon, effective expression) of salvation for many others.
Everything in Christianity happens to have this characteristic or dimension of "....sacramentalityThe Church's "sacrament" is manifested in different ways and intensities, starting with Christ and the Church, and very concretely, although not exclusively, in the concrete or particular sacraments.
The risen Christ lives and acts in the Church through the Holy Spirit. Certainly the grace of God-the saving action of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit-is not limited to the sacraments, and even acts outside the visible Church, but not outside the Mystery of the Church.
For this reason, the document affirms: "The Church affirms that the grace that justifies and gives salvation and, therefore, true faith is given also outside the visible Church, but not independently of Jesus (primordial sacrament) and the Church (fundamental sacrament)" (n. 37).
Consequently, the sacraments lose their meaning without faith. And faith opens the door to sacramental life. That is why the transmission of faith requires the transmission, at the same time, of doctrinal content of an intellectual nature together with sacramental life (cf. n. 41), to bear fruit in the ordinary life of Christians.
Therefore, the sacraments are "sacraments of faith". and faith has a "sacramental structure" (For this reason, "the awakening of faith involves the awakening of a new sacramental sense of human life and of Christian existence, in which the visible and material is open to the mystery of the eternal" (Ibid.).
Without faith, the Christian sacraments could be understood in a "mechanical" sense. or "magic", that is, as an automatism completely foreign to its dialogical character within the sacramentality of the divine "economy". Moreover, it must be kept in mind that "the same faith is not required for all the sacraments nor in the same circumstances of life" (n. 45).
Thus, the whole of the divine pedagogy or economy is sacramental because it is "incarnational". (cf. Ibid.): it is there to bring the fruits of the incarnation of the Son of God to people and to the world. "The loss of the sacraments," said J. Ratzinger, "is equivalent to the loss of the incarnation and vice versa.
This has consequences in terms of concern for the material and spiritual needs of all. We should add that, in the image of Christ and in union with him, salvation seeks to become "the image of Christ".meat"In us and through us, with our free cooperation. This, as Pope Francis likes to say, is concretized in closeness, in love and mercy towards the human creature, especially towards the most fragile and vulnerable. "Sacramentality always involves a missionary character, of service for the good of others" (n. 33).
The above is equivalent to saying: "No one receives the sacraments exclusively for himself, but also to represent and strengthen the Church, which, as a means and instrument of Christ (cf. Lumen gentium, 1) it must be a credible witness and an effective sign of hope against all hope, witnessing to the world the salvation of Christ, God's sacrament par excellence. Thus, through the celebration of the sacraments and the proper living of them, the Body of Christ is strengthened" (n. 79).
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3. Consequently: "In the Christian conception it is not possible to think of a faith without sacramental expression (as opposed to subjectivist privatization), nor of a sacramental practice in the absence of ecclesial faith (against ritualism)" (n. 51). Personal faith is the response in this dialogue that God establishes with mankind throughout the history of salvation. By its very constitution, faith is nourished, strengthened and manifested by the sacraments, which, in turn, require faith.
The Triune God has entered into dialogue with mankind through signs. Among these signs, the sacraments occupy a very prominent place, for "they are those signs to which God has linked the transmission of his grace in a certain and objective way." "Indeed, the sacraments of the new Law are efficacious signs that transmit grace" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1084).
The last part of this chapter provides concrete elements on the relationship between faith and sacraments:
a) some summary points: 1) The Christian sacraments possess a educational purpose because they teach us how Jesus works; 2) The sacraments assume the faith as access to the sacraments (so that they do not remain an empty rite or are interpreted as something "magical") and as a condition for them to personally produce the gifts that they objectively contain; 3) The sacraments manifest the subject's faith (personal dimension) and the Church (ecclesial dimension), as a lived and coherent faith, so that there can be no celebration of the sacraments outside the Church: she celebrates them, she "makes" them; and the sacraments "make" the Church, they build her up as the family of God and make it possible for us to live in her and through her; 4) The sacraments nourish faith inasmuch as they communicate grace and efficaciously signify the mystery of salvation (cf. n. 57).
In this way, "through faith and the sacraments of faith - by the action of the Holy Spirit we enter into dialogue, in vital contact with the Redeemer, who is seated at the right hand of the Father" (Ibid.).
b) In addition, the reciprocity between faith and sacraments is highlighted if we consider two other essential aspects (cf. n. 59):
1) the sacramental celebration relates to the history of salvation (e.g., water together with the invocation to the Trinity, produces in baptism the effect of forgiveness of sins).
2) Terminologysacramentum" is the Latin translation of the Greek "mysterion". The "mysteries" that are celebrated in the Church (sacraments) are the following are rooted in the "Mystery" of Christ (Cf. Eph 3:9: the wisdom of God hidden for centuries and revealed in Christ, although this Mystery always surpasses us). In addition, "sacramentum" originally means "sacred oath" and carries with it a commitment of fidelity and love.
Lhe sacraments lose their meaning without faith. And faith opens the door to sacramental life."
The reciprocity between faith and the sacraments has implications for catechesis -faith formation - from the first centuries. Faith and sacraments require one another y its framework is the Christian life in the family of the Church.
This catechesis must have as its center the "paschal mystery" of the death and resurrection of the Lord, from which both the faith and the sacraments of the Church derive. Catechesis should also be "mystagogy" (introductory to the mysteries), to prepare for the confession of faith (explaining its contents), which originally takes the form of dialogue, and to participate fruitfully in the sacraments. In a progressive way, the faith, shaped by the personal and loving relationship with Christ, asks to be manifested in the love of God and neighbor (charity). In this way it can be a living faith and is thus the beginning of eternal life in the Christian and the foundation of our hope.
Without adequate formation, the sacraments cannot be properly lived and understood. Because of their dialogical" characterIn them, through simple symbols (water, oil, light and fire, etc.), God offers us his words of love - ultimately his very Word made flesh: Christ - effective in giving us his saving grace; and he waits for us to accept them. loving response with the coherence of our livesFaith is the key that opens the entrance into that world which makes sacramental realities truly become signs that signify and effectively bring about divine grace" (n. 67).
Validity and fruit of the sacraments. When celebrated in the right way, the sacraments always produce what they mean (validity). In order for them to have all their fruitIn addition, faith in the one who receives them, together with the positive intention to receive what is signified therein, is also required. Thus, "every fruitful reception of a sacrament is a communicative act and thus forms part of the dialogue between Christ and the individual believer" (n. 68). In this way, the Christian sacraments reflect the Alliance that God has wanted to establish with mankind in the history of salvation.
By means of the sacraments, the Christian becomes "living sacrament of Christ" with his own life and participates in the very priesthood of Christ ("common priesthood of the faithful").
This is how a central affirmation in this document is understood: that the person is called to lead creation, through a "cosmic priesthood".towards its true purpose: the manifestation of the glory of God (cf. n. 27). In other words: through persons, all creation can and must be a "book" (the book of nature) and a "way" (a way of friendship and love) so that God may be known and loved. And at the same time, men and women, united in the divine life, can be, in earthly life and after it, happy. The sacraments of Christianity, in fact, allow us to live this "integral ecology" that our faith demands today.
This begins in the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist). In the face of the deficiencies, wounds and sins of the Christian life, the Church administers to us the sacraments of healing (Penance or confession of sins and Anointing of the sick).
The Christian life, which is a sacramental life, develops and grows in the context of the ecclesial communityThe sacraments of Holy Orders and marriage serve this purpose. Thus the Church is family and Christian families can be "domestic churches" (small churches or house churches), where Christian life is learned for the good of the Church and the world.
Analysis of the Document of the International Theological Commission entitled "The reciprocity between faith and sacraments in the sacramental economy."
Mr. Ramiro Pellitero Iglesias
Professor of Pastoral Theology
Faculty of Theology
University of Navarra
Published in "Church and new evangelization".
