Traditional Catholic Teaching - Lesson 9

Lesson 9 - The Seven Sacraments

One thing everybody knows about the Catholic Church is that it has a lot of ceremonies. Sometimes non-Catholics consider these as so much mumbo-jumbo. Sometimes they even go so far as to say that these are not the kind of thing which appeals to a plain blunt Englishman. As a matter of fact the Englishman loves ceremonies, and as a general rule performs them better than anybody else in the world. Take, for instance, the impressive ceremonies at the cenotaph on Armistice Day or the dignified and inspiring ceremonial which surrounds the Crown.

Ceremonies Are Reasonable

The fact is that ceremonies are perfectly natural things. They are an outward expression of some inward reality. For example, you pass somebody you know in the street and you raise your hat. That is a ceremony. It is a salute expressing your inward respect for the other person.

You become engaged to the girl of your choice and you give her a ring. That is a ceremony. The unbroken circle of the ring signifies the unbroken loyalty you promise her. The Queen confers a knighthood on someone. She touches him on the shoulder with a sword. That is a ceremony. It expresses the fact that he must be prepared to beat blows in defence of the Queen. But it does something more. It actually gives him a special status. It makes him a different kind of person. It makes him a knight.

Christ Works Through Sacraments

Now ceremonies of the Catholic Church are of this kind. They are outward signs expressing some inward reality. But they are not just signs. They actually do something. They make the person on whom they are conferred a different kind of person.

We are speaking here especially of those seven ceremonies that we call the seven Sacraments. They are seven ordinary things or actions chosen by Our Lord to make us different persons. They signify an inward reality and they make us in some way different.

In the last lesson we said that the link between God and men had been broken by sin. Christ repaired that link. But Christ died nearly two thousand years ago, long before we were born. How does He continue His work in us? He continues it through His Church.

In His lifetime He worked through the human nature which He had taken. After His death and ascension into heaven He works through the Church that He founded.

In His lifetime He worked through His hands, His tongue, His eyes, etc. Now He works by means of the seven Sacraments which His Church administers to us.

Through these Christ as Head of the Church communicates to us His life and His Holy Spirit, and joins us to the Blessed Trinity.¹

The seven Sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Order and Matrimony. Seven ordinary things with an extraordinary meaning and extraordinary effects. Or, if you like, seven natural things with a more than natural meaning, a more than natural effect. (The word we use for "more than natural" is "supernatural". We shall use this from now on,) In short seven outward signs of inward grace.

¹ The Sacraments are not magical incarnations. Magic is an attempt by men to control God. The Sacraments are instruments chosen by God to influence men.

Baptism

Let us take, for example, Baptism. This is how it is given. A person pours water on the head of the one to be baptised saying at the same time these words: "I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost".

Washing with water is a perfectly ordinary thing. It cleanses stains. Our Lord takes that ordinary thing and says, in effect, when you wash with water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost then that washing becomes a supernatural thing. It washes away the stain of original sin. (See lesson 7.)

Or you may look at it another way. It is as though we went down and were buried in the water and then rose again to a new life with Christ Our Lord just as He was buried and rose again after His death.

What does Baptism do for us? It brings us to life again in a new way. We are born again of water and the Holy Spirit. Our Lord very early on in His public life told a man called Nicodemus who came to see Him secretly by night:

Unless a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God, Nicodemus saith to Him; how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born again? Jesus answered; Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man he born again of water and the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. (John 3: 1 – 5.)

In Baptism, then, we receive the supernatural life which we call Sanctifying Grace. It makes us Christians, children of God and members of the Church. We receive the Holy Spirit and from the Holy Spirit we receive the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.

The Gifts We Receive

This may sound strange. How, one might ask, can a newborn baby who is baptised be said to have faith (belief in God), hope (trust in God) and charity (love of God and our neighbour)? The point is that these virtues are like new faculties. They make it possible for us to know, love and trust God. We cannot use them until they are developed. But unless we had them we would be incapable of believing, trusting and loving God as we should.

In the same way a new-born child has an intelligence and a free will. It cannot use them until it is sufficiently developed. But unless it had them it would never be able to know or to will anything.

Moreover in Baptism we receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost (see previous lesson). But here, too, we must clear the ground to give them free exercise, by prayer, self-denial, self-discipline and the other virtues,

Actual Grace

We say that Baptism confers a character, rather as a disc of copper when stamped with the character of the Queen's head becomes a different kind of thing. It becomes a coin of the realm. That is why we are only baptised once. We are only born once.

Baptism by making us children of God guarantees that we will always have God's help for everything we need to live as a son of God. These helps of God we also call grace because they are free gifts of God. We call these Actual Graces because they are separate gifts of God given for separate actions.

If we understand now the idea of the Sacrament of Baptism we can understand, too, the idea of the other six Sacraments.

Confirmation

For every important moment of our life Our Lord has provided one of these outward signs of inward grace. We grow from Childhood into youth and so we need special helps and graces from God to meet the temptations which now assail us and to develop the spiritual powers of which we are now capable. And so here comes the Sacrament of Confirmation which guarantees us those graces.

Anointing with oil is a very ordinary thing. The athlete massages his limbs with oil to make them supple and strong for his contests. The laying on of hands is an ordinary gesture by which power is transmitted. (Every Cabinet Minister goes to kiss the Queen's hands when he is appointed,)

At Confirmation the bishop anoints with oil the head of the one to be confirmed. He says: "I sign thee with the Sign of the Cross and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost". Then he says: "Peace to thee" and taps the person on the cheek to show that he must be prepared to defend the Church of God, to be a soldier of Jesus Christ. In short Confirmation is a Sacrament which makes us strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ,

This Sacrament, too, confers a character. It makes us a different kind of person. We are now "grown-up" Christians. And so the Sacrament cannot be repeated. Just as in Baptism you are only born once, so in Confirmation you only grow up once.

Penance

There is a very ordinary instinct in man to share a guilty secret. Our Lord takes that ordinary instinct and makes it a Sacrament. If you confess your sins to a priest who has power to forgive them and if you are truly sorry for them then Our Lord does not simply promise you the ordinary relief that such an action commonly brings with it. This may or may not accompany confession. But Our Lord promises us a supernatural effect, the assurance that we are pardoned by God Himself. And this effect is certain. This Sacrament is treated of more fully later. (Lesson 13)

Holy Eucharist

Bread and wine are the most ordinary foods of mankind. Our Lord takes these and makes them into extraordinary supernatural things.

When the priest says over the bread and wine — "This is my body: This is my blood" they become the body and blood of Christ. Bread and wine are an ordinary natural food. The body and blood of Christ is an extraordinary supernatural food, the daily food of the spiritual life in our souls. (This Sacrament again will be treated of more fully in lessons 10 and 11.)

Matrimony

The marriage contract is a very ordinary thing. God takes it and makes it an extraordinary supernatural thing.

When two baptised Christians marry, that contract becomes a means of Christ's grace. The very use of their marriage and their living together in Christian wedlock increases in them the supernatural life and brings them nearer to God, (Lessons 14 and 15.)

And so at Birth (Baptism), adolescence (Confirmation), maturity (Marriage) there is a special sacrament provided by God. For our every day needs the forgiveness of sin and the constant spiritual food we need there is Penance and the Holy Eucharist.

Extreme Unction

For the last moments of our life when we need special help from God in our last weakness of body and spirit there is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, the last anointing. Anointing with oil naturally gives strength. Anointing with oil in Extreme Unction gives spiritual strength at that moment when we need it most. (Lesson 19.)

Holy Order

There is one other Sacrament. It is the Sacrament of Holy Order. This is the Sacrament by which bishops, priests and other ministers of the Church are ordained and are given power and grace to perform their sacred duties.

The outward sign is the laying on of hands and the words spoken by the bishop. It is this Sacrament which transfers to men the spiritual powers which Christ wishes to he continued in His Church.

When a priest is ordained he receives the power to offer Mass, to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ, to forgive sins, to bless and to perform the other duties of his office.

It will be seen that this Sacrament is giving him in great measure the powers of Christ Our Lord Himself. That is why this Sacrament, too, confers a character. It makes the ordained person a different kind of Person. St. Teresa used to call the priest another Christ.

The Sacrament of Holy Order confers a dignity on the one who is ordained which is higher than any other human honour. The dignity can be abused. There have been unworthy priests and their fall is the most tragic of all because they drag the dignity of Christ in the dust.

But if we understand what Holy Order does for a man we will understand the profound respect which a Catholic always has for a priest. He sees in the priest not just this or that individual. He sees him as the representative of Christ. And it may truly he said that with rare exceptions the Catholic priesthood worthily upholds this dignity.

Who Administers The Sacraments?

Who administers the Sacraments? Holy Order only a bishop can administer. Marriage is administered by the two people who are being married, though the Church normally insists on the presence of the priest as an official representative of the Church. Confirmation is normally administered by a bishop. But in certain circumstances a priest may administer it. The rest of the Sacraments are administered by a priest. But in case of necessity Baptism may be given by anybody.

It is important to remember that the minister of a Sacrament is an instrument of Christ. He is a free agent. But he is only an agent. It is Christ Who works through him. Provided that the right sign is made, that the right words are said and that the minister has the intention of doing what the Church intends the Sacrament will produce its effect.

The minister of a Sacrament is like a channel through which grace flows. Just as water will irrigate a garden whether it is borne along a pipe of lead or stone or silver or gold so grace will come into the soul whether the minister of the Sacrament he good or bad or indifferent. This is a great and consoling guarantee that Christ gives us. Of course if the minister of the Sacrament deliberately does not intend to do what Christ wishes then there will be no Sacrament administered. The Sacraments are not magic, they are human acts.

On the other hand grace will not produce its effect in our soul if we put an obstacle in its way. Say, for example, we are in a state of grievous sin when we go to Holy Communion. We receive the Body and Blood of Christ. But instead of increasing the grace in our soul we only add one more sin to the sins already there. He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself. (1. Cor. 11: 27)

The Sacraments Continue The Life Of Christ

So through the seven Sacraments Christ Our Lard is present at every moment of our lives. In fact you may say that we live over again in ourselves the life of Christ. We are buried with Him in Baptism and rise again to a new life. He gives us the Holy Ghost in Confirmation as He gave the Holy Ghost to His Apostles when He breathed on them and said: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

He forgives us our sins in Confession as He did to the paralytic when He said: Go in peace, thy sins are forgiven thee.

He gives us Himself in the Holy Eucharist as He gave Himself to His Apostles at His Last Supper when He said: Take ye and eat, this is My Body, Drink ye all of this, this is My Blood.

He is present at marriage as He was present when the young couple were married in Cana of Galilee.

He is present at the ordination of a priest when He gives him power to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass, as He was present at the Last Supper when He said to His Apostles: Do this for a commemoration of Me.

He is present at our death-bed by the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.

All the time it is the Church who is His representative. Christ lives on in His Church and so we come in contact with Him.

In the following lessons we shall go more fully into the Sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist, Matrimony and Extreme Unction.

How To Pray (iv)

Consolation And Desolation

It would seem at first sight that if we approach prayer in the way outlined in previous lessons in this courses we can always expect consolation and peace of mind from it. God always hears us. God invites us to talk to Him.

But we must be prepared for times of dryness when prayer does not came at all easily to us.
Dryness can even go so far as desolation, when we seem to be speaking to a blank wall with no response from God and not even tranquillity of mind as a result of our prayer. It is important to know just what to do when these times come.

Consolation is the state of mind when we see the will of God as good in itself and good for us. Our prayer comes easily. We have few distractions. We experience during it and at the end of it a calm of mind and heart which is clearly the gift of God. At such times thank God for the gift of consolation, make the most of it and store up the memory of it for the times of dryness that will surely come.

Desolation is that state of mind when "I hate those things that in my heart I love". I don't feel a bit like praying. The round of religious practices, even the Sacraments and the Mass seem empty and meaningless. God seems to have gone. None of my prayers are answered and far from experiencing tranquillity of heart and mind I know only disturbance, anxiety or maybe a cold and hard indifference.

This can be very disconcerting especially to one who is a beginner in the way of prayer. So the first thing to realise is that there is nothing surprising at all about this experience. The greatest saints have been through it and in a much more agonising way than any ordinary person feels it. Think of St. Teresa of Lisieux, who is popularly known as the Little Flower. Most people would probably think of her life as a continuous joyful conversation with God, with consolation and happiness flooding her soul. People might wistfully envy her tranquillity and serenity and the joy she must have got out of her prayer. In fact for years before her death she lived through a period of utter black desolation and dryness. She was tempted to doubt her own salvation. God seemed to be utterly removed from her. All the same she never stopped praying. Nor did she complain. She knew that these times were to be expected and she understood the value of them.

Times Of Desolation

This is the way to deal with them.

On no account give up praying or say less prayer. Rather say more prayer and especially do some act of self-denial. Mortification and self-denial are a tonic to the soul.
Keep on praying in the darkness of soul, holding on to God by faith.
Be quite certain that God will give relief and speedy relief and that you will experience consolation again.

These times are a test of our faith, God deliberately withdraws Himself for a while to see if we love Him enough and trust Him enough to keep on in the dark. Our religious life would be a very soft and flabby thing if we did not have some testing period like this.

The advice just given is valid for beginners in the spiritual life. But sometimes it happens that speedy relief does not come. The state of dryness and even of desolation may last for months and even for years as it did with St. Teresa and other saints. When this happens:

Keep up the regular round of prayer. Do not add more but say the ordinary ones more carefully and more patiently.
Make sure that there is self-denial and mortification in your life.
Thank God that He is allowing you to carry the cross with Him.

This last principle is of enormous importance. To understand it you must realise that the whole life of the Church is meant to reproduce through the ages the life that Our Lord lived while He was on earth. Every aspect of His life has to be shown forth and lived out in some way or other. The priest reproduces Our Lord's priestly life in offering the Mass, administering the Sacraments, preaching. The layman reproduces the life Our Lord led when He was a working man. The sick and the suffering when they bear their crosses patiently, reproduce the patient way of the cross which Our Lord trod to Calvary. In times of joy we reproduce the joy with which Our Lord thanked God His Father when He lived happily with Mary and Joseph or the Apostles afterwards.

Now there are some aspects of Our Lord's life which not everybody is able to reproduce, for example the desolation of spirit that was His during His agony in the garden, the desolation He allowed Himself to experience on the cross. He calls some of us to carry that same cross with Him. What we have to do is willingly to accept it as a cross and follow Our Lord's example in saying: "Thy will be done" as He did in the garden, and "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" as He did on the cross. In short we must make an act of faith. Accept the cross and carry it willingly.

This extreme of desolation will only rarely be asked by God. But everybody at one time or another will pass through the experience of dryness, it is well to be prepared and to be ready to cling on in the dark by faith when there seems to he a wall between God and ourselves.

Notice how very remote all this is from the attitude of mind which says: "If I pray when I don't feel like it I am being a hypocrite". Not so. Prayer has not necessarily anything to do with feeling. Feeling, which I have called consolation, is a bonus, a gift from God. Thank Him for it. But the true test of love is when one continues to love and to serve the beloved enough though all the superficial "feeling" is for the moment deadened or distracted.

End of Lesson 9

Supplement A

Supplement B: "They Worship Me in Vain"

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