Quotes About Sacrament

Faith, as such, is merely a dispositive cause of justification,— part of its causa materialis, — whereas a Sacrament is a true efficient cause, though, of course, dependent for its efficacy on the disposition of the recipient, as upon a condition, because " wet wood can not catch fire." 23

Two elements, the one objective, the other subjective, enter into the composition of every Sac rament : the external rite and the interior intention.

Hence, if one places an obstacle to sacramental grace, 4 he receives the Sacra ment unworthily, but the Sacrament itself is not invalid; it is valid but lacking its proper form (validum et in-forme).

If his contrition is not perfect, the unworthily received Sacrament of Baptism can re cover its effects only in connection with Penance, which blots out mortal sin ex opere operato, and removes the obstacle that prevented the infusion of grace.

A Sacrament (sacramentum tantum) and the sacra mental grace which it confers (res tantum, effectus) are two separate and distinct things. A Sacrament does not fulfil the whole purpose for which it was instituted unless it actually confers grace.

Baptism is a Sacra ment instituted by Christ, in which, by the out ward washing of the body with water, with in vocation of the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity, man is spiritually reborn and sanctified unto life everlasting.

We do not "adore bread" (adoratio panis, d/oroAarpeta), because, according to Catholic teaching, the substance of bread is no longer present in the Holy Eucharist and we give no separate adoration to its acci dents. The object of our adoration is the totum sacra-mentale. 1

THE MINISTER OF A SACRAMENT MUST BE IN THE WAYFARING STATE. —This condition ex cludes the angels and the departed. Christ con ferred His powers upon living men, 3 and the Apostles in their turn chose living men for their successors. 4 "It is those who inhabit the earth, and walk upon it," says St. Chrysostom, "who are called to administer heavenly things, and who have received a power which God has granted neither to the angels nor to the archangels.

According to Catholic teaching the remote matter of Baptism is natural water; its proximate matter is the act of external washing; while the sacramental form is con tained in the words: " I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

The dogma of Transub-stantiation implies that the entire substance of the bread and the entire substance of the wine are converted, respectively, into the substances of the Body and Blood of Christ, and that the con version takes place in such a way that "only the appearances of bread and wine remain.

As the sacramental sign is the inanimate medium of grace, 16 so the minister is its animate instrument in the hands of Christ.

The Church has always regarded the admin istration of a Sacrament in the state of mortal sin as a sacrilege, and insists on the personal sanc-

tity of her priesthood; 20 but she has never condi tioned the validity of a Sacrament on the moral worthiness of the minister. Her early teaching on the subject is clearly apparent from the writ ings of St. Optatus of Mileve and St. Augustine against the Donatists.

There is, first, the actual intention, operating with the full advertence of the intellect. When a minister wishes here and now to confer, e. g., the Sacrament of Baptism, he has an actual intention. Secondly, there is the virtual intention. Its force is borrowed from a previous volition, which is accounted as continuing in some result produced by it. Thus, if a

The form of Baptism consists in the words accompanying the ablution. There are two essential parts: (i) the verbal designa tion of the baptismal act, and (2) the express in vocation of the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity.

Matrimony is not only a Sacrament, but it is also a con tract requiring the mutual consent of both parties. There can be no true consent without an intention to get married.

Alterations in the formula of Baptism may or may not affect its substance. Substantial changes render the Sacrament invalid ; purely accidental changes do not. It would be a substantial change, for instance, to omit all reference to the act performed, or to neglect to invoke the Three Persons of the Trinity.

Christ, in whom godhead and manhood are so inti mately united, is as it were a living Sacrament — the personal and visible embodiment of uncreated grace. Similarly His Church, as the mystical image of the Hypostatic Union, is the visible medium of supernatural life, and therefore preeminently a sacramental institu tion.

The confectio of a Sacrament, i. e. the combina tion of matter and form into the sacramental sign, is not necessarily of itself a sacramental act, but indifferent and ambiguous, inasmuch as the minister, being a free agent, may act with any one of a number of different purposes, e. g., to practice, to play a joke, to make a mockery of religious ceremonies, etc. It depends entirely on his free will whether what he does is intended as a

Alexander III decided that it would render Bap tism invalid to omit the words : " I baptize thee," and simply to say : " In the name of the Father," etc. 53 As all Three Divine Persons must be expressly mentioned, it would likewise be invalid to baptize " in the name of the Most Holy Trinity.

The effect of this Sacrament [Baptism] is the remission of every sin, original and ac tual.

St. Thomas 29 recommends Christian rulers, " for the honor of the Sacrament," to remit capital punishment to convicted pagans who ask for Baptism, and the Roman Catechism repeats the recommendation.

under certain conditions, the place of Baptism by water (baptismus fiuminis) may be supplied by Baptism of desire (baptismus flaminis) or by Baptism of blood (baptismus sanguinis).

If the desire for Baptism is accompanied by perfect con trition, we have the so-called baptismus ftaminis, which forthwith justifies the sinner, provided, of course, that the desire is a true votum sacramenti, i. e. y that it implies a firm resolve to receive the Sacrament as soon as opportunity offers.