Condition of Heart During Sacraments

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JamesJr

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I am trying to get an understanding of the Sacraments and Catholic faith as a Protestant interested in maybe becoming Catholic. Would it be inappropriate to view the Sacraments as exercises of faith? If a Catholic does not feel any faith in their heart as they perform Sacraments, are the saving effects of the Sacraments null? Is a confession invalid if the confessor is not penitent in his heart although they may say the prayers the priest prescribes to outwardly show penitence? Can someone help me reconcile my Protestant view of faith with the Catholic view. I believe that faith is dead without works and that good works proceed from true faith in Christ. To me this view seems reconcilable with Catholicism.
 
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That is helpful! But it does not talk about how faith relates to the Sacraments.
 
Sacraments are tangible signs of invisible grace.
JamesJr said:
If a Catholic does not feel any faith in their heart as they perform Sacraments, are the saving effects of the Sacraments null?
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We do not rely on feelings at all. Feelings are an “extra”. Intention and obedience to the Lord is how we “merit” those graces (I don’t like to imply we can earn grace or that it’s transactional, but you get the point, I hope.).
JamesJr said:
Is a confession invalid if the confessor is not penitent in his heart although they may say the prayers the priest prescribes to outwardly show penitence?
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The confessor = the priest. Penitent = the one confessing. Here, yes, your example may work but because of intention, not an emotion.

I think you’re getting there. Having grown up in Evangelical churches (and left them as a teen for Catholicism), I’m well aware, at least on some level, that Protestantism is very deeply intertwined with that emotional moment of getting saved and “how the Spirit moves you”. In Catholicism, I can have that emotional experience (anywhere) and have wonderfully meaningful “effective” prayers; but I can just as easily have them on the days I’m too tired and just not feeling like saying them but I do it anyway out of fidelity to my relationship with God.

It’s more like a marriage; I love my spouse all the time. It’s easy when we’re celebrating; it’s challenged when we’re ill or in disagreement, but we love each other no less. Hope that helps.
 
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I should tone down on my feelings based language, but I also have intention in mind as I try to reconcile my beliefs with the Catholic tradition. Intention is as important as I am hoping it is (and I am very hopeful), right? The heart needs to be in the right place so to speak I assume.

I didn’t know the terminology well. When I incorrectly said ‘confessor’, I meant the one confessing. Maybe I should have used the word ‘repentant’ instead of ‘penitent’.

What made you come into full communion with the Church?
 
The sacrament is what it is regardless of the faith of the recipient (or even minister); however for the graces to be fruitful towards one’s salvation, faith is necessary (at least some degree).

For example, the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ whether the recipient believes it is or not. However, if one receives it without believing this truth by faith, it does not sanctify:

1 Cor. 11:28 Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
 
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To “feel” such-and-such is not the same as to believe, or even to be rightly disposed to receive the sacraments (or to have contrition).

The question of how one can have true faith and yet not have hope and charity is a complex question - in short, we can distract ourselves from what we are intellectually committed to in various ways.
 
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