What is the purpose of Sacraments?

[Lady_Bug]

Hi,

I keeping hearing of the notion that sacraments are involved in “sanctifying grace” but for the life of me, I am having trouble figuring out what people mean by this. Maybe it’s a simple explanation but when people attempt to explain it, they end up using the word grace in the explanation when I don’t really know exactly what it means. It’s like asking someone what a word means, and using that word in the definition. It has a hard time making sense to me.

I have been inquiring into Catholicism for quite awhile. I understand that Catholicism is comprised of seven sacraments that were either explicitly or implicitly instituted. With the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the other Christian churches reject at least one of the seven sacraments.

My questions are:

1. What exactly is the purpose of a sacrament? If it is has to do with grace, what exactly does sanctifying grace mean? Can someone explain in plain English (lol) why sacraments are important?
2. Why would a particular congregation choose to reject a sacrament? And why is the rejection of a sacrament a bad thing?

 

[THurifer2]

A sacrament is a OUTWARD sign instituted BY CHRIST to give Grace. We are physical beings created by GOd with 5 senses. God CHOSE our 5 physical senses to relate to us and REVEAL himself to us. denial of Sacraments Cuts one off from the intended PHYSICAL aspect of salvation history. CHrist PHYSICALLY DIED for us. And Chirst instituted PHYsical acts and rituals to give us SALVIFIC grace. It goes back to the begining of Salvation history…Physical acts by the prophets to Christ who gave us the 7 physcial sacraments…its nothing new it goes back to the very begining when god created us physical beings in His image and likeness.

If we didn’t have the physical Characteristics and senses we couldn’t know God.

 

[dmar198]

I understand that Catholicism is comprised of seven sacraments that were either explicitly or implicitly instituted. With the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the other Christian churches reject at least one of the seven sacraments.

Catholic rituals include the seven sacraments, but the Catholic Church is not comprised in any total sense in the seven sacraments. I understand that the Episcopalian/Anglican churches also have the seven sacraments.

What exactly is the purpose of a sacrament? If it is has to do with grace, what exactly does sanctifying grace mean?

A sacrament is a physical rite given by God for the purpose of helping us to be more holy. “Grace” is an invisible expression of God’s favor and love, of the very Triune essence (for our triune God is love). So when we say that we are given “grace”, we mean that God is making us like Him in holiness. It would be adequate in this context to say that the “grace” which God gives us is “holiness”.

Can someone explain in plain English (lol) why sacraments are important?

They are important because Christ gave us these rites as a means to become holy, which is the essence of “Christ-like-ness” or “Christ-ian-ity”. It is one thing to believe Christianity; it is another thing to practice it. It is by the Sacraments primarily that we practice the Christian faith, and it is through them that we receive the grace to show our godly love to others and thus evangelize.

Why would a particular congregation choose to reject a sacrament?

Some schismatic Christian churches adopted an easier form of Christianity. They didn’t want to have to practice Christ-like-ness, but just to believe Him (“faith alone”) and have done. So they rejected the idea that we receive our righteousness and salvation through material means. Thus they denied the efficacy of the Sacraments. (Keep in mind that this does not apply to every non-Catholic Christian church, at least not wholly; the Lutheran formulation of “faith alone” includes faith put into practice, and Calvin the reformer wrote that we receive our salvation through Baptism and sustain it by the Eucharist; Anglicans have just as great a devotion to sacramental theology as Catholics do).

And why is the rejection of a sacrament a bad thing?

Rejection of Christ’s sacraments is a rejection of the means by which a person practices Christianity. It is thus a denial of the Church’s mysteries, i.e. of Christ’s Body which was destroyed for our salvation. Pray for the conversion of non-Catholic religions, if only that they may be partakers of Christ’s Body which was destroyed for us, and in which we find the Sacraments!

 

[iona_scribe]

Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It frees us from sin and santcifies us. To sanctify is to make holy (set apart for God).

So basically, God’s grace saves us from sin and makes us more Christlike. Catholics believe that taking part in the sacraments is essential to the process of our salvation because they are the means by which we receive His grace.

Someone feel free to correct me if my understanding is inaccurate. I hope that helps some

 

[MarieVeronica]

The definition of grace… from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Grace: The free and undeserved gift that God gives us to respond to our vocation to become His adopted children. As sanctifying grace, God shares His Divine Life and Friendship with us in a habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that enables the soul to live with God, to act by His love. As actual grace, God gives us the help to conform our lives to His Will. Sacramental grace and special graces (charisms, the grace of one’s state of life) are gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us live out our Christian vocation (1996, 2000; cf. 654)”.

Hope this helps. God bless.

 

[1ke]

In as plain English as I can explain it:

You have to have sanctifying grace in your soul to go to Heaven.

Original Sin deprived us of sanctifying grace, therefore it has to be infused into our soul by some method.

Christ instituted the Sacraments as the (normal) means to infuse the soul with sanctifying grace (Baptism), strengthen that grace to combat sin (Eucharist, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing), perpetuate the sacraments throughout time (Holy Orders), and restore grace to the soul when totally lost via mortal sin (Reconciliation).

So, you need grace to get to heaven and the Sacraments give us that grace.

Here’s an analogy: Our lungs require oxygen to breath and keep us alive physically. Grace is the oxygen for our souls-- it is what keeps us alive on a spiritual level and allows us to enter into the presence of God.

Does that explain it for you?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi,

I keeping hearing of the notion that sacraments are involved in “sanctifying grace” but for the life of me, I am having trouble figuring out what people mean by this. Maybe it’s a simple explanation but when people attempt to explain it, they end up using the word grace in the explanation when I don’t really know exactly what it means. It’s like asking someone what a word means, and using that word in the definition. It has a hard time making sense to me.

I have been inquiring into Catholicism for quite awhile. I understand that Catholicism is comprised of seven sacraments that were either explicitly or implicitly instituted. With the exception of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the other Christian churches reject at least one of the seven sacraments.

My questions are:

1. What exactly is the purpose of a sacrament? If it is has to do with grace, what exactly does sanctifying grace mean? Can someone explain in plain English (lol) why sacraments are important?
2. Why would a particular congregation choose to reject a sacrament? And why is the rejection of a sacrament a bad thing?

Sacraments are basically personal encounters with Christ Himself. Any person who had or has a personal encounter with Christ is in fact changed from that moment on. Christ himself instituted all seven Sacraments, To reject a Sacrament is to reject Christ Himself. In each of the Sacramental encounters Christ shares His own Divinity with us, this is Grace.

 

[AHapka]

The sacraments are Christ giving us something so that we absolutely know He is showing up. It’s a concession God is giving us.

God can work in our lives anytime and anywhere. However, with the Sacraments we are given specific situations where we know for sure He is there. Therefore our limited human minds do not always need to be kept guessing as to when God is present. For example, when we receive the Eucharist we KNOW it’s the Body and Blood of Christ (proper form and matter being present, of course). We don’t have to guess which Eucharist’s have the Real Presence.

In confession, we KNOW that Christ is forgiving us of our sins (again, proper form and matter being present). We don’t have to be wondering all the time “Did God really forgive me of that sin?” With the Sacrament, we know that Christ was there forgiving us through the ministry of the Priest. It certainly puts my mind at ease to know for sure.

It’s really for us, not for Him. And while we are bound by the Sacraments, God is not. That’s why we can hope babies who have died without Baptism are in Heaven.

Andy

 

[PetersKeys]

The sacraments are Christ giving us something so that we absolutely know He is showing up. It’s a concession God is giving us.

God can work in our lives anytime and anywhere. However, with the Sacraments we are given specific situations where we know for sure He is there. Therefore our limited human minds do not always need to be kept guessing as to when God is present. For example, when we receive the Eucharist we KNOW it’s the Body and Blood of Christ (proper form and matter being present, of course). We don’t have to guess which Eucharist’s have the Real Presence.

In confession, we KNOW that Christ is forgiving us of our sins (again, proper form and matter being present). We don’t have to be wondering all the time “Did God really forgive me of that sin?” With the Sacrament, we know that Christ was there forgiving us through the ministry of the Priest. It certainly puts my mind at ease to know for sure.

It’s really for us, not for Him. And while we are bound by the Sacraments, God is not. That’s why we can hope babies who have died without Baptism are in Heaven.

Andy

We don’t really know about babies who are not bapized. St. Augustine believed so much in the importance of the sacraments, like baptism, that he believed unbaptized infants did not goto heaven but did not go to hell either. This here shows how much the early christians viewed the importance of the sacraments

 

[AHapka]

We don’t really know about babies who are not bapized. St. Augustine believed so much in the importance of the sacraments, like baptism, that he believed unbaptized infants did not goto heaven but did not go to hell either. This here shows how much the early christians viewed the importance of the sacraments

That’s why I used the word “hope” since we are not sure. I hope I didn’t confuse anyone.