WE ARE SACRAMENTAL

What Are Sacraments?

Sacraments stand at the heart of Christian life and worship. They are not abstract ideas or empty rituals, but concrete ways in which God meets His people with grace. Through the sacraments, the saving work of Jesus Christ becomes present and effective in the lives of believers.

We have inherited our sacramental understanding from the wider Christian tradition, especially the teachings of early church fathers, as well as early theologians such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, while refining that inheritance during the English Reformation.

Sacraments as Sacred Signs

One of the earliest and most influential definitions of a sacrament comes from St. Augustine, who taught that a sacrament is a holy sign. In this understanding, a sacrament uses visible, tangible elements to reveal and communicate an invisible spiritual reality.

Water, bread, wine, oil, and the spoken word are not merely symbolic reminders. God uses them to accomplish what they signify. In Baptism, the washing with water is joined to the forgiveness of sins and entry into God’s family. In the Eucharist, bread and wine are not only signs pointing toward Christ—they are the means by which Christ truly gives Himself to His people.

In this way, sacraments are visible signs of invisible grace.

Christ at Work Through the Sacraments

Sacraments are not human inventions or acts of religious devotion alone. Christ Himself is the true minister of every sacrament. Their effectiveness does not depend on the personal holiness of the priest but on Christ’s promise and action.

Another way to understand the sacraments is to see them as extensions of the Incarnation. Just as God once made Himself known through the physical body of Jesus, He now continues to make His saving work present through physical means. The sacraments allow believers in every generation to share in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

Why God Uses Sacraments

St. Thomas Aquinas reflected deeply on why God chose to work this way. He observed that human beings learn and understand through their senses. We touch, see, taste, hear, and experience the world physically. Because sin has clouded our spiritual perception, God chose to reveal His grace in ways we can perceive and trust.

Christ’s earthly life clarified God’s truth by revealing holiness in human flesh. After Christ’s Ascension, the sacraments became the appointed means through which His grace continues to reach us. They engage the senses, involve the body, and draw us into God’s saving action in a way that purely intellectual faith cannot.

More Than Symbols: Grace That Acts

Sacraments are not merely symbolic gestures. They do something. They do not only point to grace; they actually convey it.

This conviction is clearly expressed in our formularies, which describe the sacraments as “effectual signs of grace.” Through them, God works invisibly in believers—strengthening faith, deepening trust, and drawing the Church more fully into communion with Christ.

As the Nicene Creed proclaims, Christians believe in Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, not simply as a public testimony.

The Number of the Sacraments

Following the ancient Church, we recognize seven sacraments. Among these, Baptism and the Holy Eucharist are called the Sacraments of the Gospel, because they were directly instituted by Christ and are generally necessary for salvation.

The remaining five—Confirmation, Confession, Marriage, Ordination, and Holy Unction—are fully sacramental in nature but are distinguished by their particular purpose and context within the life of the Church.

This distinction does not diminish their spiritual power; it simply reflects their different roles within Christian life and discipleship.

Receiving the Sacraments Faithfully

While sacraments always carry God’s offer of grace, they must be received properly. Faith, repentance, and sincere desire are essential. Scripture warns that receiving the sacraments carelessly or without faith can be spiritually harmful rather than life-giving.

Clear conditions for sacramental validity include proper form, appropriate material elements, lawful ministry, and the intention to do what the Church understands Christ to have commanded.

Baptism stands as the gateway to the sacramental life; no other sacrament is received apart from it.

Grace Offered, Grace Received

In agreement with the wider catholic tradition-- God always offers grace through the sacraments. Yet grace can be resisted. When a person actively rejects God or the meaning of a sacrament, the grace offered is not received—not because God withholds it, but because the heart is closed to it.

The sacraments remain God’s faithful invitation to healing, renewal, and union with Him.

Sacraments for All God’s People

One of the great gifts of the sacramental life is its accessibility. Sacraments do not depend on intellectual ability or emotional eloquence. Children, the elderly, the distracted, and the infirm all encounter God through water poured, bread broken, words spoken, and hands laid on.

Through the sacraments, God meets His people where they are—with grace that can be seen, touched, tasted, and trusted.

A Gift of Grace

The sacraments are not optional extras or mere religious customs. They are God’s chosen instruments for forming the Church into the Body of Christ. Through them, believers are drawn out of the old life and into the new life won by Christ—the Second Adam—who continues His saving work in the world.

They show us grace.

They give us grace.

And they shape us for eternal life.