GRACE
Grace
1. What is grace?
Grace
is the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to
become children of God, partakers of the divine nature, and of eternal life
(cf. Rom
2. What is sanctifying grace?
Sanctifying
grace is the grace which heals our human nature wounded by sin by giving us a
share in the divine life. It is an habitual gratuitous gift from God, a stable and enduring
supernatural disposition to live with God and act by his love. A person in
possession of sanctifying grace is said to be living in the state of
grace. [glossary,
2023*, 2024*, 1999, 2000].
3. What is actual grace?
Actual
graces are God's interventions, the helps that he gives us to conform our wills
to his will, and his assistance to avoid sin and do good. [2024*, 2000].
4. What is sacramental grace?
Sacramental
grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit coming to us through reception of a
sacrament. [2003].
5. What are some examples of special graces?
Among
the special graces are the graces that accompany the exercise of the
responsibilities of the Christian life, and of ministries within the Church.
Special graces of the Holy Spirit called charisms are sometimes extraordinary,
such as the gift of miracles or of tongues.
[2003, 2004].
Justification and Merit
6. What is justification?
Justification
is the gracious action of God which frees us from sin and communicates to us
"the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ" (Rom
7. What does justification accomplish?
Justification
detaches man from sin, brings about the pouring of faith, hope and charity into
our hearts, and establishes cooperation between the grace of God and our
freedom. [1987-95].
8. What is merit?
Merit
is the reward which God promises and gives to those who love him, and who by
his grace perform good works. [glossary].
9. Can we merit any gifts from God?
With
regard to God, there is no strict right to any merit on the part of man, either
for justification, eternal life, or anything else. The merit of man before God arises from the
fact that God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace. [2007-11].
Nature of a Sacrament
10. What is a sacrament?
A
sacrament is an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted
to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us through the work of the
Holy Spirit. More succinctly, a
sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ that confers grace. [glossary,
1131*].
11. What are the names of the seven sacraments?
The
sacraments (called "mysteries" in the Eastern Churches) are seven in
number: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance or Reconciliation, Anointing
of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
[1210].
12 What is the origin of the word sacrament?
The
Greek word mysterion (:LFJ0D4@<) was translated into Latin
by two terms: mysterium and sacramentum.
In later usage the term sacramentum emphasized the visible sign of the hidden
reality which was indicated by the term mysterium. In this sense, Christ himself is the mystery
of salvation. The saving work of his
holy and sanctifying humanity is the sacrament of salvation, which is revealed
and active in the Church's sacraments.
[774].
Sacraments of Faith and
Salvation
13. What is meant by the term "Sacraments
of Faith"?
The
purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and finally to give worship to God. Because they are signs they also
instruct. They not only presuppose
faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express
it. That is why they are called sacraments of faith. When the Church celebrates the sacraments,
she confesses the faith received from the apostles, whence the ancient saying
"The law of prayer is the law of faith" (lex orandi, lex credendi).
The Church believes as she prays.
[1122-1124].
14. What is meant by the term "Sacraments
of Salvation"?
When
the sacraments are celebrated in faith they are efficacious, meaning that they
confer the grace that they signify. In more technical terminology the Church
affirms that the sacraments act ex opere
operato, which means literally "by the very fact of the action being
performed", i.e. by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once
and for all. From the moment that a
sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the
power of his spirit acts in it and through it, independent of the personal
holiness of the minister. Nevertheless,
the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who
receives it. [1127,
1128].
Characteristics of the
Sacraments
15. Who can confer the sacraments?
Each
sacrament has particular ordinary ministers who are able to confer them, and
who do so under normal circumstances. In
cases of necessity extraordinary ministers can confer sacraments. Bishops are ordinary ministers for all of the
sacraments, and the only ones who can confer the sacrament of Holy Orders.
Priests are extraordinary ministers for Confirmation, and ordinary ministers
for the remaining sacraments. Deacons
are ordinary ministers for Baptism and distributing the Eucharist. A lay person can be an extraordinary minister
for Baptism and distributing the Eucharist.
Matrimony is an exception because the married couple
themselves confer the sacrament, with a bishop, priest or deacon acting
as a witness.
16 What are examples of outward signs of the sacraments?
The
various sacraments have the recitation of particular words as outward
signs. Water is an outward sign in
Baptism. Anointing is an outward sign in
the Anointing of the Sick and Holy Orders.
Laying on of hands is an outward sign in
Confirmation and Holy Orders.
17. At what ages are sacraments received?
Baptism,
Anointing of the Sick, and in the Eastern Churches Confirmation, can be
conferred on infants. Confirmation, the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation are
generally received at adolescence, while Holy Orders and Matrimony are
restricted to adults.
18. Which sacraments confer a sacramental
character or seal on the recipient?
The
three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders confer, in addition
to grace, a sacramental character or
"seal" by which the Christian shares in the priesthood, and is made a
member of the Church according to different states and functions. This character remains forever in the
Christian as a positive disposition for grace, as a promise and guarantee of
divine protection, and as a vocation to divine worship and to service of the
Church. Therefore these sacraments can
never be repeated. [1121].
Types of
Sacraments
19. What are the three types of sacraments?
The
sacraments are divided into the three categories: Sacraments of Christian Initiation,
Sacraments of Healing, and Sacraments of Vocation at the Service of Communion
and the mission of the faithful.
[1211].
20. What are the three sacraments of Christian
initiation?
The
sacraments of Christian initiation are: Baptism, Confirmation and
Eucharist. These sacraments lay the
foundations for every Christian life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism,
strengthened by Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal
life. [1211, 1212].
21. What are the two sacraments of healing?
The
sacraments of healing are Penance and Anointing of the Sick. By these sacraments the Church continues, in
the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ's work of healing and salvation. [1421].
22. What are the two sacraments of service?
The sacraments of Holy Orders and Matrimony
are directed to the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal
salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the
Church, and serve to build up the People of God. [1534].
Sacramental Economy
23. In what sense is the Church a sacrament?
The
seven sacraments are the signs and instruments by which the Holy Spirit spreads
the grace of Christ the head throughout the Church which is his body. The Church, then, both contains and
communicates the invisible grace she signifies.
It is in this analogical sense that the Church is called a "sacrament". The Church's first purpose is to be the
sacrament of the inner union of men with God; the Church is also the sacrament of
the unity of the human race. Thus the
Church is Christ's sacrament, taken up by him as the instrument for the
salvation of all. [774-776].
24. What is the sacramental economy?
In
presenting and communicating the work of salvation the Church acts through the
sacraments in what is called "the sacramental economy", that is the
communication or dispensation of the fruits of Christ's Paschal mystery in the
celebration of the Church's "sacramental" liturgy. The whole liturgical life of the Church
revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. [1076, 1113].
25. How do we consider the sacraments as
sacraments of Christ?
The
mysteries of Christ's life are the foundations of what he would henceforth
dispense in the sacraments, through the ministers of his Church. The sacraments are "powers that come
forth" from the body of Christ, (Lk
26. Which sacraments are closely related to the
celebration of the liturgy?
Through Baptism and Confirmation the priestly
people is enabled to celebrate the liturgy, while those of the faithful who
have received Holy Orders are appointed to nourish the Church with the word and
grace of God in the name of Christ. The
ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal
priesthood. [1119,
1120].
13. Are the sacraments necessary for salvation?
For
believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation. The fruit of the sacramental life is that the
Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers of the divine action. [1129].