From the Tridentine documentary's script, for every soul.“The essence of sacrifice is in the will…” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., “The Holy Eucharist as the Real Presence”
SACRIFICIAL
SACRAMENT: A SACRAMENTAL LIFE ASSURES ETERNAL LIFE
“A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.”~ The Baltimore Catechism
Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. taught that one cannot speak of the sacraments without first understanding the two forms of life possessed by every single human person: the natural life of the body, which begins at conception and is animated by the soul, and the higher form of life which is supernatural life and is possessed once the physical body dies.
“Unless our souls are supernaturally alive with the grace of God, our faith tells us we shall die the first death of the body, but also the second death of the soul.” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
The death of the soul is eternal death. The death of the soul, or eternal death, is the eternal separation from God.
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS WERE INSTITUTED BY JESUS CHRIST FOR OUR SAKE
In God’s Divine providence, He ordained the means for us to obtain supernatural life, to grow in one’s supernatural life, and to restore the supernatural life lost by mortal sin.
These means are the Seven Sacraments, which were instituted for all mankind by Jesus Christ.
WHAT A SACRAMENT IS
A sacrament is a visible sign established by Jesus Christ that communicates the grace it indicates.
Jesus instituted the Seven Sacraments for us personally and immediately, and decided the substance of each one, its essential ritual and content, what material is to be used, how each one is to be an effective sign of grace, who He empowered to confer them, and on whom they may be conferred.
The Catholic Church teaches infallibly that “the sacraments of the New Law were all instituted by Christ;” that “these same sacraments of the New Law differ from the sacraments of the Old Law,” and “there are neither more than seven nor fewer than seven sacraments” (Council of Trent, 1547).
Jesus confers graces proper to each sacrament through each particular one.
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS
The Seven Sacraments are: The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Eucharist, Holy Orders, Holy Matrimony, and Extreme Unction.
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS ARE PERCEIVABLE BY THE SENSES
The Seven Sacraments are meant to be perceptible to and perceivable by the senses.
For example, the Sacrament of Baptism involves the pouring of water; bread and wine are transubstantiated during the Consecration of each Sacred Species into the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of Jesus during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; oil is used during the Sacrament of Confirmation; words are spoken and perceived; and the rituals or rites that take place are visible.
THE SACRAMENTS ARE SIGNS THAT SIGNIFY
The Seven Sacraments are signs that signify.
In other words, they manifest meaning beyond the visible and sensory religious event that takes place.
For example, the use of water signifies washing, the use of oil signifies strengthening or healing, and eating and drinking signify receiving nourishment.
"The external sign signifies some internal change taking place in the human spirit, and always this change is in the supernatural order, including some area or aspect of Divine grace.” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
THE SACRAMENTS ARE NECESSARY FOR ETERNAL SALVATION
Although not every sacrament is necessary for each particular person, the sacraments are necessary for eternal salvation.
In some cases, the actual reception of a sacrament can be replaced by at least one's implicit desire for the sacrament.
WHY GOD CHOSE TO DISPENSE HIS GRACE THROUGH THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS
God chose to dispense His grace through the Seven Sacraments so the mysterious effects of His infinite power should be made intelligible by means of certain signs that are evident to our senses.
“Christ instituted the sacraments because He knew how much we depend on external, visible signs to sustain our faith in His promises.” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., “Sacramental Life Assures Eternal Life”
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS ARE A CONTINUATION OF CHRIST'S WORK OF REDEMPTION
They are “the link between His Sacred Passion on Mount Calvary and our present needs on earth. They are the channels by which His saving merits are now conveyed to a sinful world.” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., "Sacramental Life Assures Eternal Life"
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS DISTINGUISH CHRIST’S FOLLOWERS FROM ALL OTHERS
They provide a visible and public sacred bond of unity among the members of Christ’s Catholic Church as the One True Faith is professed and proclaimed publicly.
The Seven Sacraments also powerfully witness to others what Christ’s Catholic followers profess to believe.
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS PROVIDE DIVINE SUPERNATURAL GRACES NEEDED TO GROW IN HOLY HUMILITY
“Our pride leads us to see others as means for our own self-advantage, to the point where we practically define 'love' as the value that another person can serve in our lives.” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
So, too, can our pride lead us to see our Triune God first and foremost as a means for the same self-interested ends.
The Seven Sacraments provide the Divine supernatural graces each person needs to grow in holy humility through the constant monitoring of one's pride.
This is accomplished through our submission to material
things as a condition for obtaining the graces our Creator determined are
necessary for each one’s spiritual life.
ON HOW
THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST ASSURES ETERNAL LIFE
The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist assures eternal life and is “the most powerful means we have to reach our eternal destiny”(Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., “Sacramental Life Assures Eternal Life”).
Nothing on earth is a more powerful source of grace
than the Holy Eucharist, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, which consists of
two Sacred Species: the Sacred Body and the Precious Blood of Jesus our Divine Redeemer,
Divine Restorer, Divine Remedy for All, and the Divine Bridegroom of every soul.
THE HOLY EUCHARIST IS A SOURCE OF GRACE THREE TIMES OVER
The Holy Eucharist is a source of grace three times over:
- as the sacrifice-sacrament of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
- as Holy Communion,
- and as the Real Presence of Jesus.
On each of its three levels as a sacrament, the Blessed Sacrament confers its own specific form of the virtue of charity.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass provides the grace of self-surrender; the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist received as Holy Communion provides the grace of charity; and the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament provides the grace to live an heroic life.
“God asks us to surrender our wills to His in a thousand ways. I use the verb “asks” us, but this asking can be very demanding. Leave it to God; there is no limit to the ways that God can require us to give up what we like, or endure what we do not like.
“The secret is to see
His Divine Will in every circumstance of our lives, in which we have to let go of what is so
pleasant to us or suffer what can be agonizingly painful. How we need strength from our Lord to make
these sacrifices which are at the heart of our Christian life. When the Savior told us we are
His disciples if we take up our cross daily and follow Him, He was saying more than our fertile
minds can imagine.” ~ Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., “Sacramental Life Assures
Eternal Life”
THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS CONFERS THE GRACE OF SELF-SURRENDER
Not only does the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass provides the grace of self-surrender, but “everyone receives grace from every Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered throughout the world” (Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., “The Holy Eucharist as Prayer”).
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is meant by Christ to be the most sublime prayer that we can make to our Creator and the one that is most pleasing to God.
THE SACRAMENT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST RECEIVED IN HOLY COMMUNION PROVIDES THE GRACE OF SELFLESS CHARITY
“The Eucharist is a fire which inflames us.” ~ Saint John Damascene
THE REAL PRESENCE OF JESUS IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT PROVIDES
THE GRACE TO LIVE AN HEROIC LIFE
The Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament provides the grace to live an heroic life.
“Man’s earthly,
imperfect happiness is in proportion to his approach to God-the final goal of
his life. The more
closely man approaches God by the practice of virtue under the influence of God’s
grace, the greater will be his happiness. Worldly goods and pleasures may
satisfy man for a time, but of themselves they cannot make him fully happy. Man
may enjoy the innocent pleasures and reasonable comforts of life as long as
they do not lead him away from God.” ~ The Baltimore Catechism,
Lesson 1, The Answer to Question 4
