Sacraments of the Church

Justification and sanctification for man's salvation is the work of divine Grace, which is granted to the believer directly and indirectly through sacred signs and acts.

The Treasurer of the divine Grace which works the salvation of man is the Church of Christ, in which the visible sacred signs and acts are conveyed to the believer through the sacraments, the mysteria. The sacraments of the Church depend upon the "meeting" of spirit and matter, that is the supernatural with the perceptible, a meeting which permeates Christianity.

This supernatural power, the Grace of God, bestowed through the sacraments is the saving energy derived from the Crucifixion of Christ. Christ bestowed upon His Church the Mission of the sanctification of the believer. The sacraments implement man's sanctification, uplifting his religious and moral life.

All sacred signs and acts, which are bound with religion, represent a higher idea which is secret and mysterious These sacred signs and acts are the mysteries of God's Will. The sacraments and ceremonies symbolize sacred ideas and transmit the Grace of God to all members of the Church. These ceremonies are the mysteria, the sacraments, of the Church, carriers of God's Grace for man's sanctification. Their founder is Christ, Who bequeathed them to His Church to be perpetuated for man's salvation. These sacraments bequeathed to the Church should be thoroughly known and understood in their divine institution, visible nature, and the invisible Grace which is transmitted through them to believers.

Christ instituted the mysteria, some by Himself and some through His Apostles. There are Seven (7) sacraments:

Baptism
Chrismation (confirmation)
Eucharist
Repentance (Confession)
Ordination
Marriage and
Unction

The officiation of the sacred signs and acts in perceptible words and gestures has been determined by the Church. Through the centuries it has been expanded from the officiations that took place in the early Church. This expansion does not change their validity. The officiation of the mysteria should be accepted as a logical presentation and utterance of the faith of the Church by which the Church transmits this special Grace of the sacraments to the recipients.

The officiator of the sacraments is a bishop or priest who was canonically ordained to the priesthood. The officiator of the sacraments of the Church is not primarily the bishop or priest but Christ Himself Who instituted them and Who remains in his Mystical Body, the Church, where He works His redemptive powers. The bishop or priest is the indispensable person through whom the invisible divine Grace in the sacraments is consummated. The valid officiation of the sacraments does not depend on the moral character of the officiator.

The validity of the sacraments does not depend on the moral character of the recipient either. The recipient should be prepared spiritually according to the teaching of the Chuch to keep and practice the faith and the standards of piety. The Grace of God is given to the person who beseeches God for divne assistance and who recognzes and confesses his sins. The bishop or priest has no way of knowing whether or not the recipient is properly prepared.The sacrament does not lose its validity when partaken by an unworthy recipient. Therefore, preparation for worthiness for the obedient and humble recipient is indespensable as a sign of true faith and piety.

The Grace of God as granted to believers through the mysteria works the justification and sanctification of the faithful.