Reassurance and Consolation: How Jesus Guarantees us the Gift of His Grace in the Sacraments

The following article by Cardinal Justin Rigali appeared as his weekly column in the April 19, 2007 edition of The Catholic Standard and Times

By Cardinal Justin Rigali

The Church reflects upon the revelation of Jesus
In a previous topic, we explored the definition of theology: faith seeking understanding. In pointing out that definition, you may recall that we reviewed the teaching of the Church, which tells us that the Church does not create new revelation but reflects upon and safeguards the revelation of God completed in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation of the Second Vatican Council teaches that Jesus "to see whom is to see the Father (cf. John 14:19), completed and perfected revelation and confirmed it with divine guarantees. Everything to do with his presence and his manifestation of himself was involved in achieving this: his words and works, signs and miracles, but above all his death and glorious resurrection from the dead, and finally his sending of the Spirit of truth. He revealed that God was with us, to deliver us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to eternal life. The Christian dispensation, therefore, since it is the new and definitive covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord, Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Timothy 6:14 and Titus 2:13)" (Dei Verbum, 3). The Church then reflects upon and clarifies the teachings and message of Jesus for our own understanding but it is always Jesus, who is the Teacher through His Spirit abiding in His Church.

Continuing the work of Jesus through the ages
In order to continue His saving work on earth, Jesus sent forth the apostles so that they would preach the Good News according to His command (cf. Mark 16:15). We say that although the apostles died, the office of the apostles never dies. This is because God "wills that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1Timothy 2:4). This office contains not only the ministry of preaching the word but also of sanctifying the people of God through the sacraments, which Jesus instituted to carry on His saving work among us. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council teaches that God "...willed that the work of salvation which they (the apostles) preached they should enact through the sacrifice and sacraments around which the entire liturgical life revolves" (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 6).

The role of the minister of the sacrament
One of the sources of reflection in the early centuries of the Church was the role of the priest, who is the minister of the sacraments. Does the effectiveness of the sacrament on the person receiving it depend on the faith and holiness of the minister of the sacrament? What if the priest is lacking in faith or in virtue? Do the faithful receive the sacramental life of Christ through such a priest?

It is important to remember that the sacraments are always actions of Christ. In order to continue His work down through the ages, Jesus entrusted the Paschal Mystery of His Passion, Death and Resurrection to the Church, as His Spouse and to priests, who act in His name. By the very nature of the ministerial priesthood, Jesus entrusts Himself and the life He came to give us to sinful, imperfect men. Most of us are familiar with the passage from Saint Paul's Letter to the Hebrews, in which he writes: "Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representatives before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people" (Hebrews 5:1-3)

In "seeking understanding" of the relationship between the action of Christ in the sacraments and the spiritual state of the priest as the minister of the sacraments, an insight of Saint Augustine (354-430), shows us the early Church's understanding of this relationship. He said, speaking of baptism, as one of the sacraments: "...that which was given by Paul and that which was given by Peter, is Christ's; and if baptism was given by Judas it was Christ's. Judas gave baptism and after Judas baptism was not repeated; because if baptism was given by Judas it was the baptism of Christ. We prefer...the baptism of Christ, even when given by the hand of Judas" (Tract 6 on the Gospel of John, chapter 1). The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council references this teaching of Saint Augustine when it states: "By his power he (Christ) is present in the sacraments so that when anybody baptizes it is really Christ himself who baptizes" (Sacrosanctum Concilium , 7).

This does not mean that the priest is a mere "machine" to produce sacraments! The Scriptures make clear that the priesthood itself is a sacrament, which involves a sacred and personal call of Christ to an individual to serve Him and His people in an intimate way. The same Letter to the Hebrews referenced above continues: "No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was" (Hebrews 5:4). Likewise, during the Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of Saint John, the Lord says to His first priests: "It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain..." (John 15:16). The great "Priestly Prayer" of Jesus in the seventeenth chapter of the same Gospel reflects the intimacy and fidelity Jesus invites His priests to share with Him. The words which Saint Paul addresses to the Ephesians apply in a special way to the priest: "I...urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received" (Ephesians 4:1).

Sacraments received in the context of scandal and grave sin
On September 15 of last year, I asked my brother priests throughout the Archdiocese to join our auxiliary bishops and me as, in some small way, we "witnessed to the sorrow" that has been experienced by those who had contact with priests against whom a credible allegation or allegations of sexual abuse of minors had been found. In listening to several people who had been tragically impacted by this scandal, it was hoped that we would all come away with a deeper awareness of its terrible reality and the harm that has been done because of it. It is also necessary to address the concerns of our people who feel a level of violation or victimization because they have received sacraments from priests against whom credible allegations were found. Even if they were not personally involved in the abuse, they feel that their trust in Christ's Church and priesthood has been violated. Perhaps they look back to what should remain a sacred memory of an encounter with Christ through the sacraments and instead feel hurt and horror.

In addressing this very sad question, I have first tried to show what we believe concerning the sacraments and the priesthood. The sacraments are actions of Christ, the Eternal High Priest. In order to allow men and women down through the ages to share in the graces of His Death and Resurrection, Jesus established seven outward signs, which He guaranteed would be accompanied by His grace. He entrusted these sacred actions to those with whom He mysteriously chose to share His Eternal Priesthood, but He is always the One acting in giving us a share in His life. Long ago, the Church in reflecting on this gift clearly understood, under the guidance of the Spirit of Truth, that the sacraments give grace by their own power and are not dependant on the holiness of the minister of the sacrament. This is what I tried to explain in the first part of this article.

By the very nature, however, of what he is called to do, the priest is bound to a high standard. This is what I tried to explain in the second part of this article. Our people rightfully set this standard for us and they trust us far beyond merely wishing to receive valid sacraments. The Church has always recognized this and in fact there is a centuries-old phrase which the Church uses to exhort her priests: "sancta sancte tractanda," which means "treat holy things in a holy way!"

During the Rite of Ordination to the Priesthood, the ordaining bishop addresses the men to be ordained with these words: "Impart to everyone the word of God which you have received with joy. Meditating on the law of the Lord, see that you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe, and that you practice what you teach."

In the midst of scandal, there is an understandable human reaction of betrayal, hesitation to trust and even disgust that the sacraments may have been received from the hands of one who violated a sacred trust. Although we have attempted to make clear that sacraments received under these circumstances were, and are, valid and true sacraments because they are actions of Christ and the Church, this explanation may not always be sufficient when there has been deep hurt and scandal. Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this is an opportunity to increase our awareness and try to answer the disturbing questions asked by those who have been impacted by these actions.

One of the basic principles of theology is that "grace builds upon nature." This means that God never insults the nature He Himself created. In the order of nature, the food or shelter given by a parent who may be leading a seriously sinful life, still sustains the child. In the order of grace the life of Christ, which we call grace, even when received from sinful hands, still assists Christ's faithful.

Obviously the great challenge remains for priests and indeed all Christians: to live lives worthy of the vocation to which we have been called.

April 19, 2007