Do
we need Sacraments? If Yes, then Why?
Yes, we do need sacraments. For me,
sacraments are the pillars of my faith. I need sacraments to exercise, persist
and grow in my life as a Christian. Sacraments are defined as the visible signs
of invisible grace. Grace is nothing but God’s love manifested to us in a very
personal and at the same time communitarian way. It is the self-donation of
God.
Sacraments are means of realizing the presence
and action of God in our lives. God is the ultimate meaning of our lives and
hence sacraments give meaning to our life and also to our relationships with
others. In this sense the highest Sacrament we have is Lord Jesus himself.
We need sacraments because they referred to
those overall mysteries of salvation and those complex celebrations of what God
was doing through Jesus. Sacramental celebration is a communal response to God’s
call in Christ. Since, the deepest realities of life can only be expressed in
symbols we need the sacraments to achieve the same. So from Jesus the
Sacrament, we derive the other seven sacraments to celebrate the faith, hope
and love which come to us in the Spirit of Jesus.
From various perspectives we can see that
sacraments are important and are needed.
1. Social Point of View
In all the religions, we have sacramental
celebrations. Some religions treat them as rites of passages (tribals too).
These rites of passages link various important stages of our life with that of
the divine. In this sense, the sacramental celebrations in Christian
communities are important tools of achieving this link with the divine. Hence
they are social celebrations for the action of God in our lives through Jesus.
2. Historical Point of View
Historically, sacraments link us to the past.
Christian symbols are derived from the Jewish symbols of the Old Testament. The
Jewish initiation ceremony and baptism, the Jewish Passover and Eucharist are
examples of this. It gives us a glimpse to the presence and activity of God in
the past and thus points us what He is doing now.
3. Ecclesial Point of View
From the ecclesial point of view, sacraments
give identity and unity to the Christians. It is the celebration of the
sacraments, mainly the most important one i.e. the Eucharist, the Church
retains its unity and identity. Sacraments are vital for us to grow us a
community. They are the visible signs of God’s presence and action in the
Church. The Church is a sacrament of God will be valid when we really see God
in each and every member of the Church and love unconditionally. Hence, from
the Ecclesial point of view, sacraments are very much needed.
4. Christological Point of
View
From the Christological point of view,
Sacraments in general brings us closer to Jesus. Jesus is the Sacrament of God
for us. Sacraments link us to the life and person of Jesus. Sacraments are
instituted by Christ and is centered Jesus through whom all revelations were
fulfilled. We can just say that sacraments are celebration of Jesus, the
incarnated Son of God among us. So, how much we need the sacraments… !
5. Spiritual Point of View
Spiritual point of view, I would say that
sacraments nourish, perfect and completes the spiritual life of Christians.
Sacraments are basically tools of receiving the grace of the Holy Spirit in our
life. If we look at the two sacraments of initiation namely, Baptism and
Confirmation, we see that in both these sacraments we are filled with the gifts
of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of Jesus Christ that enables us to lead a
good Christian life. Baptism being the gateway to all the other sacraments is
really a source of God’s Spirit. Confirmation fills us with the Spirit and
enables us to be authentic witness to Christ. It also enhances our
inter-personal relationships by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
6. Trinitarian Point of View
The Trinitarian formula is a must to make a
sacrament valid. Also the foundation of all the sacraments is they Most Holy
Trinity. In this sense, it is the foundation of our faith. Thus sacraments
touch the deepest reality of our faith. So the celebration of sacraments is a
celebration of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in the life of the
individuals and of the Church.
Hence, sacraments being the signs and means
by which our faith is expressed and strengthened, worship is offered to God and
our sanctification is brought about, must play a very important role in our
life. So we need sacraments just to remain close and faithful to Jesus not just
in the Eucharist but also in the least ones. They will also enhance our
inter-personal life. They will keep us united in Christ. So we do need
sacraments.
