The Fruits of the Sacraments

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the sacraments in the following way:

“The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.” CCC 1131

Through the sacraments, we take part in the grace dispensed by Christ Himself in the signs He instituted. We see that “They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.” Now ordinarily, when we think of disposition, we think physically and spiritually, such as whether we observed the one-hour fast and we are in the state of grace before receiving the Eucharist, or if we have made a proper examination of conscience before confession. These are very necessary to the proper reception of the sacraments, but there is also another dimension that we do not always consider.

This dimension is our attitude and understanding of the sacrament we are about to receive. In order to fully receive the graces flowing from the sacraments, we must have an ardent desire to receive them.

Simply going to mass because we are required to go is not enough to fully benefit from the Eucharist. We must WANT to go to mass, to be in the presence of the Lord our God. We must yearn for the sacrifice of the mass.

We must truly desire to be freed from the burden of our sins in order to receive the graces of the sacrament of reconciliation. We cannot simply resign ourselves to committing a grave sin thinking that we can just go to confession later. This is a serious abuse of the grace of the sacrament.

The sacraments require us to believe in them. They require faith. Before we can receive the Eucharist, we must fully understand that it is the Real Presence of Christ. It is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. It is not a symbol. It is our faith! How can we profess a faith, but refuse to believe it? How can we profess a faith, but be woefully ignorant of it? As Catholics, we must understand and adhere to the basic principles of our faith.

Just as the sacraments require faith from us, they also work to increase our faith. The frequent reception of the sacraments builds us up in grace, so that we may grow closer to the Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us the following guidance on this relationship:

"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.'" CCC 1123

It is with utter amazement that we witness the changes in our faith by the simple act of a good confession and reception of the Eucharist. When we receive these sacraments with the proper disposition, our lives become noticeably changed. The saving grace of God is awe-inspiring. If only all Catholics would come to the sacraments with fully-developed faith and knowledge, our Churches would be over-filled and our society would be immeasurably more hospitable to a devout way of life.