Does the Bible Really Say That?: Discovering Catholic Teaching in Scripture (16 page)

CHAPTER 41

The Sacraments

Those of us who are old enough to remember learning our catechism lessons from the venerable
Baltimore Catechism
will know by heart the answer to question 136: “What is a Sacrament?”

“
A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace
.” Those twelve words are a succinct explanation of what the sacraments are, what they do and where they come from.

Let’s consider what an outward sign is. By its very nature, an outward sign is something physical and material. To draw an imperfect but still useful parallel, the outward sign of who you are is your body. What others can see of you is not your soul (which is pure spirit and therefore unable to be perceived by one’s bodily senses) but your body, which is the outward, visible part of you.

We know many things around us by the means of signs. A flashing red light is a sign warning of some danger in the vicinity. The smell of alcohol on a motorist’s breath is a sign that he’s been drinking and may be driving while intoxicated. The black robe worn by a Supreme Court justice is a sign of his or her office. An airline pilot’s uniform is a sign that he is qualified to fly the plane. Although a married woman’s wedding ring isn’t itself a sacrament (rather, it’s a sacrament
al
), it is an outward sign that points toward an unseen, inward reality—her physical and spiritual union with her husband.

Since sacraments are instituted by Christ, it follows that the Church does not—indeed, it
cannot
—create or reconfigure a sacrament. Each of the seven sacraments (baptism, confession, the Holy Eucharist, confirmation, matrimony, holy orders, and anointing of the sick) has its source in Jesus Christ, who alone established them as means of grace for his Church.

Also, the sacraments “give grace.” This means that a validly celebrated sacrament instills a special spiritual benefit in the soul. In the sacrament of baptism, for example, original sin is eliminated and all actual sin (mortal or venial) is eradicated, as are all temporal effects due to sin. The baptized person is regenerated and justified in God’s grace, becoming his adopted son or daughter; sanctifying grace, which is the very life of the Blessed Trinity, is infused into the person’s soul.

The essential
outward sign
of these spectacular spiritual realities is the combination of the pouring of the baptismal water and the pronouncing of the words of the sacrament: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Immersion is also valid for baptism.)

Let’s examine some key Bible passages in which the seven sacraments appear. In some cases we see Christ directly commanding them; in others we see the New Testament writers teaching about them.

Baptism

Christ commands baptism in Matthew 28:19 and speaks of its necessity in Mark 16:15 and John 3:3–5; Saint Paul says that baptism is the means by which Christ sanctifies the Church and cleanses those baptized by the “bath of regeneration” in Titus 3:5; and Saint Peter describes the effects of baptismal regeneration in Acts 2:37–39 (see Ezekiel 36:25; Matthew 3:13; John 4:2; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 5:26).

Confession (Penance)

The Bible contains numerous warnings about the necessity of repenting from sin and doing penance, as part of the Lord’s plan of salvation for those who love him (Ezekiel 18:30; 33:11; Jeremiah 18:11; 25:5; Joel 2:12; Matthew 3:2; 4:7; Acts 2:38). In John 20:20–23 Christ gives his Apostles the authority to forgive sins. In 2 Corinthians 5:18–20 Saint Paul emphasizes the “ministry of reconciliation” that he and the other Apostles had received from Christ. And Christ gave to Peter and the other Apostles (and through them, to their successors) the authority to “bind and loose” (Matthew 16:19; 18:18), promising them that “He who hears you hears me” (Luke 10:16). This authority to “bind and loose” includes the forgiveness of sins through the sacrament of confession.

The Holy Eucharist

Christ foretells the institution of this most holy sacrament of his Body and Blood in John 6:22–65. At the Last Supper he formally institutes it during the first Mass (Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–34; Luke 22:15–20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29; see also Genesis 14:18; Psalm 110:1–4; Malachi 1:11; Hebrews 5:6; 7:1).

Confirmation

Christ promises the Church the “gift of the Holy Spirit” in passages such as Luke 24:49, John 7:38; 14:16, 26; 16:7 and Acts 1:5. In Acts 2:4 we see the first confirmation when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles under the
outward sign
of tongues of fire. After this, the imposition of hands of the bishop (or his representative) and the anointing with oil served as the outward sign of confirmation (Acts 8:14–17). In Acts 19:6 we see Saint Paul confirm a dozen of his newly baptized followers by laying hands on them, as a result of which they received the gift of the Holy Spirit in a new and unique way (see Hebrews 6:2).

Holy Matrimony

The sacramental union of a man and a woman signifies the insoluble spousal union between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:21–32). It finds its origin in the Garden of Eden, where God united Adam and Eve and commanded them to “[b]e fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:18–25). Jesus Christ, present in utero at the wedding of his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his stepfather, Saint Joseph (Matthew 1:18–25; Luke 2:3–5), sanctified and elevated the Old Testament ordinance of marriage to a new and supernatural level, as did his presence at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11).

Holy Orders

Christ conferred the sacrament of holy orders (that is, ordination to the priesthood) upon the Twelve Apostles at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:15–20) when he simultaneously instituted the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. His words “Do this in remembrance of me” indicate the sacrificial nature of this new priesthood, which is not temporary and ineffectual as was the Jewish Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament (Hebrews 10:1–18). Rather, the new priesthood is permanent and effective because it shares in Christ’s own unique priesthood (Hebrews 9:11–14, 23–28). Acts 1:15–26 reveals the ordination of the first bishop, Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot. Passages such as Acts 6:6 and 14:22, as well 1 Timothy 4:14 and 5:22, show us that the Apostles and their successors ordained bishops, priests (
presbyters
) and deacons, which are the three levels of holy orders.

Anointing of the Sick

This sacrament is first glimpsed in Mark 6:7–13, where Christ commissions his Apostles to heal the sick and cast out demons through the use of prayer and anointing. James 5:13–15 explicitly prescribes that the afflicted seek the sacrament of anointing (see 1 Corinthians 12:9).

Further Reading:
CCC,
1113–1134, 1135–1666

CHAPTER 42

Apostolic Succession

When a man is ordained a bishop in the Catholic Church, he becomes a living link in the two thousand-year-old chain of apostolic succession, which stretches unbroken from Jesus Christ to our present day. He receives a unique share in the authority and duties of the original twelve Apostles, and he becomes part of the living
magisterium
—the teaching office of the Church that is entrusted with the task of authentically proclaiming, explaining and defending the deposit of faith that was “once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

The Apostles understood that after their own deaths, their ministry would need to continue as a permanent, living presence with the Church “until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20, NRSV) when Christ the Lord would return. As such, we see that early on they made provisions for this handing on of their ministry to men whom they knew were worthy of the task entrusted to them (see
CCC
3, 860–862, 1576).

The following biblical passages reveal that apostolic succession—the handing on of the apostolic office of “overseer” down through the ages—is not some Catholic invention but is precisely what the Apostles practiced and taught.

In Acts 1:15–26 we see the first glimpse of apostolic succession. Judas Iscariot, one of the original twelve Apostles, had not only betrayed the Lord but he then fell into despair and committed suicide. This left a vacancy in the college of Apostles—they needed a replacement.

Peter, after lamenting Judas’s actions, spoke to the brethren assembled for the election: “[I]t is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his habitation become desolate, / and let there be no one to live in it’; and / ‘
His office let another take
’ [Greek: “let his
episkopen
(bishopric) be taken up by another”].... And they prayed and said, ‘Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.”

Accompanying Christ during his public ministry was a requirement for this first man to stand in the line of apostolic succession, but this prerequisite quickly fell away.

In Acts 20:28 Saint Paul reminds certain elders in Ephesus that they are “overseers” who have the special task of caring for the Church. The Greek word he uses for “overseers” is
episcopous
, which literally means “bishops.”
Episcopos
(bishop) derives from two words
epi
, which means “over” or “above,” and
skopéo
, which means “to look.”

First Thessalonians 1:1–20 reveals the new role as bishop of two protégés of Saint Paul, Timothy and Silvanus. The opening of this epistle reads: “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ...” The rest of the epistle is written with the pronouns “we,” “us” and “our,” which indicates that Saint Paul regarded Timothy and Silvanus as his fellow Apostles who had the authority to teach the Thessalonians. This fact becomes clear in chapter 2, verse 6, where he reminds them that “
we
might have made demands as apostles of Christ” (emphasis added). While it’s true that all Christians are literally “apostles” (Greek: “one who is sent”) by virtue of baptism, the context of this passage implies the office of an Apostle in a particular sense. Saint Paul meant his audience to understand that Timothy and Silvanus also exercised apostolic authority in a special way (2 Timothy 1:6).

Paul wrote to Titus (1:5–9):

This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you, if any man is blameless, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of being profligate or insubordinate. For a bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, master of himself, upright, holy, and self-controlled; he must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.

In 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6 Saint Paul reminds Timothy, a young bishop, of his ordination by the “laying on of hands,” and in 1 Timothy 3:1–7, he explains the qualifications for a worthy candidate for bishop. In 1 Timothy 5:22 Saint Paul advises Timothy, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands” (that is, ordaining others to the priesthood and episcopacy).

First Corinthians 12:27–29 mentions various duties in the early Church; Paul lists the foremost among them as “Apostles.” These are the bishops who stand in the line of apostolic succession from the original twelve. Ephesians 4:11–12 echoes this theme, and Ephesians 2:19–20 adds that the “household of God [is] built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

Second Timothy 2:1–2 is yet another example of apostolic succession in action in the early Church. Saint Paul writes, “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” We see here that Saint Paul, who was made an Apostle by Christ, had ordained Timothy to the office of bishop; he in turn exhorts Timothy to be careful to whom he entrusts the message of the gospel. He was to choose wisely, in order that those whom he ordained to be bishops would, in their turn, also choose well the men to whom they would entrust the teachings of the Church.

Each time a man is ordained a bishop, he receives what Saint Paul entrusted to Timothy, what Timothy entrusted to the bishops he ordained and what all bishops down through the centuries have received and passed down: the apostolic office of the episcopacy.