Breaking of Bread, because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meat
when as master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread,142
above all at the Last Supper.143 It is by this action that
his disciples will recognize him after his Resurrection,144
and it is this expression that the first Christians will use to
designate their Eucharistic assemblies;145 by doing so they
signified that all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into
communion with him and form but one body in him.146
The Eucharistic assembly (synaxis), because the Eucharist is
celebrated amid the assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of
the Church.147
1330 The memorial of the Lord's Passion and
Resurrection.
The Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one
sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church's offering. The
terms holy sacrifice of the Mass, "sacrifice of praise,"
spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice are also used,148
since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant.
The Holy and Divine Liturgy, because the Church's whole
liturgy finds its center and most intense expression in the celebration
of this sacrament; in the same sense we also call its celebration the Sacred
Mysteries. We speak of the Most Blessed Sacrament because
it is the Sacrament of sacraments. The Eucharistic species reserved in
the tabernacle are designated by this same name.
1331 Holy Communion, because by this
sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body
and Blood to form a single body.149 We also call it: the
holy things (ta hagia; sancta)150 - the first meaning of
the phrase "communion of saints" in the Apostles' Creed - the
bread of angels, bread from heaven, medicine of immortality,151
viaticum. . . .
1332 Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy
in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the
sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that they may
fulfill God's will in their daily lives.
III. THE EUCHARIST IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
The signs of bread and wine
1333 At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are
the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of
the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's
command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious
return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread. . .
." "He took the cup filled with wine. . . ." The signs of
bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and
Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation.
Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,152
fruit of the "work of human hands," but above all as
"fruit of the earth" and "of the vine" - gifts of
the Creator. The Church sees in the gesture of the king-priest
Melchizedek, who "brought out bread and wine," a prefiguring
of her own offering.153
1334 In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered
in sacrifice among the first fruits of the earth as a sign of grateful
acknowledgment to the Creator. But they also received a new significance
in the context of the Exodus: the unleavened bread that Israel eats
every year at Passover commemorates the haste of the departure that
liberated them from Egypt; the remembrance of the manna in the desert
will always recall to Israel that it lives by the bread of the Word of
God;154 their daily bread is the fruit of the promised land,
the pledge of God's faithfulness to his promises. The "cup of
blessing"155 at the end of the Jewish Passover meal adds
to the festive joy of wine an eschatological dimension: the messianic
expectation of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. When Jesus instituted the
Eucharist, he gave a new and definitive meaning to the blessing of the
bread and the cup.
1335 The miracles of the multiplication of the
loaves, when the Lord says the blessing, breaks and distributes the
loaves through his disciples to feed the multitude, prefigure the
superabundance of this unique bread of his Eucharist.156 The
sign of water turned into wine at Cana already announces the Hour of
Jesus' glorification. It makes manifest the fulfillment of the wedding
feast in the Father's kingdom, where the faithful will drink the new
wine that has become the Blood of Christ.157
1336 The first announcement of the Eucharist divided
the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them:
"This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"158
The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery
and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. "Will you also
go away?":159 the Lord's question echoes through the
ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has "the
words of eternal life"160 and that to receive in faith
the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself.
The institution of the Eucharist
1337 The Lord, having loved those who were his own,
loved them to the end. Knowing that the hour had come to leave this
world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal he washed their
feet and gave them the commandment of love.161 In order to
leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his own
and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as
the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles
to celebrate it until his return; "thereby he constituted them
priests of the New Testament."162
1338 The three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have
handed on to us the account of the institution of the Eucharist; St.
John, for his part, reports the words of Jesus in the synagogue of
Capernaum that prepare for the institution of the Eucharist: Christ
calls himself the bread of life, come down from heaven.163
1339 Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill
what he had announced at Capernaum: giving his disciples his Body and
his Blood:
-
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the passover lamb
had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go
and prepare the passover meal for us, that we may eat it. . .
." They went . . . and prepared the passover. And when the hour
came, he sat at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to
them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you
before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is
fulfilled in the kingdom of God.". . . . And he took bread, and
when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
"This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance
of me." And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This
cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my
blood."164
1340 By celebrating the Last Supper with his
apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish
Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus' passing over to his father by
his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the
Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish
Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory
of the kingdom.
"Do this in memory of me"
1341 The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and
words "until he comes" does not only ask us to remember Jesus
and what he did. It is directed at the liturgical celebration, by the
apostles and their successors, of the memorial of Christ, of
his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his intercession in
the presence of the Father.165
1342 From the beginning the Church has been faithful
to the Lord's command. Of the Church of Jerusalem it is written:
-
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers. . . . Day by day,
attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes,
they partook of food with glad and generous hearts.166
1343 It was above all on "the first day of the
week," Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection, that the Christians
met "to break bread."167 From that time on down to
our own day the celebration of the Eucharist has been continued so that
today we encounter it everywhere in the Church with the same fundamental
structure. It remains the center of the Church's life.
1344 Thus from celebration to celebration, as they
proclaim the Paschal mystery of Jesus "until he comes," the
pilgrim People of God advances, "following the narrow way of the
cross,"168 toward the heavenly banquet, when all the
elect will be seated at the table of the kingdom.
IV. THE LITURGICAL CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST
The Mass of all ages
1345 As early as the second century we have the
witness of St. Justin Martyr for the basic lines of the order of the
Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the same until our own day for
all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor
Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians
did:
-
On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city
or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are
read, as much as time permits.
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered
admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . .
.and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found
righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments,
so as to obtain eternal salvation.
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed
together to him who presides over the brethren.
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the
universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for
a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian)
that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present
give voice to an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have
responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the
"eucharisted" bread, wine and water and take them to those
who are absent.169
1346 The liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according
to a fundamental structure which has been preserved throughout the
centuries down to our own day. It displays two great parts that form a
fundamental unity:
- the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily and
general intercessions;
- the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and
wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form
"one single act of worship";170 the Eucharistic
table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of
the Lord.171
1347 Is this not the same movement as the Paschal
meal of the risen Jesus with his disciples? Walking with them he
explained the Scriptures to them; sitting with them at table "he
took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them."172
The movement of the celebration
1348 All gather together. Christians come
together in one place for the Eucharistic assembly. At its head is
Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist. He is high priest
of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly over every
Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him that the bishop or
priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi
capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings,
receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their
own active parts to play in the celebration, each in his own way:
readers, those who bring up the offerings, those who give communion, and
the whole people whose "Amen" manifests their participation.
1349 The Liturgy of the Word includes
"the writings of the prophets," that is, the Old Testament,
and "the memoirs of the apostles" (their letters and the
Gospels). After the homily, which is an exhortation to accept this Word
as what it truly is, the Word of God,173 and to put it into
practice, come the intercessions for all men, according to the Apostle's
words: "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in high
positions."174
1350 The presentation of the offerings (the
Offertory). Then, sometimes in procession, the bread and wine are
brought to the altar; they will be offered by the priest in the name of
Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they will become his body
and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last Supper -
"taking the bread and a cup." "The Church alone offers
this pure oblation to the Creator, when she offers what comes forth from
his creation with thanksgiving."175 The presentation of
the offerings at the altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and
commits the Creator's gifts into the hands of Christ who, in his
sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts to offer sacrifices.
1351 From the very beginning Christians have
brought, along with the bread and wine for the Eucharist, gifts to share
with those in need. This custom of the collection, ever
appropriate, is inspired by the example of Christ who became poor to
make us rich:76
-
Those who are well off, and who are also willing, give as each
chooses. What is gathered is given to him who presides to assist
orphans and widows, those whom illness or any other cause has
deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants and, in a word, all who
are in need.177
1352 The anaphora: with the Eucharistic
Prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving and consecration - we come to the
heart and summit of the celebration:
In the preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through
Christ, in the Holy Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and
sanctification. The whole community thus joins in the unending praise
that the Church in heaven, the angels and all the saints, sing to the
thrice-holy God.
1353 In the epiclesis, the Church asks the
Father to send his Holy Spirit (or the power of his blessing178)
on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may become the body and
blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in the Eucharist
may be one body and one spirit (some liturgical traditions put the
epiclesis after the anamnesis).
In the institution narrative, the power of the words and the
action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally
present under the species of bread and wine Christ's body and blood, his
sacrifice offered on the cross once for all.
1354 In the anamnesis that follows, the
Church calls to mind the Passion, resurrection, and glorious return of
Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father the offering of his Son which
reconciles us with him.
In the intercessions, the Church indicates that the
Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church in heaven and
on earth, the living and the dead, and in communion with the pastors of
the Church, the Pope, the diocesan bishop, his presbyterium and his
deacons, and all the bishops of the whole world together with their
Churches.
1355 In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer
and the breaking of the bread, the faithful receive "the bread of
heaven" and "the cup of salvation," the body and blood of
Christ who offered himself "for the life of the world":179
-
Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist
("eucharisted," according to an ancient expression),
"we call this food Eucharist, and no one may take part
in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received
baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in
keeping with what Christ taught."180
V. THE SACRAMENTAL SACRIFICE THANKSGIVING, MEMORIAL, PRESENCE
1356 If from the beginning Christians have
celebrated the Eucharist and in a form whose substance has not changed
despite the great diversity of times and liturgies, it is because we
know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord gave on the eve of
his Passion: "Do this in remembrance of me."181
1357 We carry out this command of the Lord by
celebrating the memorial of his sacrifice. In so doing, we
offer to the Father what he has himself given us: the gifts of his
creation, bread and wine which, by the power of the Holy Spirit and by
the words of Christ, have become the body and blood of Christ. Christ is
thus really and mysteriously made present.
1358 We must therefore consider the Eucharist as:
- thanksgiving and praise to the Father;
- the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
- the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.
Thanksgiving and praise to the Father
1359 The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation
accomplished by Christ on the cross, is also a sacrifice of praise in
thanksgiving for the work of creation. In the Eucharistic sacrifice the
whole of creation loved by God is presented to the Father through the
death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ the Church can
offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made
good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.
1360 The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to
the Father, a blessing by which the Church expresses her gratitude to
God for all his benefits, for all that he has accomplished through
creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist means first of all
"thanksgiving."
1361 The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise
by which the Church sings the glory of God in the name of all creation.
This sacrifice of praise is possible only through Christ: he unites the
faithful to his person, to his praise, and to his intercession, so that
the sacrifice of praise to the Father is offered through Christ
and with him, to be accepted in him.
The sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body, the
Church
1362 The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's
Passover, the making present and the sacramental offering of his unique
sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church which is his Body. In all the
Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of institution a prayer
called the anamnesis or memorial.
1363 In the sense of Sacred Scripture the memorial
is not merely the recollection of past events but the proclamation
of the mighty works wrought by God for men.182 In the
liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way
present and real. This is how Israel understands its liberation from
Egypt: every time Passover is celebrated, the Exodus events are made
present to the memory of believers so that they may conform their lives
to them.
1364 In the New Testament, the memorial takes on new
meaning. When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates
Christ's Passover, and it is made present the sacrifice Christ offered
once for all on the cross remains ever present.183 "As
often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which 'Christ our Pasch has been
sacrificed' is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is
carried out."184
1365 Because it is the memorial of Christ's
Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character
of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution:
"This is my body which is given for you" and "This cup
which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood."185
In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us
on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins."186
1366 The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents
(makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial
and because it applies its fruit:
-
[Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself
to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to
accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his
priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper
"on the night when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave
to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature
of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to
accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its
memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary
power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit.187
1367 The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of
the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one
and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who
then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is
different." "And since in this divine sacrifice which is
celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a
bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in
an unbloody manner. . . this sacrifice is truly propitiatory."188
1368 The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the
Church. The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the
offering of her Head. With him, she herself is offered whole and entire.
She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In
the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the
members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise,
sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with
his total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice
present on the altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians
to be united with his offering.
In the catacombs the Church is often represented as a woman in
prayer, arms outstretched in the praying position. Like Christ who
stretched out his arms on the cross, through him, with him, and in him,
she offers herself and intercedes for all men.
1369 The whole Church is united with the
offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of
Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every
celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and
servant of the unity of the universal Church. The bishop of the
place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides;
the bishop's name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the
particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and with the
assistance of deacons. The community intercedes also for all
ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice:
-
Let only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate, which is
celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or him to whom he
has entrusted it.189
Through the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice of the
faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ the only
Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests'
hands in the name of the whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental
manner until the Lord himself comes.190
1370 To the offering of Christ are united not only
the members still here on earth, but also those already in the glory
of heaven. In communion with and commemorating the Blessed Virgin
Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. In
the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with
Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ.
1371 The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the
faithful departed who "have died in Christ but are not yet
wholly purified,"191 so that they may be able to enter
into the light and peace of Christ:
-
Put this body anywhere! Don't trouble yourselves about it! I
simply ask you to remember me at the Lord's altar wherever you are.192
Then, we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and bishops
who have fallen asleep, and in general for all who have fallen
asleep before us, in the belief that it is a great benefit to the
souls on whose behalf the supplication is offered, while the holy
and tremendous Victim is present. . . . By offering to God our
supplications for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned,
we . . . offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all, and so render
favorable, for them and for us, the God who loves man.193
1372 St. Augustine admirably summed up this doctrine
that moves us to an ever more complete participation in our Redeemer's
sacrifice which we celebrate in the Eucharist:
-
This wholly redeemed city, the assembly and society of the saints,
is offered to God as a universal sacrifice by the high priest who in
the form of a slave went so far as to offer himself for us in his
Passion, to make us the Body of so great a head. . . . Such is the
sacrifice of Christians: "we who are many are one Body in
Christ" The Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice in the
sacrament of the altar so well-known to believers wherein it is
evident to them that in what she offers she herself is offered.194
The presence of Christ by the power of his word and the Holy
Spirit
1373 "Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was
raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed
intercedes for us," is present in many ways to his Church:195
in his word, in his Church's prayer, "where two or three are
gathered in my name,"196 in the poor, the sick, and the
imprisoned,197 in the sacraments of which he is the author,
in the sacrifice of the Mass, and in the person of the minister. But
"he is present . . . most especially in the Eucharistic species."198
1374 The mode of Christ's presence under the
Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the
sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to
which all the sacraments tend."199 In the most blessed
sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the
soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the
whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."200
"This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to
exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too,
but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a
substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes
himself wholly and entirely present."201
1375 It is by the conversion of the bread and wine
into Christ's body and blood that Christ becomes present in this
sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church
in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy
Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom
declares:
-
It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body
and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ
himself. The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words,
but their power and grace are God's. This is my body, he says. This
word transforms the things offered.202
And St. Ambrose says about this conversion:
-
Be convinced that this is not what nature has formed, but what the
blessing has consecrated. The power of the blessing prevails over
that of nature, because by the blessing nature itself is changed. .
. . Could not Christ's word, which can make from nothing what did
not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It
is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to
change their nature.203
1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic
faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was
truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has
always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council
now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there
takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the
substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of
the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic
Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."204
1377 The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at
the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic
species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the
species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that
the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.205
1378 Worship of the Eucharist. In the
liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in the real presence of Christ
under the species of bread and wine by, among other ways, genuflecting
or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord. "The Catholic
Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament of the
Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside
of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing
them to the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in
procession."206
1379 The tabernacle was first intended for the
reservation of the Eucharist in a worthy place so that it could be
brought to the sick and those absent outside of Mass. As faith in the
real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the Church became
conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present under
the Eucharistic species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle
should be located in an especially worthy place in the church and should
be constructed in such a way that it emphasizes and manifests the truth
of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
1380 It is highly fitting that Christ should have
wanted to remain present to his Church in this unique way. Since Christ
was about to take his departure from his own in his visible form, he
wanted to give us his sacramental presence; since he was about to offer
himself on the cross to save us, he wanted us to have the memorial of
the love with which he loved us "to the end,"207
even to the giving of his life. In his Eucharistic presence he remains
mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up
for us,208 and he remains under signs that express and
communicate this love:
-
The Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic
worship. Jesus awaits us in this sacrament of love. Let us not
refuse the time to go to meet him in adoration, in contemplation
full of faith, and open to making amends for the serious offenses
and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease.209
1381 "That in this sacrament are the true Body
of Christ and his true Blood is something that 'cannot be apprehended by
the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but only by faith, which relies
on divine authority.' For this reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19
('This is my body which is given for you.'), St. Cyril says: 'Do not
doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior
in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie.'"210
-
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.211
VI. THE PASCHAL BANQUET
1382 The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably,
the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is
perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and
blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly
directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through
communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has
offered himself for us.
1383 The altar, around which the Church is
gathered in the celebration of the Eucharist, represents the two aspects
of the same mystery: the altar of the sacrifice and the table of the
Lord. This is all the more so since the Christian altar is the symbol of
Christ himself, present in the midst of the assembly of his faithful,
both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and as food from
heaven who is giving himself to us. "For what is the altar of
Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?"212 asks
St. Ambrose. He says elsewhere, "The altar represents the body [of
Christ] and the Body of Christ is on the altar."213 The
liturgy expresses this unity of sacrifice and communion in many prayers.
Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:
-
We entreat you, almighty God,
that by the hands of your holy Angel
this offering may be borne to your altar in heaven
in the sight of your divine majesty,
so that as we receive in communion at this altar
the most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
we may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.214
"Take this and eat it, all of you": communion
1384 The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging
us to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist: "Truly, I say
to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you."215
1385 To respond to this invitation we must prepare
ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to
examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or
drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of
profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and
so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and
drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon
himself."216 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must
receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.
1386 Before so great a sacrament, the faithful can
only echo humbly and with ardent faith the words of the Centurion: "Domine,
non sum dignus ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et
sanabitur anima mea" ("Lord, I am not worthy that you
should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be
healed.").217 And in the Divine Liturgy of St. John
Chrysostom the faithful pray in the same spirit:
-
O Son of God, bring me into communion today with your mystical
supper. I shall not tell your enemies the secret, nor kiss you with
Judas' kiss. But like the good thief I cry, "Jesus, remember me
when you come into your kingdom."
1387 To prepare for worthy reception of this
sacrament, the faithful should observe the fast required in their
Church.218 Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to
convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ
becomes our guest.
1388 It is in keeping with the very meaning of the
Eucharist that the faithful, if they have the required dispositions,218a
receive communion when they participate in the Mass.219
As the Second Vatican Council says: "That more perfect form of
participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the priest's
communion, receive the Lord's Body from the same sacrifice, is warmly
recommended."220
1389 The Church obliges the faithful to take part in
the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the
sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a
year, if possible during the Easter season.221 But the Church
strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on
Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.
1390 Since Christ is sacramentally present under
each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it
possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral
reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately
established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But "the
sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in
that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly."222
This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites.
The fruits of Holy Communion
1391 Holy Communion augments our union with
Christ. The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy
Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Lord said:
"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in
him."223 Life in Christ has its foundation in the
Eucharistic banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live
because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me."224
-
On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of
the Son, they proclaim to one another the Good News that the first
fruits of life have been given, as when the angel said to Mary
Magdalene, "Christ is risen!" Now too are life and
resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ.225
1392 What material food produces in our bodily life,
Holy Communion wonderfully achieves in our spiritual life. Communion
with the flesh of the risen Christ, a flesh "given life and giving
life through the Holy Spirit,"226 preserves, increases,
and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This growth in
Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the bread
for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to
us as viaticum.
1393 Holy Communion separates us from sin.
The body of Christ we receive in Holy Communion is "given up for
us," and the blood we drink "shed for the many for the
forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist cannot unite us
to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins and
preserving us from future sins:
-
For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim
the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim
the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it
is poured for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it,
so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I
should always have a remedy.227
1394 As bodily nourishment restores lost strength,
so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in
daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins.228
By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and enables us to break
our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves in him:
Since Christ died for us out of love, when we celebrate the memorial
of his death at the moment of sacrifice we ask that love may be granted
to us by the coming of the Holy Spirit. We humbly pray that in the
strength of this love by which Christ willed to die for us, we, by
receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, may be able to consider the world
as crucified for us, and to be ourselves as crucified to the world. . .
. Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin and live for God.229
1395 By the same charity that it enkindles in us,
the Eucharist preserves us from future mortal sins. The more we
share the life of Christ and progress in his friendship, the more
difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin. The Eucharist is
not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins - that is proper to the
sacrament of Reconciliation. The Eucharist is properly the sacrament of
those who are in full communion with the Church.
1396 The unity of the Mystical Body: the
Eucharist makes the Church. Those who receive the Eucharist are
united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the
faithful in one body - the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and
deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism.
In Baptism we have been called to form but one body.230 The
Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless,
is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we
break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is
one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one
bread:"231
-
If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your
sacrament that is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your
sacrament that you receive. To that which you are you respond
"Amen" ("yes, it is true!") and by responding to
it you assent to it. For you hear the words, "the Body of
Christ" and respond "Amen." Be then a member of the
Body of Christ that your Amen may be true.232
1397 The Eucharist commits us to the poor.
To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we
must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren:
-
You have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize
your brother,. . . . You dishonor this table when you do not judge
worthy of sharing your food someone judged worthy to take part in
this meal. . . . God freed you from all your sins and invited you
here, but you have not become more merciful.233
1398 The Eucharist and the unity of Christians.
Before the greatness of this mystery St. Augustine exclaims, "O
sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond of charity!"234
The more painful the experience of the divisions in the Church which
break the common participation in the table of the Lord, the more urgent
are our prayers to the Lord that the time of complete unity among all
who believe in him may return.
1399 The Eastern churches that are not in full
communion with the Catholic Church celebrate the Eucharist with great
love. "These Churches, although separated from us, yet possess true
sacraments, above all - by apostolic succession - the priesthood and the
Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to us in closest
intimacy." A certain communion in sacris, and so in the
Eucharist, "given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church
authority, is not merely possible but is encouraged."235
1400 Ecclesial communities derived from the
Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, "have not
preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness,
especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Holy Orders."236
It is for this reason that, for the Catholic Church, Eucharistic
intercommunion with these communities is not possible. However these
ecclesial communities, "when they commemorate the Lord's death and
resurrection in the Holy Supper . . . profess that it signifies life in
communion with Christ and await his coming in glory."237
1401 When, in the Ordinary's judgment, a grave
necessity arises, Catholic ministers may give the sacraments of
Eucharist, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick to other Christians not in
full communion with the Catholic Church, who ask for them of their own
will, provided they give evidence of holding the Catholic faith
regarding these sacraments and possess the required dispositions.238
VII. THE EUCHARIST - "PLEDGE OF THE GLORY TO COME"
1402 In an ancient prayer the Church acclaims the
mystery of the Eucharist: "O sacred banquet in which Christ is
received as food, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the soul is
filled with grace and a pledge of the life to come is given to us."
If the Eucharist is the memorial of the Passover of the Lord Jesus, if
by our communion at the altar we are filled "with every heavenly
blessing and grace,"239 then the Eucharist is also an
anticipation of the heavenly glory.
1403 At the Last Supper the Lord himself directed
his disciples' attention toward the fulfillment of the Passover in the
kingdom of God: "I tell you I shall not drink again of this fruit
of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's
kingdom."240 Whenever the Church celebrates the
Eucharist she remembers this promise and turns her gaze "to him who
is to come." In her prayer she calls for his coming: "Marana
tha!" "Come, Lord Jesus!"241 "May
your grace come and this world pass away!"242
1404 The Church knows that the Lord comes even now
in his Eucharist and that he is there in our midst. However, his
presence is veiled. Therefore we celebrate the Eucharist "awaiting
the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ,"243
asking "to share in your glory when every tear will be wiped away.
On that day we shall see you, our God, as you are. We shall become like
you and praise you for ever through Christ our Lord."244
1405 There is no surer pledge or dearer sign of this
great hope in the new heavens and new earth "in which righteousness
dwells,"245 than the Eucharist. Every time this mystery
is celebrated, "the work of our redemption is carried on" and
we "break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality,
the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in
Jesus Christ."246
IN BRIEF
1406 Jesus said: "I am the living bread that
came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for
ever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life
and . . . abides in me, and I in him" (Jn 6:51, 54, 56).
1407 The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of
the Church's life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her
members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for
all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the
graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church.
1408 The Eucharistic celebration always includes:
the proclamation of the Word of God; thanksgiving to God the Father for
all his benefits, above all the gift of his Son; the consecration of
bread and wine; and participation in the liturgical banquet by receiving
the Lord's body and blood. These elements constitute one single act of
worship.
1409 The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's
Passover, that is, of the work of salvation accomplished by the life,
death, and resurrection of Christ, a work made present by the liturgical
action.
1410 It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest
of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests,
offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really
present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the
Eucharistic sacrifice.
1411 Only validly ordained priests can preside at
the Eucharist and consecrate the bread and the wine so that they become
the Body and Blood of the Lord.
1412 The essential signs of the Eucharistic
sacrament are wheat bread and grape wine, on which the blessing of the
Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest pronounces the words of
consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper: "This is my
body which will be given up for you. . . . This is the cup of my blood.
. . ."
1413 By the consecration the transubstantiation of
the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is brought about.
Under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living
and glorious, is present in a true, real, and substantial manner: his
Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity (cf. Council of
Trent: DS 1640; 1651).
1414 As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in
reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain
spiritual or temporal benefits from God.
1415 Anyone who desires to receive Christ in
Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of
having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having
received absolution in the sacrament of penance.
1416 Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ
increases the communicant's union with the Lord, forgives his venial
sins, and preserves him from grave sins. Since receiving this sacrament
strengthens the bonds of charity between the communicant and Christ, it
also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ.
1417 The Church warmly recommends that the faithful
receive Holy Communion when they participate in the celebration of the
Eucharist; she obliges them to do so at least once a year.
1418 Because Christ himself is present in the
sacrament of the altar, he is to be honored with the worship of
adoration. "To visit the Blessed Sacrament is . . . a proof of
gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ
our Lord" (Paul VI, MF 66).
1419 Having passed from this world to the Father,
Christ gives us in the Eucharist the pledge of glory with him.
Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us with his Heart,
sustains our strength along the pilgrimage of this life, makes us long
for eternal life, and unites us even now to the Church in heaven, the
Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints.
CHAPTER TWO
THE SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
1420 Through the sacraments of Christian initiation,
man receives the new life of Christ. Now we carry this life "in
earthen vessels," and it remains "hidden with Christ in
God."1 We are still in our "earthly tent,"
subject to suffering, illness, and death.2 This new life as a
child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin.
1421 The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls
and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to
bodily health,3 has willed that his Church continue, in the
power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among
her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing:
the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
ARTICLE 4
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of
Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against
him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they
have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by
prayer labors for their conversion."4
I. WHAT IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED?
1423 It is called the sacrament of conversion
because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the
first step in returning to the Father5 from whom one has
strayed by sin.
It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates
the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion,
penance, and satisfaction.
1424 It is called the sacrament of confession,
since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential
element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a
"confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of
God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the
priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and
peace."6
It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it
imparts to the sinner the live of God who reconciles: "Be
reconciled to God."7 He who lives by God's merciful love
is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to
your brother."8
II. WHY A SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION AFTER BAPTISM?
1425 "You were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of
our God."9 One must appreciate the magnitude of the gift
God has given us in the sacraments of Christian initiation in order to
grasp the degree to which sin is excluded for him who has "put on
Christ."10 But the apostle John also says: "If we
say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us."11 And the Lord himself taught us to pray:
"Forgive us our trespasses,"12 linking our
forgiveness of one another's offenses to the forgiveness of our sins
that God will grant us.
1426 Conversion to Christ, the new birth of
Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ
received as food have made us "holy and without blemish," just
as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is "holy and without
blemish."13 Nevertheless the new life received in
Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human
nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence,
which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of
Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life.14
This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and
eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us.15
III. THE CONVERSION OF THE BAPTIZED
1427 Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an
essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom: "The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the
gospel."16 In the Church's preaching this call is
addressed first to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel.
Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental
conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and by Baptism17
that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the forgiveness of
all sins and the gift of new life.
1428 Christ's call to conversion continues to
resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is
an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, "clasping sinners
to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification,
[and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal."18
This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement
of a "contrite heart," drawn and moved by grace to respond to
the merciful love of God who loved us first.19
1429 St. Peter's conversion after he had denied his
master three times bears witness to this. Jesus' look of infinite mercy
drew tears of repentance from Peter and, after the Lord's resurrection,
a threefold affirmation of love for him.20 The second
conversion also has a communitarian dimension, as is clear in
the Lord's call to a whole Church: "Repent!"21
-
St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church,
"there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears
of repentance."22
IV. INTERIOR PENANCE
1430 Jesus' call to conversion and penance, like
that of the prophets before him, does not aim first at outward works,
"sackcloth and ashes," fasting and mortification, but at the conversion
of the heart, interior conversion. Without this, such penances
remain sterile and false; however, interior conversion urges expression
in visible signs, gestures and works of penance.23
1431 Interior repentance is a radical reorientation
of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an
end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil
actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and
resolution to change one's life, with hope in God's mercy and trust in
the help of his grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a
salutary pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus
(affliction of spirit) and compunctio cordis (repentance of
heart).24
1432 The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must
give man a new heart.25 Conversion is first of all a work of
the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him: "Restore us to
thyself, O LORD, that we may be restored!"26 God gives
us the strength to begin anew. It is in discovering the greatness of
God's love that our heart is shaken by the horror and weight of sin and
begins to fear offending God by sin and being separated from him. The
human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced:27
-
Let us fix our eyes on Christ's blood and understand how precious
it is to his Father, for, poured out for our salvation it has
brought to the whole world the grace of repentance.
1433 Since Easter, the Holy Spirit has proved
"the world wrong about sin,"29 i.e., proved that
the world has not believed in him whom the Father has sent. But this
same Spirit who brings sin to light is also the Consoler who gives the
human heart grace for repentance and conversion.30
V. THE MANY FORMS OF PENANCE IN CHRISTIAN LIFE
1434 The interior penance of the Christian can be
expressed in many and various ways. Scripture and the Fathers insist
above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving,31
which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others.
Alongside the radical purification brought about by Baptism or martyrdom
they cite as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins: effort at
reconciliation with one's neighbor, tears of repentance, concern for the
salvation of one's neighbor, the intercession of the saints, and the
practice of charity "which covers a multitude of sins."32
1435 Conversion is accomplished in daily life by
gestures of reconciliation, concern for the poor, the exercise and
defense of justice and right,33 by the admission of faults to
one's brethren, fraternal correction, revision of life, examination of
conscience, spiritual direction, acceptance of suffering, endurance of
persecution for the sake of righteousness. Taking up one's cross each
day and following Jesus is the surest way of penance.34
1436 Eucharist and Penance. Daily
conversion and penance find their source and nourishment in the
Eucharist, for in it is made present the sacrifice of Christ which has
reconciled us with God. Through the Eucharist those who live from the
life of Christ are fed and strengthened. "It is a remedy to free us
from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins."35
1437 Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy
of the Hours and the Our Father - every sincere act of worship or
devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and
contributes to the forgiveness of our sins.
1438 The seasons and days of penance in the
course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the
death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential
practice.36 These times are particularly appropriate for
spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of
penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and
fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).
1439 The process of conversion and repentance
was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of
which is the merciful father:37 the fascination of illusory
freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the extreme misery in
which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep
humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse,
at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he
has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before
his father; the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the
father's joy - all these are characteristic of the process of
conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are
symbols of that new life - pure worthy, and joyful - of anyone who
returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only
the heart Of Christ Who knows the depths of his Father's love could
reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way.
VI. THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
1440 Sin is before all else an offense against God,
a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion
with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God's
forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and
accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and
Reconciliation.38
Only God forgives sin
1441 Only God forgives sins.39 Since he
is the Son of God, Jesus says of himself, "The Son of man has
authority on earth to forgive sins" and exercises this divine
power: "Your sins are forgiven."40 Further, by
virtue of his divine authority he gives this power to men to exercise in
his name.41
1442 Christ has willed that in her prayer and life
and action his whole Church should be the sign and instrument of the
forgiveness and reconciliation that he acquired for us at the price of
his blood. But he entrusted the exercise of the power of absolution to
the apostolic ministry which he charged with the "ministry of
reconciliation."42 The apostle is sent out "on
behalf of Christ" with "God making his appeal" through
him and pleading: "Be reconciled to God."43
Reconciliation with the Church
1443 During his public life Jesus not only forgave
sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he
reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God
from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of
this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture
that expresses in an astonishing way both God's forgiveness and the
return to the bosom of the People of God.44
1444 In imparting to his apostles his own power to
forgive sins the Lord also gives them the authority to reconcile sinners
with the Church. This ecclesial dimension of their task is expressed
most notably in Christ's solemn words to Simon Peter: "I will give
you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven."45 "The office of binding and
loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of the
apostles united to its head."46
1445 The words bind and loose mean:
whomever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from
communion with God; whomever you receive anew into your communion, God
will welcome back into his. Reconciliation with the Church is
inseparable from reconciliation with God.
The sacrament of forgiveness
1446 Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for
all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since
Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal
grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament
of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace
of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as
"the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the
loss of grace."47
1447 Over the centuries the concrete form in which
the Church has exercised this power received from the Lord has varied
considerably. During the first centuries the reconciliation of
Christians who had committed particularly grave sins after their Baptism
(for example, idolatry, murder, or adultery) was tied to a very rigorous
discipline, according to which penitents had to do public penance for
their sins, often for years, before receiving reconciliation. To this
"order of penitents" (which concerned only certain grave
sins), one was only rarely admitted and in certain regions only once in
a lifetime. During the seventh century Irish missionaries, inspired by
the Eastern monastic tradition, took to continental Europe the
"private" practice of penance, which does not require public
and prolonged completion of penitential works before reconciliation with
the Church. From that time on, the sacrament has been performed in
secret between penitent and priest. This new practice envisioned the
possibility of repetition and so opened the way to a regular frequenting
of this sacrament. It allowed the forgiveness of grave sins and venial
sins to be integrated into one sacramental celebration. In its main
lines this is the form of penance that the Church has practiced down to
our day.
1448 Beneath the changes in discipline and
celebration that this sacrament has undergone over the centuries, the
same fundamental structure is to be discerned. It comprises two
equally essential elements: on the one hand, the acts of the man who
undergoes conversion through the action of the Holy Spirit: namely,
contrition, confession, and satisfaction; on the other, God's action
through the intervention of the Church. The Church, who through the
bishop and his priests forgives sins in the name of Jesus Christ and
determines the manner of satisfaction, also prays for the sinner and
does penance with him. Thus the sinner is healed and re-established in
ecclesial communion.
1449 The formula of absolution used in the Latin
Church expresses the essential elements of this sacrament: the Father of
mercies is the source of all forgiveness. He effects the reconciliation
of sinners through the Passover of his Son and the gift of his Spirit,
through the prayer and ministry of the Church:
-
God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit.48
VII. THE ACTS OF THE PENITENT
1450 "Penance requires . . . the sinner to
endure all things willingly, be contrite of heart, confess with the
lips, and practice complete humility and fruitful satisfaction."49
Contrition
1451 Among the penitent's acts contrition occupies
first place. Contrition is "sorrow of the soul and detestation for
the sin committed, together with the resolution not to sin again."50
1452 When it arises from a love by which God is
loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect"
(contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also
obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to
have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.51
1453 The contrition called "imperfect" (or
"attrition") is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy
Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin's ugliness or the fear of
eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner
(contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an
interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to
completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect
contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes
one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.52
1454 The reception of this sacrament ought to be
prepared for by an examination of conscience made in the light
of the Word of God. The passages best suited to this can be found in the
Ten Commandments, the moral catechesis of the Gospels and the apostolic
letters, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the apostolic teachings.53
The confession of sins
1455 The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even
from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our
reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely
at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby
opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order
to make a new future possible.
1456 Confession to a priest is an essential part of
the sacrament of Penance: "All mortal sins of which penitents after
a diligent self-examination are conscious must be recounted by them in
confession, even if they are most secret and have been committed against
the last two precepts of the Decalogue; for these sins sometimes wound
the soul more grievously and are more dangerous than those which are
committed openly."54
-
When Christ's faithful strive to confess all the sins that they
can remember, they undoubtedly place all of them before the divine
mercy for pardon. But those who fail to do so and knowingly withhold
some, place nothing before the divine goodness for remission through
the mediation of the priest, "for if the sick person is too
ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal
what it does not know."55
1457 According to the Church's command, "after
having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by
an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a
year."56 Anyone who is aware of having committed a
mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep
contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless
he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no
possibility of going to confession.57 Children must go to the
sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.58
1458 Without being strictly necessary, confession of
everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by
the Church.59 Indeed the regular confession of our venial
sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let
ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By
receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the
Father's mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful:60
-
Whoever confesses his sins . . . is already working with God. God
indicts your sins; if you also indict them, you are joined with God.
Man and sinner are, so to speak, two realities: when you hear
"man" - this is what God has made; when you hear
"sinner" - this is what man himself has made. Destroy what
you have made, so that God may save what he has made. . . . When you
begin to abhor what you have made, it is then that your good works
are beginning, since you are accusing yourself of your evil works.
The beginning of good works is the confession of evil works. You do
the truth and come to the light.61
Satisfaction
1459 Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what
is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods,
restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for
injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and
weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and
neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the
disorders sin has caused.62 Raised up from sin, the sinner
must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to
make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or
"expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called
"penance."
1460 The penance the confessor imposes must
take into account the penitent's personal situation and must seek his
spiritual good. It must correspond as far as possible with the gravity
and nature of the sins committed. It can consist of prayer, an offering,
works of mercy, service of neighbor, voluntary self-denial, sacrifices,
and above all the patient acceptance of the cross we must bear. Such
penances help configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once
for all. They allow us to become co-heirs with the risen Christ,
"provided we suffer with him."63
-
The satisfaction that we make for our sins, however, is not so
much ours as though it were not done through Jesus Christ. We who
can do nothing ourselves, as if just by ourselves, can do all things
with the cooperation of "him who strengthens" us. Thus man
has nothing of which to boast, but all our boasting is in Christ . .
. in whom we make satisfaction by bringing forth "fruits that
befit repentance." These fruits have their efficacy from him,
by him they are offered to the Father, and through him they are
accepted by the Father.64
VIII. THE MINISTER OF THIS SACRAMENT
1461 Since Christ entrusted to his apostles the
ministry of reconciliation,65 bishops who are their
successors, and priests, the bishops' collaborators, continue to
exercise this ministry. Indeed bishops and priests, by virtue of the
sacrament of Holy Orders, have the power to forgive all sins "in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
1462 Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with
God, but also with the Church. Since ancient times the bishop, visible
head of a particular Church, has thus rightfully been considered to be
the one who principally has the power and ministry of reconciliation: he
is the moderator of the penitential discipline.66 Priests,
his collaborators, exercise it to the extent that they have received the
commission either from their bishop (or religious superior) or the Pope,
according to the law of the Church.67
1463 Certain particularly grave sins incur
excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes
the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain
ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be
granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the
place or priests authorized by them. In danger of death any priest, even
if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every
sin and excommunication.69
1464 Priests must encourage the faithful to come to
the sacrament of Penance and must make themselves available to celebrate
this sacrament each time Christians reasonably ask for it.70
1465 When he celebrates the sacrament of Penance,
the priest is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the
lost sheep, of the Good Samaritan who binds up wounds, of the Father who
awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return, and of the just
and impartial judge whose judgment is both just and merciful. The priest
is the sign and the instrument of God's merciful love for the sinner.
1466 The confessor is not the master of God's
forgiveness, but its servant. The minister of this sacrament should
unite himself to the intention and charity of Christ.71 He
should have a proven knowledge of Christian behavior, experience of
human affairs, respect and sensitivity toward the one who has fallen; he
must love the truth, be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church, and
lead the penitent with patience toward healing and full maturity. He
must pray and do penance for his penitent, entrusting him to the Lord's
mercy.
1467 Given the delicacy and greatness of this
ministry and the respect due to persons, the Church declares that every
priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to
keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have
confessed to him. He can make no use of knowledge that confession gives
him about penitents' lives.72 This secret, which admits of no
exceptions, is called the "sacramental seal," because what the
penitent has made known to the priest remains "sealed" by the
sacrament.
IX. THE EFFECTS OF THIS SACRAMENT
1468 "The whole power of the sacrament of
Penance consists in restoring us to God's grace and joining us with him
in an intimate friendship."73 Reconciliation with God is
thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament. For those who receive the
sacrament of Penance with contrite heart and religious disposition,
reconciliation "is usually followed by peace and serenity of
conscience with strong spiritual consolation."74 Indeed
the sacrament of Reconciliation with God brings about a true
"spiritual resurrection," restoration of the dignity and
blessings of the life of the children of God, of which the most precious
is friendship with God.75
1469 This sacrament reconciles us with the
Church. Sin damages or even breaks fraternal communion. The
sacrament of Penance repairs or restores it. In this sense it does not
simply heal the one restored to ecclesial communion, but has also a
revitalizing effect on the life of the Church which suffered from the
sin of one of her members.76 Re-established or strengthened
in the communion of saints, the sinner is made stronger by the exchange
of spiritual goods among all the living members of the Body of Christ,
whether still on pilgrimage or already in the heavenly homeland:77
-
It must be recalled that . . . this reconciliation with God leads,
as it were, to other reconciliations, which repair the other
breaches caused by sin. The forgiven penitent is reconciled with
himself in his inmost being, where he regains his innermost truth.
He is reconciled with his brethren whom he has in some way offended
and wounded. He is reconciled with the Church. He is reconciled with
all creation.78
1470 In this sacrament, the sinner, placing himself
before the merciful judgment of God, anticipates in a certain
way the judgment to which he will be subjected at the end of
his earthly life. For it is now, in this life, that we are offered the
choice between life and death, and it is only by the road of conversion
that we can enter the Kingdom, from which one is excluded by grave sin.79
In converting to Christ through penance and faith, the sinner passes
from death to life and "does not come into judgment."80
X. INDULGENCES
1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the
Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal
punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the
faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed
conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of
redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the
satisfactions of Christ and the saints."81
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes
either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin."82
The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the
dead.82a
The punishments of sin
1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the
Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double
consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and
therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is
called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand
every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures,
which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state
called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the
"temporal punishment" of sin. These two punishments must not
be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without,
but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which
proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of
the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.83
1473 The forgiveness of sin and restoration of
communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of
sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing
sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely
facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal
punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and
charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to
put off completely the "old man" and to put on the "new
man."84
In the Communion of Saints
1474 The Christian who seeks to purify himself of
his sin and to become holy with the help of God's grace is not alone.
"The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through
Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian
brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in
a single mystical person."85
1475 In the communion of saints, "a perennial
link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached
their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and
those who are still pilgrims on earth. between them there is, too, an
abundant exchange of all good things."86 In this
wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the
harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the
communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and
efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the
communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is "not
the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the
course of the centuries. On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is
the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits
have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be
set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the
Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist
and find their efficacy."87
1477 "This treasury includes as well the
prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly
immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In
the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all
those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his
grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the
unity of the Mystical Body."88
Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church
1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church
who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ
Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them
the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the
Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for
their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of
these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance,
and charity.89
1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified
are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help
them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments
due for their sins may be remitted.
XI. THE CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE
1480 Like all the sacraments, Penance is a
liturgical action. The elements of the celebration are ordinarily these:
a greeting and blessing from the priest, reading the word of God to
illuminate the conscience and elicit contrition, and an exhortation to
repentance; the confession, which acknowledges sins and makes them known
to the priest; the imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest's
absolution; a prayer of thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the
blessing of the priest.
1481 The Byzantine Liturgy recognizes several
formulas of absolution, in the form of invocation, which admirably
express the mystery of forgiveness: "May the same God, who through
the Prophet Nathan forgave David when he confessed his sins, who forgave
Peter when he wept bitterly, the prostitute when she washed his feet
with her tears, the publican, and the prodigal son, through me, a
sinner, forgive you both in this life and in the next and enable you to
appear before his awe-inspiring tribunal without condemnation, he who is
blessed for ever and ever. Amen."
1482 The sacrament of Penance can also take place in
the framework of a communal celebration in which we prepare
ourselves together for confession and give thanks together for the
forgiveness received. Here, the personal confession of sins and
individual absolution are inserted into a liturgy of the word of God
with readings and a homily, an examination of conscience conducted in
common, a communal request for forgiveness, the Our Father and a
thanksgiving in common. This communal celebration expresses more clearly
the ecclesial character of penance. However, regardless of its manner of
celebration the sacrament of Penance is always, by its very nature, a
liturgical action, and therefore an ecclesial and public action.90
1483 In case of grave necessity recourse may be had
to a communal celebration of reconciliation with general confession
and general absolution. Grave necessity of this sort can arise when
there is imminent danger of death without sufficient time for the priest
or priests to hear each penitent's confession. Grave necessity can also
exist when, given the number of penitents, there are not enough
confessors to hear individual confessions properly in a reasonable time,
so that the penitents through no fault of their own would be deprived of
sacramental grace or Holy Communion for a long time. In this case, for
the absolution to be valid the faithful must have the intention of
individually confessing their grave sins in the time required.91
The diocesan bishop is the judge of whether or not the conditions
required for general absolution exist.92 A large gathering of
the faithful on the occasion of major feasts or pilgrimages does not
constitute a case of grave necessity.93
1484 "Individual, integral confession and
absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile
themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral
impossibility excuses from this kind of confession."94
There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the
sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: "My son, your
sins are forgiven."95 He is the physician tending each
one of the sick who need him to cure them.96 He raises them
up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession
is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the
Church.
IN BRIEF
1485 "On the evening of that day, the first day
of the week," Jesus showed himself to his apostles. "He
breathed on them, and said to them: 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you
forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of
any, they are retained"' (Jn 20:19, 22-23).
1486 The forgiveness of sins committed after Baptism
is conferred by a particular sacrament called the sacrament of
conversion, confession, penance, or reconciliation.
1487 The sinner wounds God's honor and love, his own
human dignity as a man called to be a son of God, and the spiritual
well-being of the Church, of which each Christian ought to be a living
stone.
1488 To the eyes of faith no evil is graver than sin
and nothing has worse consequences for sinners themselves, for the
Church, and for the whole world.
1489 To return to communion with God after having
lost it through sin is a process born of the grace of God who is rich in
mercy and solicitous for the salvation of men. One must ask for this
precious gift for oneself and for others.
1490 The movement of return to God, called
conversion and repentance, entails sorrow for and abhorrence of sins
committed, and the firm purpose of sinning no more in the future.
Conversion touches the past and the future and is nourished by hope in
God's mercy.
1491 The sacrament of Penance is a whole consisting
in three actions of the penitent and the priest's absolution. The
penitent's acts are repentance, confession or disclosure of sins to the
priest, and the intention to make reparation and do works of reparation.
1492 Repentance (also called contrition) must be
inspired by motives that arise from faith. If repentance arises from
love of charity for God, it is called "perfect" contrition; if
it is founded on other motives, it is called "imperfect."
1493 One who desires to obtain reconciliation with
God and with the Church, must confess to a priest all the unconfessed
grave sins he remembers after having carefully examined his conscience.
The confession of venial faults, without being necessary in itself, is
nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church.
1494 The confessor proposes the performance of
certain acts of "satisfaction" or "penance" to be
performed by the penitent in order to repair the harm caused by sin and
to re-establish habits befitting a disciple of Christ.
1495 Only priests who have received the faculty of
absolving from the authority of the Church can forgive sins in the name
of Christ.
1496 The spiritual effects of the sacrament of
Penance are:
- reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace;
- reconciliation with the Church;
- remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins;
- remission, at least in part, of temporal punishments resulting from
sin;
- peace and serenity of conscience, and spiritual consolation;
- an increase of spiritual strength for the Christian battle.
1497 Individual and integral confession of grave
sins followed by absolution remains the only ordinary means of
reconciliation with God and with the Church.
1498 Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the
remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and
also for the souls in Purgatory.
ARTICLE 5
THE ANOINTING OF THE SICK
1499 "By the sacred anointing of the sick and
the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to
the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save
them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the
People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of
Christ."97
I. ITS FOUNDATIONS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
Illness in human life
1500 Illness and suffering have always been among
the gravest problems confronted in human life. In illness, man
experiences his powerlessness, his limitations, and his finitude. Every
illness can make us glimpse death.
1501 Illness can lead to anguish, self-absorption,
sometimes even despair and revolt against God. It can also make a person
more mature, helping him discern in his life what is not essential so
that he can turn toward that which is. Very often illness provokes a
search for God and a return to him.
The sick person before God
1502 The man of the Old Testament lives his sickness
in the presence of God. It is before God that he laments his illness,
and it is of God, Master of life and death, that he implores healing.98
Illness becomes a way to conversion; God's forgiveness initiates the
healing.99 It is the experience of Israel that illness is
mysteriously linked to sin and evil, and that faithfulness to God
according to his law restores life: "For I am the Lord, your
healer."100 The prophet intuits that suffering can also
have a redemptive meaning for the sins of others.101 Finally
Isaiah announces that God will usher in a time for Zion when he will
pardon every offense and heal every illness.102
Christ the physician
1503 Christ's compassion toward the sick and his
many healings of every kind of infirmity are a resplendent sign that
"God has visited his people"103 and that the
Kingdom of God is close at hand. Jesus has the power not only to heal,
but also to forgive sins;104 he has come to heal the whole
man, soul and body; he is the physician the sick have need of.105
His compassion toward all who suffer goes so far that he identifies
himself with them: "I was sick and you visited me."106
His preferential love for the sick has not ceased through the centuries
to draw the very special attention of Christians toward all those who
suffer in body and soul. It is the source of tireless efforts to comfort
them.
1504 Often Jesus asks the sick to believe.107
He makes use of signs to heal: spittle and the laying on of hands,108
mud and washing.109 The sick try to touch him, "for
power came forth from him and healed them all."110 And
so in the sacraments Christ continues to "touch" us in order
to heal us.
1505 Moved by so much suffering Christ not only
allows himself to be touched by the sick, but he makes their miseries
his own: "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.".111
But he did not heal all the sick. His healings were signs of the coming
of the Kingdom of God. They announced a more radical healing: the
victory over sin and death through his Passover. On the cross Christ
took upon himself the whole weight of evil and took away the "sin
of the world,".112 of which illness is only a
consequence. By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a
new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and
unite us with his redemptive Passion.
"Heal the sick . . ."
1506 Christ invites his disciples to follow him by
taking up their cross in their turn..113 By following him
they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick. Jesus associates
them with his own life of poverty and service. He makes them share in
his ministry of compassion and healing: "So they went out and
preached that men should repent. And they cast out many demons, and
anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.".114
1507 The risen Lord renews this mission ("In my
name . . . they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will
recover."115) and confirms it through the signs that the
Church performs by invoking his name.116 These signs
demonstrate in a special way that Jesus is truly "God who
saves."117
1508 The Holy Spirit gives to some a special charism
of healing118 so as to make manifest the power of the grace
of the risen Lord. But even the most intense prayers do not always
obtain the healing of all illnesses. Thus St. Paul must learn from the
Lord that "my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness," and that the sufferings to be endured can
mean that "in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's
afflictions for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church."119
1509 "Heal the sick!"120 The
Church has received this charge from the Lord and strives to carry it
out by taking care of the sick as well as by accompanying them with her
prayer of intercession. She believes in the life-giving presence of
Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly
active through the sacraments, and in an altogether special way through
the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life and that St. Paul
suggests is connected with bodily health.121
1510 However, the apostolic Church has its own rite
for the sick, attested to by St. James: "Is any among you sick? Let
him call for the elders [presbyters] of the Church and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the
prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up;
and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."122
Tradition has recognized in this rite one of the seven sacraments.123
A sacrament of the sick
1511 The Church believes and confesses that among
the seven sacraments there is one especially intended to strengthen
those who are being tried by illness, the Anointing of the Sick:
-
This sacred anointing of the sick was instituted by Christ our
Lord as a true and proper sacrament of the New Testament. It is
alluded to indeed by Mark, but is recommended to the faithful and
promulgated by James the apostle and brother of the Lord.124
1512 From ancient times in the liturgical traditions
of both East and West, we have testimonies to the practice of anointings
of the sick with blessed oil. Over the centuries the Anointing of the
Sick was conferred more and more exclusively on those at the point of
death. Because of this it received the name "Extreme Unction."
Notwithstanding this evolution the liturgy has never failed to beg the
Lord that the sick person may recover his health if it would be
conducive to his salvation.125
1513 The Apostolic Constitution Sacram unctionem
infirmorum,126 following upon the Second Vatican
Council,127 established that henceforth, in the Roman Rite,
the following be observed:
-
The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are
seriously ill by anointing them on the forehead and hands with duly
blessed oil - pressed from olives or from other plants - saying,
only once: "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his
love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the
Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."128
II. WHO RECEIVES AND WHO ADMINISTERS THIS SACRAMENT?
In case of grave illness . . .
1514 The Anointing of the Sick "is not a
sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon
as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness
or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has
certainly already arrived."129
1515 If a sick person who received this anointing
recovers his health, he can in the case of another grave illness receive
this sacrament again. If during the same illness the person's condition
becomes more serious, the sacrament may be repeated. It is fitting to
receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The
same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.
" . . . let him call for the presbyters of the
Church"
1516 Only priests (bishops and presbyters) are
ministers of the Anointing of the Sick.130 It is the duty of
pastors to instruct the faithful on the benefits of this sacrament. The
faithful should encourage the sick to call for a priest to receive this
sacrament. The sick should prepare themselves to receive it with good
dispositions, assisted by their pastor and the whole ecclesial
community, which is invited to surround the sick in a special way
through their prayers and fraternal attention.
III. HOW IS THIS SACRAMENT CELEBRATED?
1517 Like all the sacraments the Anointing of the
Sick is a liturgical and communal celebration,131 whether it
takes place in the family home, a hospital or church, for a single sick
person or a whole group of sick persons. It is very fitting to celebrate
it within the Eucharist, the memorial of the Lord's Passover. If
circumstances suggest it, the celebration of the sacrament can be
preceded by the sacrament of Penance and followed by the sacrament of
the Eucharist. As the sacrament of Christ's Passover the Eucharist
should always be the last sacrament of the earthly journey, the
"viaticum" for "passing over" to eternal life.
1518 Word and sacrament form an indivisible whole.
The Liturgy of the Word, preceded by an act of repentance, opens the
celebration. The words of Christ, the witness of the apostles, awaken
the faith of the sick person and of the community to ask the Lord for
the strength of his Spirit.
1519 The celebration of the sacrament includes the
following principal elements: the "priests of the Church"132
- in silence - lay hands on the sick; they pray over them in the faith
of the Church133 - this is the epiclesis proper to this
sacrament; they then anoint them with oil blessed, if possible, by the
bishop.
These liturgical actions indicate what grace this sacrament confers
upon the sick.
IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE CELEBRATION OF THIS SACRAMENT
1520 A particular gift of the Holy Spirit.
The first grace of this sacrament is one of strengthening, peace and
courage to overcome the difficulties that go with the condition of
serious illness or the frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the
Holy Spirit, who renews trust and faith in God and strengthens against
the temptations of the evil one, the temptation to discouragement and
anguish in the face of death.134 This assistance from the
Lord by the power of his Spirit is meant to lead the sick person to
healing of the soul, but also of the body if such is God's will.135
Furthermore, "if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."136
1521 Union with the passion of Christ. By
the grace of this sacrament the sick person receives the strength and
the gift of uniting himself more closely to Christ's Passion: in a
certain way he is consecrated to bear fruit by configuration to the
Savior's redemptive Passion. Suffering, a consequence of original sin,
acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of
Jesus.
1522 An ecclesial grace. The sick who
receive this sacrament, "by freely uniting themselves to the
passion and death of Christ," "contribute to the good of the
People of God."137 By celebrating this sacrament the
Church, in the communion of saints, intercedes for the benefit of the
sick person, and he, for his part, though the grace of this sacrament,
contributes to the sanctification of the Church and to the good of all
men for whom the Church suffers and offers herself through Christ to God
the Father.
1523 A preparation for the final journey.
If the sacrament of anointing of the sick is given to all who suffer
from serious illness and infirmity, even more rightly is it given to
those at the point of departing this life; so it is also called sacramentum
exeuntium (the sacrament of those departing).138 The
Anointing of the Sick completes our conformity to the death and
Resurrection of Christ, just as Baptism began it. It completes the holy
anointings that mark the whole Christian life: that of Baptism which
sealed the new life in us, and that of Confirmation which strengthened
us for the combat of this life. This last anointing fortifies the end of
our earthly life like a solid rampart for the final struggles before
entering the Father's house.139
V. VIATICUM, THE LAST SACRAMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN
1524 In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the
Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as
viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this
moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular
significance and importance. It is the seed of eternal life and the
power of resurrection, according to the words of the Lord: "He who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him
up at the last day."140 The sacrament of Christ once
dead and now risen, the Eucharist is here the sacrament of passing over
from death to life, from this world to the Father.141
1525 Thus, just as the sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation, and the Eucharist form a unity called "the sacraments
of Christian initiation," so too it can be said that Penance, the
Anointing of the Sick and the Eucharist as viaticum constitute at the
end of Christian life "the sacraments that prepare for our heavenly
homeland" or the sacraments that complete the earthly pilgrimage.
IN BRIEF
1526 "Is any among you sick? Let him call for
the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the
sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins,
he will be forgiven" (Jas 5:14-15).
1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as
its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian
experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness
or old age.
1528 The proper time for receiving this holy
anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger
of death because of illness or old age.
1529 Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he
may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he has
received it, the illness worsens.
1530 Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give
the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the
bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself.
1531 The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick
consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the
sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the
Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer
of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.
1532 The special grace of the sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own
good and that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner
the sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it
through the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his
soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.
CHAPTER THREE
THE SACRAMENTS AT THE SERVICE OF COMMUNION
1533 Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are
sacraments of Christian initiation. They ground the common vocation of
all Christ's disciples, a vocation to holiness and to the mission of
evangelizing the world. They confer the graces needed for the life
according to the Spirit during this life as pilgrims on the march
towards the homeland.
1534 Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and
Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they
contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to
others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church
and serve to build up the People of God.
1535 Through these sacraments those already consecrated
by Baptism and Confirmation1 for the common priesthood
of all the faithful can receive particular consecrations. Those
who receive the sacrament of Holy Orders are consecrated in
Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word and grace of
God."2 On their part, "Christian spouses are
fortified and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and
dignity of their state by a special sacrament."3
ARTICLE 6
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
1536 Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission
entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the
Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic
ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and
diaconate.
(On the institution and mission of the apostolic
ministry by Christ, see above, no. 874 ff. Here only the sacramental
means by which this ministry is handed on will be treated.)
I. WHY IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED "ORDERS"?
1537 The word order in Roman antiquity designated an
established civil body, especially a governing body. Ordinatio means
incorporation into an ordo. In the Church there are established
bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in Sacred Scripture,4
has since ancient times called taxeis (Greek) or ordines.
And so the liturgy speaks of the ordo episcoporum, the ordo
presbyterorum, the ordo diaconorum. Other groups also receive
this name of ordo: catechumens, virgins, spouses, widows,.
. . .
1538 Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was
accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and
liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament.
Today the word "ordination" is reserved for the
sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops,
presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election,
designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it
confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a
"sacred power" (sacra potestas)5 which can
come only from Christ himself through his Church. Ordination is also
called consecratio, for it is a setting apart and an investiture
by Christ himself for his Church. The laying on of hands by the
bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of
this ordination.
II. THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS IN THE ECONOMY OF SALVATION
The priesthood of the Old Covenant
1539 The chosen people was constituted by God as "a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation."6 But within the
people of Israel, God chose one of the twelve tribes, that of Levi, and
set it apart for liturgical service; God himself is its inheritance.7
A special rite consecrated the beginnings of the priesthood of the Old
Covenant. The priests are "appointed to act on behalf of men in
relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins."8
1540 Instituted to proclaim the Word of God and to restore
communion with God by sacrifices and prayer,9 this priesthood
nevertheless remains powerless to bring about salvation, needing to
repeat its sacrifices ceaselessly and being unable to achieve a
definitive sanctification, which only the sacrifice of Christ would
accomplish.10
1541 The liturgy of the Church, however, sees in the
priesthood of Aaron and the service of the Levites, as in the
institution of the seventy elders,11 a prefiguring of the
ordained ministry of the New Covenant. Thus in the Latin Rite the Church
prays in the consecratory preface of the ordination of bishops:
-
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
. . .
by your gracious word
you have established the plan of your Church.
From the beginning,
you chose the descendants of Abraham to be your holy nation.
You established rulers and priests
and did not leave your sanctuary without ministers to serve you.
. . .12
1542 At the ordination of priests, the Church prays:
-
Lord, holy Father, . . .
when you had appointed high priests to rule your people,
you chose other men next to them in rank and dignity
to be with them and to help them in their task. . . .
you extended the spirit of Moses to seventy wise men.
. . .
You shared among the sons of Aaron
the fullness of their father's power.13
1543 In the consecratory prayer for ordination of deacons, the
Church confesses:
-
Almighty God . . .,
You make the Church, Christ's body,
grow to its full stature as a new and greater temple.
You enrich it with every kind of grace
and perfect it with a diversity of members
to serve the whole body in a wonderful pattern of unity.
You established a threefold ministry of worship and service,
for the glory of your name.
As ministers of your tabernacle you chose the sons of Levi
and gave them your blessing as their everlasting inheritance.14
The one priesthood of Christ
1544 Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant
prefigured finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator
between God and men."15 The Christian tradition
considers Melchizedek, "priest of God Most High," as a
prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the unique "high priest
after the order of Melchizedek";16 "holy,
blameless, unstained,"17 "by a single offering he
has perfected for all time those who are sanctified,"18
that is, by the unique sacrifice of the cross.
1545 The redemptive sacrifice of Christ is unique,
accomplished once for all; yet it is made present in the Eucharistic
sacrifice of the Church. The same is true of the one priesthood of
Christ; it is made present through the ministerial priesthood without
diminishing the uniqueness of Christ's priesthood: "Only Christ is
the true priest, the others being only his ministers."19
Two participations in the one priesthood of Christ
1546 Christ, high priest and unique mediator, has made of the
Church "a kingdom, priests for his God and Father."20
The whole community of believers is, as such, priestly. The faithful
exercise their baptismal priesthood through their participation, each
according to his own vocation, in Christ's mission as priest, prophet,
and king. Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation the
faithful are "consecrated to be . . . a holy
priesthood."21
1547 The ministerial or hierarchical priesthood of bishops and
priests, and the common priesthood of all the faithful participate,
"each in its own proper way, in the one priesthood of Christ."
While being "ordered one to another," they differ essentially.22
In what sense? While the common priesthood of the faithful is exercised
by the unfolding of baptismal grace --a life of faith, hope, and
charity, a life according to the Spirit--, the ministerial priesthood is
at the service of the common priesthood. It is directed at the unfolding
of the baptismal grace of all Christians. The ministerial priesthood is
a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads his
Church. For this reason it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the
sacrament of Holy Orders.
In the person of Christ the Head . . .
1548 In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is
Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body,
Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher
of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by
virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi
Capitis:23
-
It is the same priest, Christ Jesus, whose
sacred person his minister truly represents. Now the minister, by
reason of the sacerdotal consecration which he has received, is
truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to
act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself (virtute
ac persona ipsius Christi).24
Christ is the source of all priesthood: the priest of the old law
was a figure of Christ, and the priest of the new law acts in the
person of Christ.25
1549 Through the ordained ministry, especially that of bishops
and priests, the presence of Christ as head of the Church is made
visible in the midst of the community of believers.26 In the
beautiful expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, the bishop is typos
tou Patros: he is like the living image of God the Father.27
1550 This presence of Christ in the minister is not to be
understood as if the latter were preserved from all human weaknesses,
the spirit of domination, error, even sin. The power of the Holy Spirit
does not guarantee all acts of ministers in the same way. While this
guarantee extends to the sacraments, so that even the minister's sin
cannot impede the fruit of grace, in many other acts the minister leaves
human traces that are not always signs of fidelity to the Gospel and
consequently can harm the apostolic fruitfulness of the Church.
1551 This priesthood is ministerial. "That office
. . . which the Lord committed to the pastors of his people,
is in the strict sense of the term a service."28
It is entirely related to Christ and to men. It depends entirely on
Christ and on his unique priesthood; it has been instituted for the good
of men and the communion of the Church. The sacrament of Holy Orders
communicates a "sacred power" which is none other than that of
Christ. The exercise of this authority must therefore be measured
against the model of Christ, who by love made himself the least and the
servant of all.29 "The Lord said clearly that concern
for his flock was proof of love for him."30
. . . "in the name of the whole Church"
1552 The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of
representing Christ - Head of the Church - before the assembly of the
faithful, but also of acting in the name of the whole Church when
presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering
the Eucharistic sacrifice.31
1553 "In the name of the whole Church" does
not mean that priests are the delegates of the community. The prayer and
offering of the Church are inseparable from the prayer and offering of
Christ, her head; it is always the case that Christ worships in and
through his Church. The whole Church, the Body of Christ, prays and
offers herself "through him, with him, in him," in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, to God the Father. The whole Body, caput et
membra, prays and offers itself, and therefore those who in the Body
are especially his ministers are called ministers not only of Christ,
but also of the Church. It is because the ministerial priesthood
represents Christ that it can represent the Church.
III. THE THREE DEGREES OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
1554 "The divinely instituted ecclesiastical ministry is
exercised in different degrees by those who even from ancient times have
been called bishops, priests, and deacons."32 Catholic
doctrine, expressed in the liturgy, the Magisterium, and the constant
practice of the Church, recognizes that there are two degrees of
ministerial participation in the priesthood of Christ: the episcopacy
and the presbyterate . The diaconate is intended to help and serve them.
For this reason the term sacerdos in current usage denotes
bishops and priests but not deacons. Yet Catholic doctrine teaches that
the degrees of priestly participation (episcopate and presbyterate) and
the degree of service (diaconate) are all three conferred by a
sacramental act called "ordination," that is, by the sacrament
of Holy Orders:
-
Let everyone revere the deacons as Jesus
Christ, the bishop as the image of the Father, and the presbyters as
the senate of God and the assembly of the apostles. For without them
one cannot speak of the Church.33
Episcopal ordination - fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders
1555 "Amongst those various offices which have been
exercised in the Church from the earliest times the chief place,
according to the witness of tradition, is held by the function of those
who, through their appointment to the dignity and responsibility of
bishop, and in virtue consequently of the unbroken succession going back
to the beginning, are regarded as transmitters of the apostolic
line."34
1556 To fulfill their exalted mission, "the apostles were
endowed by Christ with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming
upon them, and by the imposition of hands they passed on to their
auxiliaries the gift of the Spirit, which is transmitted down to our day
through episcopal consecration."35
1557 The Second Vatican Council "teaches . . .
that the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by
episcopal consecration, that fullness namely which, both in the
liturgical tradition of the Church and the language of the Fathers of
the Church, is called the high priesthood, the acme (summa) of
the sacred ministry."36
1558 "Episcopal consecration confers, together with the
office of sanctifying, also the offices of teaching and ruling.
. . . In fact . . . by the imposition of hands and
through the words of the consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is
given, and a sacred character is impressed in such wise that bishops, in
an eminent and visible manner, take the place of Christ himself,
teacher, shepherd, and priest, and act as his representative (in Eius
persona agant)."37 "By virtue, therefore, of
the Holy Spirit who has been given to them, bishops have been
constituted true and authentic teachers of the faith and have been made
pontiffs and pastors."38
1559 "One is constituted a member of the episcopal body
in virtue of the sacramental consecration and by the hierarchical
communion with the head and members of the college."39
The character and collegial nature of the episcopal order are
evidenced among other ways by the Church's ancient practice which calls
for several bishops to participate in the consecration of a new bishop.40
In our day, the lawful ordination of a bishop requires a special
intervention of the Bishop of Rome, because he is the supreme visible
bond of the communion of the particular Churches in the one Church and
the guarantor of their freedom.
1560 As Christ's vicar, each bishop has the pastoral care of
the particular Church entrusted to him, but at the same time he bears
collegially with all his brothers in the episcopacy the solicitude
for all the Churches: "Though each bishop is the lawful pastor
only of the portion of the flock entrusted to his care, as a legitimate
successor of the apostles he is, by divine institution and precept,
responsible with the other bishops for the apostolic mission of the
Church."41
1561 The above considerations explain why the Eucharist
celebrated by the bishop has a quite special significance as an
expression of the Church gathered around the altar, with the one who
represents Christ, the Good Shepherd and Head of his Church, presiding.42
The ordination of priests - co-workers of the bishops
1562 "Christ, whom the Father hallowed and sent into the
world, has, through his apostles, made their successors, the bishops
namely, sharers in his consecration and mission; and these, in their
turn, duly entrusted in varying degrees various members of the Church
with the office of their ministry."43 "The function
of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree to
priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood
and be co-workers of the episcopal order for the proper
fulfillment of the apostolic mission that had been entrusted to it by
Christ."44
1563 "Because it is joined with the episcopal order the
office of priests shares in the authority by which Christ himself builds
up and sanctifies and rules his Body. Hence the priesthood of priests,
while presupposing the sacraments of initiation, is nevertheless
conferred by its own particular sacrament. Through that sacrament
priests by the anointing of the Holy Spirit are signed with a special
character and so are configured to Christ the priest in such a way that
they are able to act in the person of Christ the head."45
1564 "Whilst not having the supreme degree of the
pontifical office, and notwithstanding the fact that they depend on the
bishops in the exercise of their own proper power, the priests are for
all that associated with them by reason of their sacerdotal dignity; and
in virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, after the image of Christ,
the supreme and eternal priest, they are consecrated in order to preach
the Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as to celebrate divine
worship as true priests of the New Testament."46
1565 Through the sacrament of Holy Orders priests share in the
universal dimensions of the mission that Christ entrusted to the
apostles. The spiritual gift they have received in ordination prepares
them, not for a limited and restricted mission, "but for the
fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation 'to the end of the
earth,"'47 "prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel
everywhere."48
1566 "It is in the Eucharistic cult or in the Eucharistic
assembly of the faithful (synaxis) that they exercise in a
supreme degree their sacred office; there, acting in the person of
Christ and proclaiming his mystery, they unite the votive offerings of
the faithful to the sacrifice of Christ their head, and in the sacrifice
of the Mass they make present again and apply, until the coming of the
Lord, the unique sacrifice of the New Testament, that namely of Christ
offering himself once for all a spotless victim to the Father."49
From this unique sacrifice their whole priestly ministry draws its
strength.50
1567 "The priests, prudent cooperators of the episcopal
college and its support and instrument, called to the service of the
People of God, constitute, together with their bishop, a unique
sacerdotal college (presbyterium) dedicated, it is, true to a
variety of distinct duties. In each local assembly of the faithful they
represent, in a certain sense, the bishop, with whom they are associated
in all trust and generosity; in part they take upon themselves his
duties and solicitude and in their daily toils discharge them."51
priests can exercise their ministry only in dependence on the bishop and
in communion with him. The promise of obedience they make to the bishop
at the moment of ordination and the kiss of peace from him at the end of
the ordination liturgy mean that the bishop considers them his
co-workers, his sons, his brothers and his friends, and that they in
return owe him love and obedience.
1568 "All priests, who are constituted in the order of
priesthood by the sacrament of Order, are bound together by an intimate
sacramental brotherhood, but in a special way they form one priestly
body in the diocese to which they are attached under their own bishop.
. . ."52 The unity of the presbyterium finds
liturgical expression in the custom of the presbyters' imposing hands,
after the bishop, during the Ate of ordination.
The ordination of deacons - "in order to serve"
1569 "At a lower level of the hierarchy are to be found
deacons, who receive the imposition of hands 'not unto the priesthood,
but unto the ministry."'53 At an ordination to the
diaconate only the bishop lays hands on the candidate, thus signifying
the deacon's special attachment to the bishop in the tasks of his
"diakonia."54
1570 Deacons share in Christ's mission and grace in a special
way.55 The sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint
("character") which cannot be removed and which configures
them to Christ, who made himself the "deacon" or servant of
all.56 Among other tasks, it is the task of deacons to assist
the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above
all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting
at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and
preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to
the various ministries of charity.57
1571 Since the Second Vatican Council the
Latin Church has restored the diaconate "as a proper and permanent
rank of the hierarchy,"58 while the Churches of the East
had always maintained it. This permanent diaconate, which can be
conferred on married men, constitutes an important enrichment for the
Church's mission. Indeed it is appropriate and useful that men who carry
out a truly diaconal ministry in the Church, whether in its liturgical
and pastoral life or whether in its social and charitable works, should
"be strengthened by the imposition of hands which has come down
from the apostles. They would be more closely bound to the altar and
their ministry would be made more fruitful through the sacramental grace
of the diaconate."59
IV. THE CELEBRATION OF THIS SACRAMENT
1572 Given the importance that the ordination of a bishop, a
priest, or a deacon has for the life of the particular Church, its
celebration calls for as many of the faithful as possible to take part.
It should take place preferably on Sunday, in the cathedral, with
solemnity appropriate to the occasion. All three ordinations, of the
bishop, of the priest, and of the deacon, follow the same movement.
Their proper place is within the Eucharistic liturgy.
1573 The essential rite of the sacrament of Holy Orders
for all three degrees consists in the bishop's imposition of hands on
the head of the ordinand and in the bishop's specific consecratory
prayer asking God for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and his gifts
proper to the ministry to which the candidate is being ordained.60
1574 As in all the sacraments additional
rites surround the celebration. Varying greatly among the different
liturgical traditions, these rites have in common the expression of the
multiple aspects of sacramental grace. Thus in the Latin Church, the
initial rites - presentation and election of the ordinand, instruction
by the bishop, examination of the candidate, litany of the saints -
attest that the choice of the candidate is made in keeping with the
practice of the Church and prepare for the solemn act of consecration,
after which several rites symbolically express and complete the mystery
accomplished: for bishop and priest, an anointing with holy chrism, a
sign of the special anointing of the Holy Spirit who makes their
ministry fruitful; giving the book of the Gospels, the ring, the miter,
and the crosier to the bishop as the sign of his apostolic mission to
proclaim the Word of God, of his fidelity to the Church, the bride of
Christ, and his office as shepherd of the Lord's flock; presentation to
the priest of the paten and chalice, "the offering of the holy
people" which he is called to present to God; giving the book of
the Gospels to the deacon who has just received the mission to proclaim
the Gospel of Christ.
V. WHO CAN CONFER THIS SACRAMENT?
1575 Christ himself chose the apostles and gave them a share
in his mission and authority. Raised to the Father's right hand, he has
not forsaken his flock but he keeps it under his constant protection
through the apostles, and guides it still through these same pastors who
continue his work today.61 Thus, it is Christ whose gift it
is that some be apostles, others pastors. He continues to act through
the bishops.62
1576 Since the sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of
the apostolic ministry, it is for the bishops as the successors of the
apostles to hand on the "gift of the Spirit,"63 the
"apostolic line."64 Validly ordained bishops, i.e.,
those who are in the line of apostolic succession, validly confer the
three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders.65
VI. WHO CAN RECEIVE THIS SACRAMENT?
1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives
sacred ordination."66 The Lord Jesus chose men (viri)
to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the
same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.67
The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the
priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and
ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself
to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the
ordination of women is not possible.68
1578 No one has a right to receive the sacrament of
Holy Orders. Indeed no one claims this office for himself; he is called
to it by God.69 Anyone who thinks he recognizes the signs of
God's call to the ordained ministry must humbly submit his desire to the
authority of the Church, who has the responsibility and right to call
someone to receive orders. Like every grace this sacrament can be received
only as an unmerited gift.
1579 All the ordained ministers of the Latin Church, with the
exception of permanent deacons, are normally chosen from among men of
faith who live a celibate life and who intend to remain celibate "for
the sake of the kingdom of heaven."70 Called to
consecrate themselves with undivided heart to the Lord and to "the
affairs of the Lord,"71 they give themselves entirely to
God and to men. Celibacy is a sign of this new life to the service of
which the Church's minister is consecrated; accepted with a joyous heart
celibacy radiantly proclaims the Reign of God.72
1580 In the Eastern Churches a different discipline has been
in force for many centuries: while bishops are chosen solely from among
celibates, married men can be ordained as deacons and priests. This
practice has long been considered legitimate; these priests exercise a
fruitful ministry within their communities.73 Moreover,
priestly celibacy is held in great honor in the Eastern Churches and
many priests have freely chosen it for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
In the East as in the West a man who has already received the sacrament
of Holy Orders can no longer marry.
VII. THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
The indelible character
1581 This sacrament configures the recipient to Christ by a
special grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he may serve as Christ's
instrument for his Church. By ordination one is enabled to act as a
representative of Christ, Head of the Church, in his triple office of
priest, prophet, and king.
1582 As in the case of Baptism and Confirmation this share in
Christ's office is granted once for all. The sacrament of Holy Orders,
like the other two, confers an indelible spiritual character and
cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily.74
1583 It is true that someone validly
ordained can, for grave reasons, be discharged from the obligations and
functions linked to ordination, or can be forbidden to exercise them;
but he cannot become a layman again in the strict sense,75
because the character imprinted by ordination is for ever. The vocation
and mission received on the day of his ordination mark him permanently.
1584 Since it is ultimately Christ who acts and effects
salvation through the ordained minister, the unworthiness of the latter
does not prevent Christ from acting.76 St. Augustine states
this forcefully:
-
As for the proud minister, he is to be ranked
with the devil. Christ's gift is not thereby profaned: what flows
through him keeps its purity, and what passes through him remains
dear and reaches the fertile earth. . . . The spiritual
power of the sacrament is indeed comparable to light: those to be
enlightened receive it in its purity, and if it should pass through
defiled beings, it is not itself defiled.77
The grace of the Holy Spirit
1585 The grace of the Holy Spirit proper to this sacrament is
configuration to Christ as Priest, Teacher, and Pastor, of whom the
ordained is made a minister.
1586 For the bishop, this is first of all a grace of strength
("the governing spirit": Prayer of Episcopal Consecration in
the Latin rite):78 the grace to guide and defend his Church
with strength and prudence as a father and pastor, with gratuitous love
for all and a preferential love for the poor, the sick, and the needy.
This grace impels him to proclaim the Gospel to all, to be the model for
his flock, to go before it on the way of sanctification by identifying
himself in the Eucharist with Christ the priest and victim, not fearing
to give his life for his sheep:
-
Father, you know all hearts.
You have chosen your servant for the office of bishop.
May he be a shepherd to your holy flock,
and a high priest blameless in your sight,
ministering to you night and day;
may he always gain the blessing of your favor
and offer the gifts of your holy Church.
Through the Spirit who gives the grace of high priesthood
grant him the power
to forgive sins as you have commanded
to assign ministries as you have decreed
and to loose from every bond by the authority which you
gave to your apostles. May he be pleasing to you by his gentleness
and purity of heart,
presenting a fragrant offering to you,
through Jesus Christ, your Son. . . .79
1587 The spiritual gift conferred by presbyteral ordination is
expressed by this prayer of the Byzantine Rite. The bishop, while laying
on his hand, says among other things:
-
Lord, fill with the gift of the Holy Spirit
him whom you have deigned to raise to the rank of the priesthood,
that he may be worthy to stand without reproach before your altar
to proclaim the Gospel of your kingdom,
to fulfill the ministry of your word of truth,
to offer you spiritual gifts and sacrifices,
to renew your people by the bath of rebirth;
so that he may go out to meet
our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, your only Son,
on the day of his second coming,
and may receive from your vast goodness
the recompense for a faithful administration of his order.80
1588 With regard to deacons, "strengthened by sacramental
grace they are dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the
bishop and his body of priests, in the service (diakonia) of the
liturgy, of the Gospel, and of works of charity."81
1589 Before the grandeur of the priestly grace and office, the
holy doctors felt an urgent call to conversion in order to conform their
whole lives to him whose sacrament had made them ministers. Thus St.
Gregory of Nazianzus, as a very young priest, exclaimed:
-
We must begin by purifying ourselves before
purifying others; we must be instructed to be able to instruct,
become light to illuminate, draw close to God to bring him close to
others, be sanctified to sanctify, lead by the hand and counsel
prudently. I know whose ministers we are, where we find ourselves
and to where we strive. I know God's greatness and man's weakness,
but also his potential. [Who then is the priest? He is] the defender
of truth, who stands with angels, gives glory with archangels,
causes sacrifices to rise to the altar on high, shares Christ's
priesthood, refashions creation, restores it in God's image,
recreates it for the world on high and, even greater, is divinized
and divinizes.82 And the holy Cure of Ars: "The
priest continues the work of redemption on earth. . . . If
we really understood the priest on earth, we would die not of fright
but of love. . . . The Priesthood is the love of the heart
of Jesus."83
IN BRIEF
1590 St. Paul said to his disciple Timothy: "I remind you
to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of
my hands" (2 Tim 1:6), and "If any one aspires to the
office of bishop, he desires a noble task." (1 Tim 3:1) To
Titus he said: "This is why I left you in Crete, that you amend
what was defective, and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed
you" (Titus 1:5).
1591 The whole Church is a priestly people. Through Baptism
all the faithful share in the priesthood of Christ. This participation
is called the "common priesthood of the faithful." Based on
this common priesthood and ordered to its service, there exists another
participation in the mission of Christ: the ministry conferred by the
sacrament of Holy Orders, where the task is to serve in the name and in
the person of Christ the Head in the midst of the community.
1592 The ministerial priesthood differs in essence from the
common priesthood of the faithful because it confers a sacred power for
the service of the faithful. The ordained ministers exercise their
service for the People of God by teaching (munus docendi), divine
worship (munus liturgicum) and pastoral governance (munus
regendi).
1593 Since the beginning, the ordained ministry has been
conferred and exercised in three degrees: that of bishops, that of
presbyters, and that of deacons. The ministries conferred by ordination
are irreplaceable for the organic structure of the Church: without the
bishop, presbyters, and deacons, one cannot speak of the Church (cf. St.
Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Trall. 3,1).
1594 The bishop receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy
Orders, which integrates him into the episcopal college and makes him
the visible head of the particular Church entrusted to him. As
successors of the apostles and members of the college, the bishops share
in the apostolic responsibility and mission of the whole Church under
the authority of the Pope, successor of St. Peter.
1595 Priests are united with the bishops in sacerdotal dignity
and at the same time depend on them in the exercise of their pastoral
functions; they are called to be the bishops' prudent co-workers. They
form around their bishop the presbyterium which bears responsibility
with him for the particular Church. They receive from the bishop the
charge of a parish community or a determinate ecclesial office.
1596 Deacons are ministers ordained for tasks of service of
the Church; they do not receive the ministerial priesthood, but
ordination confers on them important functions in the ministry of the
word, divine worship, pastoral governance, and the service of charity,
tasks which they must carry out under the pastoral authority of their
bishop.
1597 The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by the laying
on of hands followed by a solemn prayer of consecration asking God to
grant the ordinand the graces of the Holy Spirit required for his
ministry. Ordination imprints an indelible sacramental character.
1598 The Church confers the sacrament of Holy Orders only on
baptized men (viri), whose suitability for the exercise of the
ministry has been duly recognized. Church authority alone has the
responsibility and right to call someone to receive the sacrament of
Holy Orders.
1599 In the Latin Church the sacrament of Holy Orders for the
presbyterate is normally conferred only on candidates who are ready to
embrace celibacy freely and who publicly manifest their intention of
staying celibate for the love of God's kingdom and the service of men.
1600 It is bishops who confer the sacrament of Holy Orders in
the three degrees.
ARTICLE 7
THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
1601 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man
and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of
life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the
procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized
persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a
sacrament."84
I. MARRIAGE IN GOD'S PLAN
1602 Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of
man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a
vision of "the wedding-feast of the Lamb."85
Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its "mystery," its
institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end,
its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the
difficulties arising from sin and its renewal "in the Lord" in
the New Covenant of Christ and the Church.86
Marriage in the order of creation
1603 "The intimate community of life and love
which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator
and endowed by him with its own proper laws. . . . God himself is the
author of marriage."87 The vocation to marriage is
written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand
of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the
many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different
cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. These differences
should not cause us to forget its common and permanent characteristics.
Although the dignity of this institution is not transparent everywhere
with the same clarity,88 some sense of the greatness of the
matrimonial union exists in all cultures. "The well-being of the
individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely
bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life."89
1604 God who created man out of love also calls him
to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For
man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love.90
Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image
of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man. It is good,
very good, in the Creator's eyes. And this love which God blesses is
intended to be fruitful and to be realized in the common work of
watching over creation: "And God blessed them, and God said to
them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue
it.'"91
1605 Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were
created for one another: "It is not good that the man should be
alone."92 The woman, "flesh of his flesh," his
equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a
"helpmate"; she thus represents God from whom comes our help.93
"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to
his wife, and they become one flesh."94 The Lord himself
shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their two lives by
recalling what the plan of the Creator had been "in the
beginning": "So they are no longer two, but one flesh."95
Marriage under the regime of sin
1606 Every man experiences evil around him and
within himself. This experience makes itself felt in the relationships
between man and woman. Their union has always been threatened by
discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts
that can escalate into hatred and separation. This disorder can manifest
itself more or less acutely, and can be more or less overcome according
to the circumstances of cultures, eras, and individuals, but it does
seem to have a universal character.
1607 According to faith the disorder we notice so
painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor
from the nature of their relations, but from sin. As a break with God,
the first sin had for its first consequence the rupture of the original
communion between man and woman. Their relations were distorted by
mutual recriminations;96 their mutual attraction, the
Creator's own gift, changed into a relationship of domination and lust;97
and the beautiful vocation of man and woman to be fruitful, multiply,
and subdue the earth was burdened by the pain of childbirth and the toil
of work.98
1608 Nevertheless, the order of creation persists,
though seriously disturbed. To heal the wounds of sin, man and woman
need the help of the grace that God in his infinite mercy never refuses
them.99 Without his help man and woman cannot achieve the
union of their lives for which God created them "in the
beginning."
Marriage under the pedagogy of the Law
1609 In his mercy God has not forsaken sinful man.
The punishments consequent upon sin, "pain in childbearing"
and toil "in the sweat of your brow,"100 also
embody remedies that limit the damaging effects of sin. After the fall,
marriage helps to overcome self-absorption, egoism, pursuit of one's own
pleasure, and to open oneself to the other, to mutual aid and to
self-giving.
1610 Moral conscience concerning the unity and
indissolubility of marriage developed under the pedagogy of the old law.
In the Old Testament the polygamy of patriarchs and kings is not yet
explicitly rejected. Nevertheless, the law given to Moses aims at
protecting the wife from arbitrary domination by the husband, even
though according to the Lord's words it still carries traces of man's
"hardness of heart" which was the reason Moses permitted men
to divorce their wives.101
1611 Seeing God's covenant with Israel in the image
of exclusive and faithful married love, the prophets prepared the Chosen
People's conscience for a deepened understanding of the unity and
indissolubility of marriage.102 The books of Ruth and
Tobit bear moving witness to an elevated sense of marriage and
to the fidelity and tenderness of spouses. Tradition has always seen in
the Song of Solomon a unique expression of human love, insofar
as it is a reflection of God's love - a love "strong as death"
that "many waters cannot quench."103
Marriage in the Lord
1612 The nuptial covenant between God and his people
Israel had prepared the way for the new and everlasting covenant in
which the Son of God, by becoming incarnate and giving his life, has
united to himself in a certain way all mankind saved by him, thus
preparing for "the wedding-feast of the Lamb."104
1613 On the threshold of his public life Jesus
performs his first sign - at his mother's request - during a wedding
feast.105 The Church attaches great importance to Jesus'
presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the
goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will
be an efficacious sign of Christ's presence.
1614 In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the
original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it
from the beginning permission given by Moses to divorce one's wife was a
concession to the hardness of hearts.106 The matrimonial
union of man and woman is indissoluble: God himself has determined it
"what therefore God has joined together, let no man put
asunder."107
1615 This unequivocal insistence on the
indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and
could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not
placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy - heavier
than the Law of Moses.108 By coming to restore the original
order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and
grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is
by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses
that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of
marriage and live it with the help of Christ.109 This grace
of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all
Christian life.
1616 This is what the Apostle Paul makes clear when
he says: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and
gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her," adding at
once: "'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and
be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. This is a great
mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church."110
1617 The entire Christian life bears the mark of the
spousal love of Christ and the Church. Already Baptism, the entry into
the People of God, is a nuptial mystery; it is so to speak the nuptial
bath.111 which precedes the wedding feast, the Eucharist.
Christian marriage in its turn becomes an efficacious sign, the
sacrament of the covenant of Christ and the Church. Since it signifies
and communicates grace, marriage between baptized persons is a true
sacrament of the New Covenant..112
Virginity for the sake of the Kingdom
1618 Christ is the center of all Christian life. The
bond with him takes precedence over all other bonds, familial or social.113
From the very beginning of the Church there have been men and women who
have renounced the great good of marriage to follow the Lamb wherever he
goes, to be intent on the things of the Lord, to seek to please him, and
to go out to meet the Bridegroom who is coming.114 Christ
himself has invited certain persons to follow him in this way of life,
of which he remains the model:
-
"For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there
are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs
who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it."115
1619 Virginity for the sake of the kingdom of heaven
is an unfolding of baptismal grace, a powerful sign of the supremacy of
the bond with Christ and of the ardent expectation of his return, a sign
which also recalls that marriage is a reality of this present age which
is passing away.116
1620 Both the sacrament of Matrimony and virginity
for the Kingdom of God come from the Lord himself. It is he who gives
them meaning and grants them the grace which is indispensable for living
them out in conformity with his will.117 Esteem of virginity
for the sake of the kingdom118 and the Christian
understanding of marriage are inseparable, and they reinforce each
other:
-
Whoever denigrates marriage also diminishes the glory of
virginity. Whoever praises it makes virginity more admirable and
resplendent. What appears good only in comparison with evil would
not be truly good. The most excellent good is something even better
than what is admitted to be good.119
II. THE CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE
1621 In the Latin Rite the celebration of marriage
between two Catholic faithful normally takes place during Holy Mass,
because of the connection of all the sacraments with the Paschal mystery
of Christ.120 In the Eucharist the memorial of the New
Covenant is realized, the New Covenant in which Christ has united
himself for ever to the Church, his beloved bride for whom he gave
himself up.121 It is therefore fitting that the spouses
should seal their consent to give themselves to each other through the
offering of their own lives by uniting it to the offering of Christ for
his Church made present in the Eucharistic sacrifice, and by receiving
the Eucharist so that, communicating in the same Body and the same Blood
of Christ, they may form but "one body" in Christ.122
1622 "Inasmuch as it is a sacramental action of
sanctification, the liturgical celebration of marriage . . . must be,
per se, valid, worthy, and fruitful."123 It is therefore
appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare themselves for the
celebration of their marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance.
1623 According to Latin tradition, the spouses, as
ministers of Christ's grace, mutually confer upon each other the
sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent before the Church. In
the tradition of the Eastern churches, the priests (bishops or
presbyters) are witnesses to the mutual consent of the spouses,123a
but for the validity of the sacrament their blessing is also necessary.123b
1624 The various liturgies abound in prayers of
blessing and epiclesis asking God's grace and blessing on the new
couple, especially the bride. In the epiclesis of this sacrament the
spouses receive the Holy Spirit as the communion of love of Christ and
the Church.124 The Holy Spirit is the seal of their covenant,
the ever available source of their love and the strength to renew their
fidelity.
III. MATRIMONIAL CONSENT
1625 The parties to a marriage covenant are a
baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage, who freely express
their consent; "to be free" means:
- not being under constraint;
- not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law.
1626 The Church holds the exchange of consent
between the spouses to be the indispensable element that "makes the
marriage."125 If consent is lacking there is no
marriage.
1627 The consent consists in a "human act by
which the partners mutually give themselves to each other": "I
take you to be my wife" - "I take you to be my husband."126
This consent that binds the spouses to each other finds its fulfillment
in the two "becoming one flesh."127
1628 The consent must be an act of the will of each
of the contracting parties, free of coercion or grave external fear.128
No human power can substitute for this consent.129 If this
freedom is lacking the marriage is invalid.
1629 For this reason (or for other reasons that
render the marriage null and void) the Church, after an examination of
the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the
nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed.130
In this case the contracting parties are free to marry, provided the
natural obligations of a previous union are discharged.131
1630 The priest (or deacon) who assists at the
celebration of a marriage receives the consent of the spouses in the
name of the Church and gives the blessing of the Church. The presence of
the Church's minister (and also of the witnesses) visibly expresses the
fact that marriage is an ecclesial reality.
1631 This is the reason why the Church normally
requires that the faithful contract marriage according to the
ecclesiastical form. Several reasons converge to explain this
requirement:132
- Sacramental marriage is a liturgical act. It is therefore
appropriate that it should be celebrated in the public liturgy of the
Church;
- Marriage introduces one into an ecclesial order, and creates rights
and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children;
- Since marriage is a state of life in the Church, certainty about it
is necessary (hence the obligation to have witnesses);
- The public character of the consent protects the "I do"
once given and helps the spouses remain faithful to it.
1632 So that the "I do" of the spouses may
be a free and responsible act and so that the marriage covenant may have
solid and lasting human and Christian foundations, preparation for
marriage is of prime importance.
The example and teaching given by parents and families remain the
special form of this preparation.
The role of pastors and of the Christian community as the
"family of God" is indispensable for the transmission of the
human and Christian values of marriage and family,133 and
much more so in our era when many young people experience broken homes
which no longer sufficiently assure this initiation:
-
It is imperative to give suitable and timely instruction to young
people, above all in the heart of their own families, about the
dignity of married love, its role and its exercise, so that, having
learned the value of chastity, they will be able at a suitable age
to engage in honorable courtship and enter upon a marriage of their
own.134
Mixed marriages and disparity of cult
1633 In many countries the situation of a mixed
marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic)
often arises. It requires particular attention on the part of couples
and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult
(between a Catholic and a nonbaptized person) requires even greater
circumspection.
1634 Difference of confession between the spouses
does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they
succeed in placing in common what they have received from their
respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each
lives in fidelity to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages
must not be underestimated. They arise from the fact that the separation
of Christians has not yet been overcome. The spouses risk experiencing
the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home.
Disparity of cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences
about faith and the very notion of marriage, but also different
religious mentalities, can become sources of tension in marriage,
especially as regards the education of children. The temptation to
religious indifference can then arise.
1635 According to the law in force in the Latin
Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission
of ecclesiastical authority.135 In case of disparity of cult
an express dispensation from this impediment is required for
the validity of the marriage.136 This permission or
dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the
essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the
Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to
the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring
the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.137
1636 Through ecumenical dialogue Christian
communities in many regions have been able to put into effect a common
pastoral practice for mixed marriages. Its task is to help such
couples live out their particular situation in the light of faith,
overcome the tensions between the couple's obligations to each other and
towards their ecclesial communities, and encourage the flowering of what
is common to them in faith and respect for what separates them.
1637 In marriages with disparity of cult the
Catholic spouse has a particular task: "For the unbelieving husband
is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated
through her husband."138 It is a great joy for the
Christian spouse and for the Church if this "consecration"
should lead to the free conversion of the other spouse to the Christian
faith.139 Sincere married love, the humble and patient
practice of the family virtues, and perseverance in prayer can prepare
the non-believing spouse to accept the grace of conversion.
IV. THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
1638 "From a valid marriage arises a bond between
the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive;
furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and,
as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by
a special sacrament."140
The marriage bond
1639 The consent by which the spouses mutually give
and receive one another is sealed by God himself.141 From
their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by the divine law,
. . . even in the eyes of society."142 The covenant
between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man:
"Authentic married love is caught up into divine love."143
1640 Thus the marriage bond has been
established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and
consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond,
which results from the free human act of the spouses and their
consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and
gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. The Church does
not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.144
The grace of the sacrament of Matrimony
1641 "By reason of their state in life and of
their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the
People of God."145 This grace proper to the sacrament of
Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to strengthen
their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another to
attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating
their children."146
1642 Christ is the source of this grace.
"Just as of old God encountered his people with a covenant of love
and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters
Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony."147
Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their
crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to
forgive one another, to bear one another's burdens, to "be subject
to one another out of reverence for Christ,"148 and to
love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the
joys of their love and family life he gives them here on earth a
foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb:
-
How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the
Church, strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing, announced
by angels, and ratified by the Father? . . . How wonderful the bond
between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in
discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one
Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and
flesh, truly two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is
the spirit.149
V. THE GOODS AND REQUIREMENTS OF CONJUGAL LOVE
1643 "Conjugal love involves a totality, in
which all the elements of the person enter - appeal of the body and
instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and
of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union
in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility
and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is
open to fertility. In a word it is a question of the normal
characteristics of all natural conjugal love, but with a new
significance which not only purifies and strengthens them, but raises
them to the extent of making them the expression of specifically
Christian values."150
The unity and indissolubility of marriage
1644 The love of the spouses requires, of its very
nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses' community of
persons, which embraces their entire life: "so they are no longer
two, but one flesh."151 They "are called to grow
continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their
marriage promise of total mutual self-giving."152 This
human communion is confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in
Jesus Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened
by lives of the common faith and by the Eucharist received together.
1645 "The unity of marriage, distinctly
recognized by our Lord, is made clear in the equal personal dignity
which must be accorded to man and wife in mutual and unreserved
affection."153 Polygamy is contrary to conjugal
love which is undivided and exclusive.154
The fidelity of conjugal love
1646 By its very nature conjugal love requires the
inviolable fidelity of the spouses. This is the consequence of the gift
of themselves which they make to each other. Love seeks to be
definitive; it cannot be an arrangement "until further
notice." The "intimate union of marriage, as a mutual giving
of two persons, and the good of the children, demand total fidelity from
the spouses and require an unbreakable union between them."155
1647 The deepest reason is found in the fidelity of
God to his covenant, in that of Christ to his Church. Through the
sacrament of Matrimony the spouses are enabled to represent this
fidelity and witness to it. Through the sacrament, the indissolubility
of marriage receives a new and deeper meaning.
1648 It can seem difficult, even impossible, to bind
oneself for life to another human being. This makes it all the more
important to proclaim the Good News that God loves us with a definitive
and irrevocable love, that married couples share in this love, that it
supports and sustains them, and that by their own faithfulness they can
be witnesses to God's faithful love. Spouses who with God's grace give
this witness, often in very difficult conditions, deserve the gratitude
and support of the ecclesial community.156
1649 Yet there are some situations in which living
together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons. In
such cases the Church permits the physical separation of the
couple and their living apart. The spouses do not cease to be husband
and wife before God and so are not free to contract a new union. In this
difficult situation, the best solution would be, if possible,
reconciliation. The Christian community is called to help these persons
live out their situation in a Christian manner and in fidelity to their
marriage bond which remains indissoluble.157
1650 Today there are numerous Catholics in many
countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new
civil unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ - "Whoever
divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and
if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits
adultery"158 the Church maintains that a new union
cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If the
divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that
objectively contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive
Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same
reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities.
Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to
those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and
of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete
continence.
1651 Toward Christians who live in this situation,
and who often keep the faith and desire to bring up their children in a
Christian manner, priests and the whole community must manifest an
attentive solicitude, so that they do not consider themselves separated
from the Church, in whose life they can and must participate as baptized
persons:
-
They should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend
the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to
works of charity and to community efforts for justice, to bring up
their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and
practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God's grace.159
The openness to fertility
1652 "By its very nature the institution of
marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of
the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory."160
-
Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly
to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said: "It is
not good that man should be alone," and "from the
beginning [he] made them male and female"; wishing to associate
them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and
woman with the words: "Be fruitful and multiply." Hence,
true married love and the whole structure of family life which
results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage,
are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with
the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase
and enrich his family from day to day.161
1653 The fruitfulness of conjugal love extends to
the fruits of the moral, spiritual, and supernatural life that parents
hand on to their children by education. Parents are the principal and
first educators of their children.162 In this sense the
fundamental task of marriage and family is to be at the service of life.163
1654 Spouses to whom God has not granted children
can nevertheless have a conjugal life full of meaning, in both human and
Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of charity,
of hospitality, and of sacrifice.
VI. THE DOMESTIC CHURCH
1655 Christ chose to be born and grow up in the
bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The Church is nothing other
than "the family of God." From the beginning, the core of the
Church was often constituted by those who had become believers
"together with all [their] household."164 When they
were converted, they desired that "their whole household"
should also be saved.165 These families who became believers
were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving world.
1656 In our own time, in a world often alien and
even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as
centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican
Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia
domestica.166 It is in the bosom of the family that
parents are "by word and example . . . the first heralds of the
faith with regard to their children. They should encourage them in the
vocation which is proper to each child, fostering with special care any
religious vocation."167
1657 It is here that the father of the family, the
mother, children, and all members of the family exercise the priesthood
of the baptized in a privileged way "by the reception of the
sacraments, prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, and
self-denial and active charity."168 Thus the home is the
first school of Christian life and "a school for human
enrichment."169 Here one learns endurance and the joy of
work, fraternal love, generous - even repeated - forgiveness, and above
all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life.
1658 We must also remember the great number of single
persons who, because of the particular circumstances in which they
have to live - often not of their choosing - are especially close to
Jesus' heart and therefore deserve the special affection and active
solicitude of the Church, especially of pastors. Many remain without
a human family often due to conditions of poverty. Some live their
situation in the spirit of the Beatitudes, serving God and neighbor in
exemplary fashion. The doors of homes, the "domestic
churches," and of the great family which is the Church must be open
to all of them. "No one is without a family in this world: the
Church is a home and family for everyone, especially those who 'labor
and are heavy laden.'"170
IN BRIEF
1659 St. Paul said: "Husbands, love your wives,
as Christ loved the Church. . . . This is a great mystery, and I mean in
reference to Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:25, 32).
1660 The marriage covenant, by which a man and a
woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has
been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By
its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to
the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised
marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament (cf. CIC,
can. 1055 # 1; cf. GS 48 # 1).
1661 The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union
of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other
with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the
sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their
indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (cf.
Council of Trent: DS 1799).
1662 Marriage is based on the consent of the
contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to
the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of
faithful and fruitful love.
1663 Since marriage establishes the couple in a
public state of life in the Church, it is fitting that its celebration
be public, in the framework of a liturgical celebration, before the
priest (or a witness authorized by the Church), the witnesses, and the
assembly of the faithful.
1664 Unity, indissolubility, and openness to
fertility are essential to marriage. Polygamy is incompatible with the
unity of marriage; divorce separates what God has joined together; the
refusal of fertility turns married life away from its "supreme
gift," the child (GS 50 # 1).
1665 The remarriage of persons divorced from a
living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by
Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive
Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by
educating their children in the faith.
1666 The Christian home is the place where children
receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family
home is rightly called "the domestic church," a community of
grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
CHAPTER FOUR
OTHER LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS
ARTICLE 1
SACRAMENTALS
1667 "Holy Mother Church has, moreover,
instituted sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance
to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual
nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By
them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and
various occasions in life are rendered holy."171
The characteristics of sacramentals
1668 Sacramentals are instituted for the
sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of
life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of
many things helpful to man. In accordance with bishops' pastoral
decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special
history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They
always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as
the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy
water (which recalls Baptism).
1669 Sacramentals derive from the baptismal
priesthood: every baptized person is called to be a
"blessing," and to bless.172 Hence lay people may
preside at certain blessings; the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and
sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the
ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons).173
1670 Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the
Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church's
prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate
with it. "For well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of
the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event of their
lives with the divine grace which flows from the Paschal mystery of the
Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. From this source all
sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is scarcely any
proper use of material things which cannot be thus directed toward the
sanctification of men and the praise of God."174
Various forms of sacramentals
1671 Among sacramentals blessings (of
persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises
God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God
the Father "with every spiritual blessing."175 This
is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus,
usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ.
1672 Certain blessings have a lasting importance
because they consecrate persons to God, or reserve objects and places
for liturgical use. Among those blessings which are intended for persons
- not to be confused with sacramental ordination - are the blessing of
the abbot or abbess of a monastery, the consecration of virgins and
widows, the rite of religious profession and the blessing of certain
ministries of the Church (readers, acolytes, catechists, etc.). The
dedication or blessing of a church or an altar, the blessing of holy
oils, vessels, and vestments, bells, etc., can be mentioned as examples
of blessings that concern objects.
1673 When the Church asks publicly and
authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be
protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his
dominion, it is called exorcism. Jesus performed exorcisms and from him
the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.176
In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism.
The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be
performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The
priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules
established by the Church. Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of
demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the
spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness,
especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating
this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is
performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the
presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.177
Popular piety
1674 Besides sacramental liturgy and sacramentals,
catechesis must take into account the forms of piety and popular
devotions among the faithful. The religious sense of the Christian
people has always found expression in various forms of piety surrounding
the Church's sacramental life, such as the veneration of relics, visits
to sanctuaries, pilgrimages, processions, the stations of the cross,
religious dances, the rosary, medals,178 etc.
1675 These expressions of piety extend the
liturgical life of the Church, but do not replace it. They "should
be so drawn up that they harmonize with the liturgical seasons, accord
with the sacred liturgy, are in some way derived from it and lead the
people to it, since in fact the liturgy by its very nature is far
superior to any of them."179
1676 Pastoral discernment is needed to sustain and
support popular piety and, if necessary, to purify and correct the
religious sense which underlies these devotions so that the faithful may
advance in knowledge of the mystery of Christ.180 Their
exercise is subject to the care and judgment of the bishops and to the
general norms of the Church.
-
At its core the piety of the people is a storehouse of values that
offers answers of Christian wisdom to the great questions of life.
The Catholic wisdom of the people is capable of fashioning a vital
synthesis. . . . It creatively combines the divine and the human,
Christ and Mary, spirit and body, communion and institution, person
and community, faith and homeland, intelligence and emotion. This
wisdom is a Christian humanism that radically affirms the dignity of
every person as a child of God, establishes a basic fraternity,
teaches people to encounter nature and understand work, provides
reasons for joy and humor even in the midst of a very hard life. For
the people this wisdom is also a principle of discernment and an
evangelical instinct through which they spontaneously sense when the
Gospel is served in the Church and when it is emptied of its content
and stifled by other interests.181
IN BRIEF
1677 Sacramentals are sacred signs instituted by the
Church. They prepare men to receive the fruit of the sacraments and
sanctify different circumstances of life.
1678 Among the sacramentals blessings occupy an
important place. They include both praise of God for his works and
gifts, and the Church's intercession for men that they may be able to
use God's gifts according to the spirit of the Gospel.
1679 In addition to the liturgy, Christian life is
nourished by various forms of popular piety, rooted in the different
cultures. While carefully clarifying them in the light of faith, the
Church fosters the forms of popular piety that express an evangelical
instinct and a human wisdom and that enrich Christian life.
ARTICLE 2
CHRISTIAN FUNERALS
1680 All the sacraments, and principally those of
Christian initiation, have as their goal the last Passover of the child
of God which, through death, leads him into the life of the Kingdom.
Then what he confessed in faith and hope will be fulfilled: "I look
for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to
come."182
I. THE CHRISTIAN'S LAST PASSOVER
1681 The Christian meaning of death is revealed in
the light of the Paschal mystery of the death and resurrection
of Christ in whom resides our only hope. The Christian who dies in
Christ Jesus is "away from the body and at home with the
Lord."183
1682 For the Christian the day of death inaugurates,
at the end of his sacramental life, the fulfillment of his new
birth begun at Baptism, the definitive "conformity" to
"the image of the Son" conferred by the anointing of the Holy
Spirit, and participation in the feast of the Kingdom which was
anticipated in the Eucharist- even if final purifications are still
necessary for him in order to be clothed with the nuptial garment.
1683 The Church who, as Mother, has borne the
Christian sacramentally in her womb during his earthly pilgrimage,
accompanies him at his journey's end, in order to surrender him
"into the Father's hands." She offers to the Father, in
Christ, the child of his grace, and she commits to the earth, in hope,
the seed of the body that will rise in glory.184 This
offering is fully celebrated in the Eucharistic sacrifice; the blessings
before and after Mass are sacramentals.
II. THE CELEBRATION OF FUNERALS
1684 The Christian funeral is a liturgical
celebration of the Church. The ministry of the Church in this instance
aims at expressing efficacious communion with the deceased, at
the participation in that communion of the community gathered for the
funeral, and at the proclamation of eternal life to the community.
1685 The different funeral rites express the Paschal
character of Christian death and are in keeping with the situations
and traditions of each region, even as to the color of the liturgical
vestments worn.186
1686 The Order of Christian Funerals (Ordo
exsequiarum) of the Roman liturgy gives three types of funeral
celebrations, corresponding to the three places in which they are
conducted (the home, the church, and the cemetery), and according to the
importance attached to them by the family, local customs, the culture,
and popular piety. This order of celebration is common to all the
liturgical traditions and comprises four principal elements:
1687 The greeting of the community. A
greeting of faith begins the celebration. Relatives and friends of the
deceased are welcomed with a word of "consolation" (in the New
Testament sense of the Holy Spirit's power in hope).187 The
community assembling in prayer also awaits the "words of eternal
life." The death of a member of the community (or the anniversary
of a death, or the seventh or 30th day after death) is an event that
should lead beyond the perspectives of "this world" and should
draw the faithful into the true perspective of faith in the risen
Christ.
1688 The liturgy of the Word during funerals demands
very careful preparation because the assembly present for the funeral
may include some faithful who rarely attend the liturgy, and friends of
the deceased who are not Christians. The homily in particular must
"avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy"188 and
illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen
Christ.
1689 The Eucharistic Sacrifice. When the
celebration takes place in church the Eucharist is the heart of the
Paschal reality of Christian death.189 In the Eucharist, the
Church expresses her efficacious communion with the departed: offering
to the Father in the Holy Spirit the sacrifice of the death and
resurrection of Christ, she asks to purify his child of his sins and
their consequences, and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the
table of the Kingdom.190 It is by the Eucharist thus
celebrated that the community of the faithful, especially the family of
the deceased, learn to live in communion with the one who "has
fallen asleep in the Lord," by communicating in the Body of Christ
of which he is a living member and, then, by praying for him and with
him.
1690 A farewell to the deceased is his
final "commendation to God" by the Church. It is "the
last farewell by which the Christian community greets one of its members
before his body is brought to its tomb."191 The
Byzantine tradition expresses this by the kiss of farewell to the
deceased:
-
By this final greeting "we sing for his departure from this
life and separation from us, but also because there is a communion
and a reunion. For even dead, we are not at all separated from one
another, because we all run the same course and we will find one
another again in the same place. We shall never be separated, for we
live for Christ, and now we are united with Christ as we go toward
him . . . we shall all be together in Christ."192
