“…spitting, touched his tongue”
Search: Sacraments: The Work Performed
“Every Sacrament consists of two things: matter, which is called the element, and form, which is commonly called the word. This doctrine of the Fathers of the Church; and the testimony of St. Augustine on the subject is familiar to all. The word, he says is joined to the element, and it becomes a Sacrament. By the words sensible thing, therefore, the Fathers understand not only the matter or element, such as water in Baptism, chrism in Confirmation, and oil in Extreme Unction [anointing of the sick], all of which fall under the eye; but also the words which constitute the form, and are addressed to the ear.” [1]
The deaf and mute man’s “ears were opened” and then “he spoke plainly”. In the Sacraments our eyes see the matter or element and our ears hear the form or word. How many times do we see but not hear, when it comes to the Sacraments. We see the waters of baptism but do not hear the words spoken by the priest or deacon. The seeing and hearing of the Sacraments should remove from us any “speech impediment” thus enabling us to live out the Sacraments in our life and be a witness to the life and love of Jesus Christ.
What is the importance of the matter or element? We are physical people and therefore signs and symbols are important. “Often Jesus asks the sick to believe (Mk 5:34, 36; 9:23). He makes use of signs to heal: spittle and the laying on of hands, (Mk 7:32-36; 8:22-25) mud and washing (Jn 9:6-7). The sick try to touch him, ‘for power came forth from him and healed them all.’ (Lk 6:19, Mk 1:41; 3:10; 6:56). And so in the sacraments Christ continues to ‘touch’ us in order to heal us.” [2] Signs also teach us, helping us understand that while there is an outward sign, there is a inner grace. We know “water, for instance, has the quality of cooling as well as cleansing, and may be symbolic of either.” [3] The matter or element helps us to physically understand that baptism is a “cooling” an ordering of our passions toward God. Baptism is a cleansing of the stain of sin. In the Eucharist the matter or element of bread and wine, help us make the connection that just as food and drink are necessary for physically life, the body and blood of Jesus is necessary for spiritual life. Thus Jesus says, “Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.” [4] Jesus not only brings new meaning to the signs of creation but He also gives new meaning to the signs of the Old Testament as He is the fulfillment, that the Old Testament signs point to. “He performs healings and illustrates his preaching with physical signs or symbolic gestures (Jn 9:6; Mk 7:33; Mk 8:22). He gives new meaning to the deeds and signs of the Old Covenant, above all to the Exodus and the Passover (Lk 9:31; 22:7-20) for he himself is the meaning of all these signs.” [5]
What is the importance of the form or word? The form or word is of such importance, if form or word is not added to matter or element, the Sacrament is null. For example without the words of consecration, the bread and wine, remain bread and wine, without the prayers at baptism the waters of the baptismal font, have only a physical effect but no spiritual effect. “In our Sacraments, on the contrary, the form is so definite that any, even a casual deviation from it renders the Sacrament null.” [6] In the Gospel of the deaf and mute man Jesus adds the word, “Ephpahtha!” to the matter “spit” and both spiritual and physical healing take place. If Jesus had not added the word “Ephpahtha!”, there would have only been “spit”. The form or word is the command given. The form and word in the Sacraments is the word of God. The power and authority of the Sacraments lie in the form and word.
How do we know that the form and word of the Sacraments of the power and authority of God?In the Gospel Jesus “looked up to heaven” and then gave word (Ephpahtha) to the matter (spit). The deaf and mute man as well as the others who witnessed this miracle did not yet know that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus wanted them to know that the words He speaks and the power and authority that He has is from God. We know by faith, that Jesus is God, and we understand that the words of Christ to be the word of God. The sacraments are therefore not only a time of “looking up to heaven” but also heaven “looking down upon us”.
How do we know that both matter (element) and form (word) are necessary and used by Jesus? Saint Paul uses the analogy of Jesus as the groom and the Church as the bride. What is necessary for any relationship but especially a marriage? Words and works. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” [7] Jesus therefore cleansed the Church by the bath of water (matter) with the word (form). The Sacraments are the ordinary way or means in which Jesus Christ, loves us, hands himself over to us, sanctifies us, and cleanses us, so that we might be without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish. In the Gospel of the mute and deaf man his “speech impediment was removed and he spoke plainly”. Christ desires to do for His Bride the Church the same thing He did for the mute and deaf man. He wants our impediment (sin, blemish) to be removed, and He wants us to be able to “speak plainly”. He desires both our words and works to be holy and without blemish.
The Sacraments are the means to what end? The end, the goal is “that he [Jesus] might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” So many seek the Sacraments, but have the means become the end? The Sacraments are the means of Salvation.
Do we seek Sacraments or salvation? If we desire Sacraments without Salvation we are missing the point of the mission of Christ, which is to love, sanctify, and cleanse our souls, “so that we might be without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish.” There are two extremes that can be taken. One, we cannot seek a Sacrament but ignore salvation. Two, we cannot seek salvation but ignore the Sacraments. We must keep in mind both the means and end. The end of man is Life Eternal (Salvation), and the ordinary means that God uses to help man arrive at his end are the Sacraments. Non-Catholics have been accused of seeking salvation without Sacrament, Catholic have been accused of seeking Sacrament without salvation. Seeking a Sacrament but not salvation is like a parent buying a teenager a car, but then never allowing them to drive it. How many times do people seek the Sacrament of Baptism for their child, but then do not take their child to Mass or instruct them in the faith? How many times do parents prepare their child to receive First Holy Communion, but then never attend Mass again so that their child may receive second, third, and fourth Holy Communion?
Search: Seven Words (Part I)
Search: Seven Words (Part II)
[1] Catechism of the Council of Trent – Constituent Parts of the Sacraments
[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 1504
[3] Catechism of the Council of Trent – Constituent Parts of the Sacraments
[4] John 6:57
[5] Catechism of the Catholic Church - 1151
[6] Catechism of the Council of Trent – Constituent Parts of the Sacraments
[7] Ephesians 5:25