The full significance of the sacraments

The full significance of the sacraments

It will be for catechesis to present the seven sacraments in a way that brings out their full meaning. First, they must be presented as sacraments of faith. Of themselves they certainly express the effective will of Christ the Saviour; for their part, men and women must manifest a sincere willingness to respond to God’s love and mercy. ‘Therefore catechesis must take care to evoke the proper dispositions and to stimulate sincerity and generosity so as to ensure worthy reception of the sacraments.

Second, the sacraments should be presented each of them, of course, in keeping with its nature and purpose not only as remedies for sin and for its consequences, but especially as sources of grace for individuals and for communities, in such wise that the entire dispensation of grace in the lives of the faithful would be seen to be linked to the sacramental economy.