2. The function of the sacrament as ecclesiological

The understanding of the ecclesial function of the sacrament, can be seen in what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, that;

The sacraments are of the Church in a double sense that; they are “by her and for her.” They are “by the church” for she is the sacrament of Christ’s action at work in her through the mission of the Holy Spirit. They are “for the church” in the sense that, ‘the sacraments make the Church’ since they manifest and communicate to men, above all in the Eucharist, the mystery of communion with God, who is love, One in three persons.

The sense that the sacraments are “for the church”, reflects or affirms Augustine’s view that no people can be united without being brought together by the sharing of a sacrament. Without the sacraments, there can be no gathering of people, no faith, no unity. The Second Vatican Council explained rightly that the sacraments presuppose faith; calling individuals to faith, gathering them into one people, thus, building up the Body of Christ. The communion and unity of the Church is therefore derived from the sacraments. The sense that the sacraments are “by the church”, reflects the view that the church is the “fundamental sacrament”  not in the sense that the church is  the source of the sacraments and its effects, but that, it is only through the church that one participates in Christ’s redemption, which is the source of grace.

The sacraments therefore, function as event that calls men into an ecclesial community, and also, it is only through its salvific function that the church becomes an “effective community of salvation.”

CHRIST IS THE PURPOSE OF THE SACRAMENT (CHRISTOCENTRIC)

Critically analyzed, the sacraments have but one basic function, that is, to confer grace for the salvation of man, deducing first from the narratives of the institution of the Eucharist “this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28 NAB) and second, from the incarnation of the Word of God. We can say that, the other functions of communion and revelation mentioned, are but latent functions of the sacrament, this however does not diminish these functions, for without a gathering in faith, it will be impossible to celebrate the sacrament. Moreover, Christ himself said, “when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn. 12:32 NAB), indicating his paschal mystery that brings people to him.

To be continued…