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Show The Meaning, Necessity and Importance Impor-tance of Sacraments.. The sacraments taken in general may be defined as the channels through which the graces purchased by the passion pas-sion and death of Christ are conveyed to the souls of men. , In order that a soul may actual y benefit by those graces it is absolutely necessary that that soul must receive hom Than must he aDDiied to it be fore they can, and in order that they may effect in It the changes whi.cn Christ has ordained. It is not enougn that Christ "purchased" those graces for us. They must be also "applied as well as "purchased," before they can do our soul any good. Although this truth is simple, clear and intelligible intel-ligible even to the ignorant, yet, it is a fact that there is much false teaching teach-ing at the present day on this important impor-tant and essential point. How often is not openly preached, especially in the public squares of our large cities: That "we are all washed in the blood of the lamb"; "Christ died for us all"; and therefore "we are all saved!" This doctrine is very misleading, and therefore calls for the earnest consideration consid-eration and study of every "wouldbe" sincere Christian. It cannot be denied that there is a good' deal of true Catholic doctrine taught by the various bodies of Christians Chris-tians outside "the one true fold," but, unfortunately this is rendered almost, if not altogether useless by the many false teachings that are mixed up with it. This is especially the case with regard re-gard to the present subject, and a little lit-tle reasoning will enable even an uneducated un-educated man to see where the falsehood false-hood comes in. A preacher speaks truth when he says that "Christ died for us all"; but he is altogether wrong when he adds that therefore "we are all washed in the Blood of the Lamb." "We are all cleansed." It does not follow, by any means. Neither does it necessarily follow fol-low if he adds the necessity of repentance repen-tance as the only condition required. A man may truly believe that "Christ died for us all;" he may also repent, but he cannot therefore conclude that for these reasons he is actually "washed in the Blood of the Lamb" that he is actually "cleansed." Much less can he conclude that he is "saved," as we hear so often preached. That "Christ died for us all" is certain. cer-tain. That he purchased graces sufficient suf-ficient and superabundant to cleanse all human souls of every possible sin, is equally certain. That he purchased all the graces necessary to save all men. and that "He would have all men saved" by means of those graces, is no less certain. But, although He died for us all and purchased by His passion pas-sion and Death, graces sufficient to wash away the sins of the whole world, and that He ardently wished that all men should be saved: yet it does not follow from all this that therefore we are "cleansed" or "washed in the Blood of the Lamb," or. much less, already "saved." The true teaching 13 that it is not enough that Christ died for . us and purchased graces sufficient to save us, but that also those graces must be actually ac-tually applied to our souls must enter en-ter the very essence of our souls, in order to cleanse them and enable us to work out bur salvation. It is only when the soul thus "receives" those graces that the passion and death of Christ and the graces which He so dearly purchased can be of any "real benefit." For all practical purposes then, it is of no benefit to any individual indi-vidual soul that Christ died for it at all, and that He purchased all the ' graces necessary to cleanse it and save' it eternally,, unless and until those same graces are actually conveyed, applied, ap-plied, given to that soul. A hungry man may purchase, a good dinner; , he -may pay for it and pay for.it ten times over, but it does not j follow that his hunger is appeased. He I shall have something more to do with the dinner. He shall have to eat it. A man may 'purchas4: a" box of matches to light let us say, a Are he may pay for them. But that far will not make the fire light. He shall have to strike a match and actually apply I it to the fire. It is not, difficult thea ! to see how true is the Catholic teaeij-. teaeij-. ing that because "Christ died for us all," it does "not" by any means follow that we are therefore "washed in the Blood of the Lamb," that "we are cleansed," and much less does it follow fol-low that we are "saved!" All these conclusions that we are cleansed, etc.. are most clearly false and heretical. Each and every soul then must actually receive the graces purchased for it by , Christ before any of those graces can i do it any good. They must be applied to the soul. These truths show us at a glance the necessity, the importance and the value of the holy sacraments which are the means, the channels through which Christ has ordained .to convey and apply ap-ply to our souls the graces which He has purchased to cleanse us and save us and bring us to life everlasting. We shall see that such is what the sacraments ; do for us, as we consider them separately." Let us take baptism, which is the first. It is a sacrament which cleanses us from original sin and makes us Christian children of God and heirs to the kingdom of heaven. We see that it is through it we receive re-ceive the very first graces we all need that which washes away original sin the sin we have Inherited through our first parents. As it was on account of this sin we lost our right to heaven, as soon as it is washed away through baptism that sacrament at one and the same time makes us Christians and restores to us the right to that eternal kingdom' which we had lost. This was the first thing Christ had to do for us, the first grace He had to purchase for us; the first thing we absolutely needed. Therefore we see that the sacrament, the channel through which that grace is conveyed to the soul is the first and most necessary neces-sary of all the sacraments. It is not , enough that He purchased that great grace for us, it must be applied to each individual - soul. In other words we must be baptized. It is plain then why holy scripture teaches the necessity of baptism in order or-der to be "cleansed," "washed in the Blood of the Lamb," "saved." "Unless "Un-less a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Christ has not promised the grace given through baptism through any other means except baptism. A man may therefore be repenting until doomsday; yet he would not be cleansed, etc., without baptism. In like manner the sacramental graces that He has decreed to convey through the other sacraments can only be had through them alone, respectively. respective-ly. At the same time this does not imply that in certain circumstances extreme ex-treme unction cannot forgive sin and the holy eucharist convey the "first j grace." Sincere Catholics -should do well to reflect often on the ' meaning, value, necessity ' and Importance' of the holy sacraments -and how we can -profit by the passion and death of Christ and by the graces , He has .purchased for us only in proportion as we make u of the holy sacraments, the channels through which those graces are conveyed con-veyed to our souls. It should be of the utmost interest to a earnest Christians Chris-tians outside the Catholic fold to sKdy sincerely this Catholic doctrine that Tey mayy thus come to the clear knowledge know-ledge of such important truths, ana may profit by it. c E. B. |