Understanding the Sacraments

by Father John Hardon, S.J.

The present issue of The Catholic Faith is on the single most crucial issue in Christianity today. In the two millennia of the Church's history, it has always been some aspect of the sacraments which has been challenged or denied by those who then separated themselves from Catholic unity. In the early Middle Ages, there were those who questioned the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In the sixteenth century, every sacrament instituted by Christ was openly challenged by the founders of Protestantism. In our day, the very existence of divinely instituted channels of grace is being denied with devastating consequences to the spiritual lives of millions. The very existence of a priesthood instituted by Christ is undermined by the intellectuals who are reshaping Catholic Christianity.

One issue of The Catholic Faith can only begin to open our eyes to the magnitude of the problem and the urgency of a solution. The best solution for refuting error is the proclamation of the truth. It is our prayer that the ideas expressed in these pages will open the eyes of zealous believers and open their hearts to share their faith with a world that needs nothing more than the light and strength which only the sacraments of Christ can provide.