“The seven sacraments were instituted
by Jesus Christ”. Church did not institute the Sacraments. And “Jesus Christ is
the Sacrament of God”, Church is the Sacrament of Jesus Christ”. So seven
Sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ.
The Reformers of the 16th
century, Luther, Calvin, and Zwingly negated saying that all the Sacraments
were not instituted by Jesus Christ. They argued that Jesus Christ established
only three of the seven sacraments, namely Baptism, Eucharist and penitence.
Later they said that only two sacraments could truly be considered by Jesus
Christ. According to the Reformers Jesus Christ did not expressly established
the rite or He did not explicitly promise the Sacramental grace to be conferred
or both of the above. The fact of the institution of the Sacraments Martin
Luther claimed that seven Sacraments do not have the scriptural warrant.
In Syncretistic Hypothesis the
Rationalists at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th
centuries brought about the theory of “syncretism”. Certain things borrowed
from Eastern rites. Some similarities in words adopted in Christianity. They
accepted that: (I) Christianity depends more on the Judaic institution rather
than on pagan ones. (II) The pagan mysteries are based on myths whereas the
sacraments are based on history. (III) For pagan, purification is external but
for the Christians it is internal.
St. Thomas Aquinas says Sacraments
are encounters with Jesus Christ in which He reveals, offers and communicates
His divine life to men. In certain sacraments, we do not have explicitly, we
have implicitly. Therefore, with regards to the institution of sacraments we
must consider not only what Jesus Christ said, but also everything that
happened in and around him, what He did, what He spoke and what He ordered the
Apostles to do. Further St. Thomas Aquinas says that Jesus Christ instituted
the church. Now the pillars of the church are the sacraments. As Jesus Christ
instituted the Church, the Sacraments are also instituted by Jesus Christ.
Institution of sacraments are older
than scriptures. Because scriptures were written after the death of Jesus
Christ, but sacraments were practice during the time of Jesus, and carried out
by the Apostles. Apostles knew that the seven sacraments were instituted by
Jesus Christ. As the followers of Jesus Christ they believed and propagated the
sacraments and thus now they are existing in the Church. So no one cannot deny
the fact the Sacramental were instituted by Jesus Christ. Therefore, there has
been indeed considerable difference of language about the manner in which Jesus
Christ instituted the Sacraments but about fact of institution by. Jesus Christ
there has been no doubt in the teachings of the Catholic Church.
C.Desmenraj
desmenraj@gmail.com
