[Apologetics] Not Magic: On the Fruitful Reception of the Sacraments

[Dianne Dawson]

Not Magic: On the Fruitful Reception of the Sacraments.By: Msgr. Charles Pope
A fundamental principle of the seven Sacraments is that they have a reality that 
exists apart from the priest’s holiness or worthiness. They work ex opere 
operato (ie.. they are worked from the very fact of the work). One need not 
doubt therefore that a sacrament is in fact given just because a bishop, priest 
or deacon seems less than holy or worthy. Neither can the disposition of the 
recipient un-work the work. For example, Holy Communion does not cease to be the 
Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ merely because the one who steps 
forward is unworthy or even an unbeliever. The Sacrament has a reality in itself 
that transcends the worthiness of the celebrant or recipient.
However, sacraments are not magic in the sense that they work effects in us in a 
manner independent of our disposition or will. Sacraments, though actually 
conferred by the fact that they are given, have a varying fruitfulness dependant 
upon the disposition, worthiness and openness of the recipient. One may receive 
a sacrament to great effect or lesser effect depending on how well disposed they 
are to those effects. This is referred to as the fruitfulness of the sacraments. 
 
To illustrate fruitfulness let’s take a non sacramental example. Imagine two men 
in the Fine Arts Museum and lets us also imagine that they are looking at a 
Rembrandt painting:  Apostle Peter Kneeling of 1631 (See photo at right). Now 
one man is a trained artist. He knows and understands the use of shadow and 
light. He can observe and see the techniques of brush strokes. He knows of  
Rembrandt and his life and times. He also knows the Bible and a good bit about 
hagiography. He knows about St. Peter, the significance of the keys, of Peter’s 
penitence and how he finally died. The second man knows none of this and is 
actually rather annoyed to be in the “boring” museum. All he thinks is, “Who is 
that guy and why is he sitting on the floor?….Why don’t we get out of here, go 
to a sports bar and hook a few brews or something more interesting?”
Now, both men are actually standing before a Rembrandt painting. It has a 
reality in itself apart from what either man thinks. It is, in fact,  what it 
is. But the experience of beholding the painting is a far more 
fruitful experience for the first man than for the second. The first man gains a 
lot from the experience, the other gains little and may in fact have an 
experience that is adverse or repelling.
It is like this with the sacraments. They have a reality in themselves that is 
objective and real and they actually extend the graces they announce. But how 
fruitfully a person receives them is quite dependent on the openness and 
disposition of the recipient. Sacraments are not magic as though they zap us and 
change us independently of our disposition.
Consider some examples:
	1. Two people come forward to receive Holy Communion. One comes forward with 
great piety and mindfulness  to what and Who she is to receive. She has recently 
made a good confession and is in a state of grace. She prayerfully, mindfully 
and devoutly receives the sacred host and returns to her pew to pray. The second 
person comes forward inattentively. Instead of thinking of what she is about to 
do she is irritated at the priest for going long in the homily and distractedly 
considering what she is going to do when she leaves here. She has not been to 
confession in many years and may in fact be in mortal sin. She receives the 
Sacred Host with little thought or devotion and heads for the nearest door. Both 
in fact receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity  of Jesus. Objectively the 
sacrament is conferred. But one receives fruitfully and the other has little or 
no fruitfulness. In fact, if she is in state of mortal sin, not only did she not 
fruitfully receive a blessing but she may have brought a condemnation upon 
herself (cf 1 Cor 11: 29). So the sacrament is not magic and does not zap the 
second woman into holiness. A sacrament worthily received in a mindful manner to 
a person well disposed can have great effects, but proper and open disposition 
including faith-filled and worthy reception are essential. The more open and 
disposed one is, the more fruitful the reception.
	2. Two people go to confession. One carefully prepares by examining his 
conscience and has a true contrition (sorrow for sin and a firm purpose of 
amendment). In examining his conscience he does not merely consider his external 
behaviors but looks to the internal and deeper drives of sin within him. He 
seeks to reflect on his motivations, priorities, resentments and the like. He 
goes to confession once a month. Once in the confessional he makes a good 
confession and listens carefully to what the priest says and accepts his penance 
with gratitude to God. The second man makes little preparation only coming up 
with a few vague sins on his way from the car. He comes yearly to confession to 
make his Easter duty and after a year can only figure he has said a few bad 
things and been a little grouchy, and looked at a few dirty pictures. In the 
confessional he mentions his sins only in a perfunctory way and pays little 
attention to the exhortation of the priest. Now both men receive absolution but 
one receives the sacrament for more fruitfully than the other. The first man 
will likely experience growth in holiness and spiritual progress if he routinely 
approaches the sacrament in this manner. The other will probably be back next 
year with the same list or with worse things.
	3. Marriage is a sacrament received once (or should be    ).  As such it’s 
graces are received at once but unfold throughout married life. Hence, two are 
made one on the day of marriage but the couple’s experience of this may vary and 
hopefully grow as time goes on. Through daily prayer, weekly communion, personal 
growth in holiness of the spouses, consistent work at their relationship, the 
graces of marriage will be experienced more fruitfully as time goes on. But it 
is also possible to stunt or hinder the fruitfulness of graces of marriage 
through neglect of prayer, sacraments, interpersonal growth and communication.
Sacraments therefore are not magic acts. They convey a reality,  but internal 
disposition, worthy, mindful reception and faith are all essential factors for 
the sacraments to be received more and more fruitfully. Perfunctory and mindless 
reception yields little fruit. Devout, mindful and worthy reception yields 
increasing fruit. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; 
and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a 
hundredfold (Mark 4:20).
More can be said on this topic and I invite your comments and questions to fill 
in the details.
Now here’s a daring video to put in this post where we have talked about 
Catholic Sacraments. It is of a Protestant Preacher, Paul Washer who talks about 
the Protestant version of the Problem of perfunctory observance. He states 
rather memorably that Jesus is not just some flu shot you can take. The 
fruitfulness of faith cannot proceed from perfunctory observances.
(link to video 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqwk6QDVZ-k&feature=player_embedded)
 
 
Source: 
http://blog.adw.org/2010/07/not-magic-on-the-fruitful-reception-of-the-sacraments/

 
Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.
Ps 42:1


      
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