Colman E. O’Neill and Romanus Cessario, Meeting Christ in the Sacraments. Revised edition. New York: Alba House, 1991. pp. 39-40.

The individual shape of the various sacramental actions performed by the Church is of capital importance. Just as Mary gave to the Word his humanity and thereby determines the individual characteristics of that Humanity, so the ritual performed by the Church determines the fashion in which Christ is made present in the liturgical assembly. In the measure of terms of Scholastic theology: the sacraments effect what they signify. . . . There are two distinct kinds of sacramental action, corresponding to two phases of Christ's heavenly worship. One kind is constituted by the Mass alone, which signifies immediately the sacrifice of Christ, offered to the Father. All the other sacraments, including Holy Communion, belong to the second class. These signify the effects of Christ heavenly worship. By using both kinds of sacrament the faithful participate to the full, in the measure permitted by their present state, in the heavenly liturgy. We must form here the image of the Whole Christ, the Head in glory, the members on earth, united in worship of the Father. All worship redounds to the benefit of the worshipper for we can give nothing to God, cannot add in the slightest to the glory which he possesses from eternity: “If you do justly, what shall you give him, or what shall he receive of your hand?” (Jb 35:7) By submitting to God, the creature places himself in his rightful position in the scheme of reality, the place best suited to him. When we apply this to the worship of the Whole Christ a certain modification is called for since individual worship is here assumed into community worship and, moreover, the worship of the Head is communicated to the members. Accordingly, the worship of Christ in heaven benefits the Whole Christ worshipping in and with him. It can bring no further perfection to the Head; the effect is all for his members. The sacramental system of the Church is wholly centered on the heavenly worship of Christ. It brings the two phases of this worship among men so that they are able to offer a true external sacrifice and to receive from the hand of Christ, acting through the material elements of the sacraments, the grace which gives them the dignity of sons of God.

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Return to Lesson 1: Does God Need to be Worshiped with Material Things?