VIII. ОБЩИЕ ЗАМЕЧАНИЯ О ТАИНСТВАХ

§ 242. Subjects of these comments Based on the teaching of the Orthodox Church about each sacrament separately, which we have revealed, it is convenient to make general comments about the sacraments, in accordance with those misconceptions of the wrong-thinking that concern all the sacraments, and namely, to say: a) about the essence of the sacraments, b) about the sevenfold number of sacraments, c) about the conditions for the performance and for the effectiveness of the sacraments (§ 200). To all this, but the plan we have adopted, we will add the moral application of the entire dogma of the sacraments. § 243. On the essence of the sacraments The sacraments are not only signs of divine promises to arouse faith in people, they are not simple rituals that distinguish Christians from non-Christians, they are not mere symbols of spiritual life and the like, as the unwise think (§ 200); and the essence of sacred rites, which in some visible way actually communicate to believers the invisible grace of God, are “instruments that necessarily act with grace on those who approach them” (Episode of the Eastern Patr. on the Right Faith, Part 15). 1) All those places of St. confirm this to us. Scriptures, already known to us, which speak of the fruits of some sacrament. It is said, for example: a) about the sacrament of baptism: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5); or: Christ loved the church, and gave it to himself for her sake, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with the washing of water in the verb (Eph. 5:25), and again; and by these (sinners) you were not born, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11); b) about the sacrament of confirmation: then lay your hand on it and receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the hands of the apostles, bring them silver, saying: Give me this power, so that if I lay my hand on him, he will receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17-19); c) about the sacrament of the Eucharist: whoever eats of this bread will live forever..., who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day (John 6:51.54); d) about the sacrament of the priesthood: do not neglect your gift that lives in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the priesthood (1 Tim. 4:14; demolished. 2 Tim. 1, 6), etc. Here, obviously, the idea is expressed that the water itself in baptism, with the invisible influx of the Holy Spirit, revives a person, cleanses and washes him from sins; the very laying on of hands or anointing with chrism in confirmation brings down gifts of grace to a person; the very body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist give man immortality; the very ordination of the sacrament of the priesthood imparts to the ordained person a special gift - that in general each of the sacraments, by its very essence, necessarily acts on a person by grace when it is taught to him. 2) The same teaching is unanimously expressed by St. Fathers and teachers of the Church in their testimonies about the fruits of the sacraments. It is enough here, since we have already presented this evidence in its place, to cite or recall only some of them. For example: St. Cyril of Jerusalem: “Proceed to baptism not as to simple water, but as to spiritual grace given with water” 1579. And again: “Be careful not to consider this world simple. For just as the bread in the Eucharist, upon the invocation of the Holy Spirit, is not simpler bread, but the body of Christ: so this holy ointment is not simpler, lower, if anyone would say, ordinary upon invocation: but the gift of Christ and the Holy Spirit, made real by the presence of His Divinity. Your forehead and other instruments of the senses are significantly anointed with it. And when the body is visibly anointed, then the soul is sanctified by the Holy and Life-giving Spirit” 1580. St. Gregory of Nyssa: “Although water is nothing more than water, it renews a person with spiritual rebirth when grace blesses it from above. If someone, hesitating and doubting, presents me with difficulty, constantly asking and repeating how water regenerates (πώς ύδωρ αναγεννά)…, I will rightly tell him: explain to me the manner of birth according to the flesh, and I will explain to you the power of rebirth according to the soul” 1581. St. Athanasius the Great: “As a person who is baptized by a person, that is, a priest, is enlightened by the grace of the Holy Spirit; so he who confesses his sins in repentance accepts the remission of them through the priest by the grace of Jesus Christ” 1582. St. John Chrysostom: “In baptism, a gift is imparted through a sensory thing - water, and the spiritual action consists of birth and rebirth, or renewal” 1583. St. Basil the Great: “It is good and beneficial to commune and receive the holy body and blood of Christ every day; because Christ himself clearly says: whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will have eternal life (John 6:54). For who doubts that to continually be a partaker of life means nothing other than to live in a variety of ways?” 1584. St. Ambrose: “Who gives the grace of episcopacy, God or man? Without a doubt you will answer: God. But God gives it through man. Man lays hands and God pours out grace; the priest places his humble right hand, and God blesses with his all-powerful right hand; the bishop ordains, and God imparts dignity" 1585. 3) Let us also remember that from its beginning the Orthodox Church had the custom, which continues to this day, of teaching baptism, confirmation and communion to infants. If the sacraments are only simple signs intended to arouse faith in people, which alone saves, and are not instruments that necessarily act on people by the saving grace of God; then the question arises: what benefit could and can bring infants the three said sacraments, and for what purpose did St. teach them and teach them? Church? And why the sacraments have such power - there is only one answer to this: it was so pleasing to the Lord. He himself established certain sacred rites as visible instruments for communicating to people the invisible gifts of his grace; He Himself taught how to perform these sacred rites, so that, when performed correctly, people would actually receive gifts of grace - and His will is fulfilled: the sacraments, performed in accordance with the establishment of the Savior, necessarily act on people with saving grace. § 244. On the sevenfold number of sacraments There are no less and no more than seven sacraments of the church: baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance, priesthood, marriage, consecration of oil (Episode of the Eastern Patr. on the Right Faith, Part 15). Because – 1. Each of these sacraments, as we have seen, is clearly established in St. Scriptures; everyone is taught in Scripture all the properties of a true sacrament, that is, a Divine institution, a visible or sensory sign and an invisible grace-filled effect on a person. If Scripture does not directly say that there are exactly seven sacraments 1586, then in the same way it does not say that there are two, or three, or one sacraments. We know about the sevenfold number of sacraments from another Divine source, from the sacred. Tradition preserved in the Church. 2. Not only the Orthodox Church, but also the Roman Church, which separated from it in the 9th-11th centuries, and all the societies of Nestorians and Monophysites that have existed in the east since the fifth century, unanimously recognize in their rites the church and perform the seven sacraments of 1587. How can we explain such an amazing agreement between Christians who have different opinions among themselves, if not by the fact that it is confirmed by the apostolic tradition? 1588. These Christians could not borrow these sacred rites, or some of them, from each other due to mutual hostility, and indeed did not borrow them, as shown by the many differences in the very rites of each of the sacraments 1589. 3. Expanding, in particular, this idea about the constant, universal belief of Christians regarding the seven sacraments of the Church, let us say that it undoubtedly existed: a) in the 16th century, when the Reformation appeared, and Protestants were the first to dare to reject the five sacraments, retaining only baptism and the Eucharist. This belief was clearly expressed then by the Patriarch of Constantinople Jeremiah in his letters to the Wirtemberg theologians in 1590, by the Philadelphia Metropolitan Gabriel, who wrote a special essay on the seven sacraments in 1591, and in the West, in addition to many private writers, by the entire Council of Tridentine in 1592. b) in the 15th century. St. wrote about the seven sacraments at the very beginning of this century. Simeon of Thessalonica 1593, and from the Council of Florence (1438–1440) Pope Eugenius IV wrote to the Armenians 1594. c) in the XIV century: as shown by the Emperor of Constantinople John Palaiologos (1355) in his confession of faith 1595, Manuel Kaleka, a Greek by birth (1360) 1596, and the Armenian Council, which was in 1342 1597. d) in the 13th century. The sevenfold number of sacraments was spoken at that time by the Constantinople hieromonk Job (1270) 1598, Western scholastics: Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Alexander Galens 1599 and the Council of London, which took place in 1237 1600. e) In the 12th century: as can be seen from the teachings of Otto, who preached the Christian faith in Pomerania in 1124 1601, and from the writings of the scholastics: Hugon Victorin 1602 and Peter Lombard 1603, who all clearly taught about the seven sacraments. f) Before the 11th and even before the 9th century. For some Greek and Latin rites of the seven sacraments have been preserved, which go back much further than the 11th century 1604, and the Patriarchs of Constantinople Michael Cellularius and Photius, although they denounced the Latins for some deviations in the manner of performing the sacraments, never once reproached them (the Latins) for multiplying or reducing the number of sacraments. g) Before the 5th century: because, as we have already noted, the societies of Nestorians and Monophysites, which separated from the Orthodox Church in the 5th century, still contain, according to it, seven sacraments. 4. If St. The fathers and teachers of the ancient Church nowhere speak directly, like St. The Scripture that there are seven sacraments, nowhere deliberately sets out the teachings about all the seven sacraments; then we must remember, to explain this, the custom that existed in the Church at that time of guarding the sacraments with silence (disciplina arcani), as St. Basil the Great. Having said in his canonical letter to Amphilochius that, in addition to written dogmas and sermons, there are in the Church those that were accepted from the apostolic tradition by succession in secret, St. In support of his words, the father points to certain particulars in the rites of the sacraments of the Eucharist and baptism, and then asks: “from what scripture (all this) is it taken? Is it not from this unpromulgated and ineffable teaching, which our fathers preserved in a silence inaccessible to curiosity and prying out, having been sensibly taught to guard the sanctity of the sacrament through silence? For what decency would it be to announce in writing the teaching of something that is not permissible for the uninitiated into the sacrament and view” 1605? However, without deliberately discussing in his writings, as a result of this pious custom 1606, about all the sacraments in their entirety, St. The fathers and teachers of the ancient Church often mention on occasion, in accordance with the intended purpose, first one, then another, then a third sacrament, and, after taking their testimonies together, it turns out that they undoubtedly recognized all seven sacraments hitherto preserved in the Church. So - a) the sacrament of baptism is spoken of, as we have seen, by the Apostle Barnabas, Justin the Martyr, Tertullian, Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and many others (§§ 202–206); b) about the sacrament of confirmation - Dionysius the Areopagite, Theophilus of Antioch, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, Pope Cornelius, Ephraim the Syrian. Council of Laodicea, Cyril of Jerusalem and others (§§ 208–211); c) about the sacrament of the Eucharist - Ignatius the God-Bearer, Justin the Martyr, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Dionysius of Alexandria and many other teachers of the Church, as well as entire councils, ecumenical and local (§§ 214–220); d) about the sacrament of repentance - the rules and so-called apostolic decrees, Tertullian, Cyprian, Athanasius the Great, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Gregory of Nyssa, Jerome, Cyril of Alexandria and entire councils (§§ 222–225); e) about the sacrament of consecration of oil - Origen, John Chrysostom, Victor of Antioch, Caesarius, Pope Innocent 1st, Cyril of Alexandria and others (§§ 230–232); f) about the sacrament of marriage - Ignatius the God-Bearer, Tertullian, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Ambrose, Augustine and others (§§ 234–236); g) about the sacrament of the priesthood - the rules of St. Apostles, Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose, the fathers of the Council of Chalcedon, Pope Leo the Great and others (§§ 239–241). After this, one should not be tempted by the fact that some ancient teachers, according to the demand of need. either in accordance with their chosen purpose, or for other reasons, they talk in their writings about two, 1607, then about three 1608, then about four 1609 sacraments, keeping silent about the others. To deduce from this, as Protestants do, that the ancient Church recognized only two sacraments (why not three, or four?) - Baptism and the Eucharist - is completely unfair, when it is known that other teachers of the Church at the same time or even earlier mention all the other sacraments 1610; when it is known that even the same teachers, calling Baptism and the Eucharist by name, sometimes point to other similar sacraments 1611, and in various places in their writings they clearly speak about each of the seven sacraments separately 1612. Let us also note that the word: sacrament (μυστήριον, sacramentum) was sometimes used by ancient Christian writers, just as it is used here, in a more extensive sense. Therefore, it is not surprising if some of them, very few, however, sometimes call the rites of monastic tonsure, prayers offered for the dead, etc., sacraments. But in the strict sense, neither the indicated rite nor prayers for the dead were ever recognized as sacraments in the Church, in which it accepted only the seven sacraments of 1613. 5. Why there are seven sacraments, neither more nor less, the reason for this is hidden in the will of the Establisher of the sacraments, the Lord Jesus. We can only, following others, find here a correspondence with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Is. 11:2.3), communicated to believers through the seven sacraments of the Church; seven loaves that miraculously fed thousands of people (Matthew 15:36–38); the seven golden lamps, in the midst of which the seer was worthy to see the Son of Man (Apoc. 1:12,13); to the seven stars, which the Lord Jesus then held in his right hand (- 16); the seven seals with which the book was sealed, which was then seen by the Prophet in the right hand of God (Apoc. 5:1); seven trumpets, which, after the opening of the mysterious book, were given to the seven angels who stood before God (8, 1. 2) and under. 1614. On the other hand, it clearly appears that these seven sacraments, through which the grace of the Holy Spirit is communicated, correspond to all the needs of a person’s Christian life and the needs of the Church itself. Thus, through baptism a person is born into spiritual, Christian life; through confirmation, he receives the strength necessary to strengthen himself in a new life; in the Eucharist he always finds Divine food and drink for constant growth in the same life. But since, having become a Christian, a person can sin and be subject to infirmities, repentance provides him with a cure for mental illnesses; Blessing of oil is also a healing for bodily diseases. At the same time, the sacrament of marriage sanctifies with grace the union of Christian spouses, for the maintenance, through the natural birth of children, and the constant spread of the Church of Christ; the sacrament of the priesthood gives the Church shepherds and teachers and builders of the mysteries of God, for the guidance of all Christians to eternal life 1615. § 245. On the conditions for the performance and effectiveness of the sacraments I. For the lawful administration of the sacraments and their effectiveness, the following are required: 1) A legally ordained presbyter or bishop. For - a) only to the presbyters and bishops, as successors of the Apostles, did the Lord grant His Divine power to communicate grace-filled gifts to people through the sacred rites established by Him; b) not only ordinary laymen and clergy, but also deacons, occupying the lowest level of the Divinely established hierarchy itself, have not received this power and do not have the right to perform any of the sacraments, except in special cases relating to the sacrament of baptism; c) in order for even bishops and presbyters to boldly begin to perform such great sacred rites, and to teach people Divine grace through them, they themselves are first sanctified through the special sacrament of the priesthood and receive the special gifts of the Holy Spirit: we have already seen all this when we examined each sacrament separately, and in particular the sacrament of the priesthood (§§ 206. 211. 217. 223. 231. 236. 239–241). Consequently, the followers of Luther are equally mistaken when they teach that every Christian, whether or not belonging to the hierarchy, can perform the sacraments, and our schismatics, both the non-priests, who grant the performance of the sacraments to ordinary laymen, even women, and the priests, who grant this to priests who are banned or even defrocked (§ 200). 2) Legal, that is, according to the Divine rite, the sacred rite of the sacraments. For, as we have seen, - a) the Lord himself, the establisher of the sacraments, chose for each sacrament a certain substance or visible sign; b) he himself indicated for each sacrament a certain way of performing it; and c) he himself determined that it was through this visible sign, with this image of accomplishment, that the well-known gifts of the Holy Spirit would be communicated in each sacrament. Next, then only each sacrament will be a sacrament and will have a beneficial effect on a person when it is performed according to the will of the Lord Jesus, in accordance with His institution: this is self-evident. And since the performance of each sacrament in accordance with the will of the Lord Jesus is possible only under the condition that the performers of the sacraments, rational and free beings, have attention to what and how they perform, and the desire to perform the sacred act in the established manner: then naturally from the shepherds of the Church, the presbyter and the bishop, when performing the sacraments, the intention is required to perform this or that sacrament according to the Divinely given rite (Right. Confession, Part 1, Rev. to the question 100) 1616. II. But unfairly, on the other hand, some wrong-minded people thought and still think - a) that for the fulfillment and effectiveness of the sacraments, not only a legally ordained clergyman is necessary, but a pious clergyman, so that the sacraments performed by the vicious servants of the altar have no significance; or b) as if the reality and effectiveness of each sacrament depends on the faith of the persons who receive it, so that it is a sacrament and has its power only at the time of its acceptance and use with faith, and without use, or in the case of acceptance without faith, it is not a sacrament and remains fruitless (§ 200). 1) The first one is unfair. For the grace-filled power of the sacraments actually depends on the merits and will of Christ the Savior, who himself invisibly performs them; and the shepherds of the Church are only His servants and visible instruments through which He teaches the sacraments to people. The one you baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33), John the Baptist said about Jesus Christ, although Christ apparently did not baptize himself, but through his disciples, according to the testimony of the Gospel (John 4:2). Moreover, notes St. Apostle, neither plant nor give water, but God giveth the increase (1 Cor. 3:7). Christ Himself, as the ancient teachers and defenders of Orthodoxy also said, by the power of the Holy Spirit, invisibly teaches people baptism 1617, He himself absolves them from their sins 1618, He himself ordains St. degree 1619, he himself consecrates St. gifts on the holy altar 1620. And after this they unanimously asserted against the heretics that the grace-filled power of the sacraments does not depend on the moral worth or unworthiness of the performers of the sacraments. For example, here are the words: St. Gregory the Theologian: “Everyone is worthy of faith for your purification, if only he were one of those who received the power to do this, who were not openly condemned and not alienated from the Church. Do not judge the judges, you who demand healing; do not consider the dignity of those who purify you; don't make a choice based on your parents. Although one is better than the other, or lower, everyone is higher than you. Think about it this way: two rings, gold and iron, and the same royal face is carved on both, and both have seals made on wax. How is one seal different from another? - nothing. Recognize the substance on the wax, if you are the wisest of all. Tell me: which is the imprint of an iron ring, and which of a gold ring? And why is it the same? For although the substance is different, there is no difference in the mark. So let everyone be your Baptist. For even if one were superior to another in life, the power of baptism is equal, and anyone who is instructed in the same faith can equally lead you to perfection” 1621. St. John Chrysostom: “It happens that the laity live in piety, and the priests in unrighteousness, and therefore through them neither baptism nor the offering of the body of Christ should have been performed, if grace sought everywhere only the worthy. But now the Lord usually acts through the unworthy, and the grace of baptism is not in the least offended by the life of the priest... I say this so that anyone, strictly considering the life of a priest, will not be tempted to judge what he performs in the sacraments. For man does not bring anything of himself into what is offered; all this is the work of God’s power, and God sanctifies you in the sacraments” 1622. St. Isidore of the Pelusiot: “The one who receives (the holy sacraments) loses nothing, if the one who taught them turns out to be both unworthy and not fruitless; he uses the sacraments, even if the priest leads all people with him to wickedness” 1623. Blazh. Augustine: “Grace always belongs to God, and sacrament to God, and to man there is only one ministry. If he is good, then he agrees with God, acts with God; if it is bad, then through it God performs the visible form of the sacrament, and He himself bestows invisible grace” 1624. “Do not think that the divine sacraments depend on the morals and actions of people: they are holy according to the one to whom they belong” 1625. Blazh. Theophylact of Bulgaria: “grace acts through the unworthy, so that we are sanctified through the unworthy priests” 1626. To explain these thoughts, they pointed to this. that through a dry, lifeless channel life-giving moisture can be transmitted, that a good seed will bear fruit, whether it is thrown into the ground by clean or unclean hands, that a ray of sunlight, flowing through unclean environments, does not thereby become unclean 1627. 2) The second opinion, which posits the power and validity of the sacraments in complete dependence on the faith and disposition of the persons receiving the sacraments, is also unfair. For - a) as we have seen, the Lord was pleased to establish the sacrament in such a way that in each sacrament a certain gift of the Holy Spirit was essentially combined with a certain visible sign, and so that each sacrament, when performed correctly, would necessarily act on a person by grace (§ 243). We also saw - b) that St. From ancient times, the Catholic Church taught baptism, confirmation and communion to infants themselves, in the full conviction that these sacraments have a saving effect on infants, although they do not yet have faith (§§ 205. 211. 217). We saw - c) and that St. the gifts in the sacrament of the Eucharist, after consecration on the altar, remain the true body and true blood of our Lord, both before they were received by the believers and after, even if they were not given to the believers at all (§ 216). Now let us also note, together with the high priests of the East, that if, for example, the sacrament of the Eucharist was celebrated during the actual communion of Christians with living faith, and not before communion and not independently of the faith of those partaking, in this case the communicant unworthily would not eat or drink as a judgment to himself, without judging the body of the Lord (Cor. 11:29): because he would partake of simple bread and wine (Episode on the Right Faith, Part 15). From those approaching the sacraments, without any doubt, faith and proper preparation are required according to the charter of the Church; but not so that the sacraments become sacraments and can act by grace, but so that the reception of the sacraments is worthy, so that it does not turn into judgment or condemnation for those unworthily accepting, and so that the actions of received grace are completely saving and fruitful in the souls of believers. § 246. Moral application of the dogma of the sacraments The dogma of the sacraments of the Church can have the most beneficial influence on the morality of a Christian. I. Should we reflect on the sacraments in general: we can learn here: 1) In relation to God - faith, hope and love. Faith, if we pay attention to the fact that it is the first and most necessary condition with which we must approach each of the sacraments. We hope, if we think carefully, that in each of the sacraments we are promised from the Lord some gift of grace, and we are honored to see the actual fulfillment of these promises. Love, when we imagine with reverence what great benefits the Lord gives us in each of the sacraments, and bestows them solely according to His infinite goodness towards us. 2) In relation to neighbors - mutual unity and brotherly love. For we are all united by the Spirit into one body through baptism; Then we all received one drink of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13); We all partake of the one bread (- 10, 17); We are all cleansed from sins by one grace in the sacrament of repentance; for all of us the same gifts of grace are offered in other sacraments. Therefore, we, truly, must be one body, one spirit (Eph. 4:4): should we not take care to endure each other with love and maintain unity among ourselves? spirit in the union of peace (- 2, 3)? 3) In relation to ourselves - humility and holiness. For the sacraments clearly remind us, on the one hand, of our fall and moral weakness to rise up and correct ourselves in our own strength, and on the other hand, of our rebirth, renewal, sanctification by the grace of God, and the first naturally excite us to humble ourselves, and the last oblige us to guard the holiness given to us by the Lord, to use the grace-filled powers imparted to us, and gradually succeed in piety. II. Will we? in particular, reflect on each sacrament separately: we will find the same moral lessons for ourselves. 1) Approaching the sacrament of baptism, we solemnly pronounced before God and the Church great vows to renounce the devil and all his works, to unite with Christ and live for Him alone; in baptism itself we were cleansed from all sins, put on Christ, became children of God and called to eternal life: Can our conscience, when remembering this, fail to recognize and feel the full height of the responsibilities that we then assumed, and all our responsibility before God and His eternal righteousness, if we do not fulfill the vows we have given and we turn out to be unworthy of our calling? 2) In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we were honored to receive into ourselves the Holy Spirit with His grace-filled gifts, necessary for our confirmation and growth in spiritual life: doesn’t this mean that we then committed ourselves not to quench the Spirit within ourselves (1 Thess. 5:15), to kindle His gifts in ourselves (2 Tim. 1:6), to be led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14), to walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1), bear spiritual fruits, which are: love: joy, peace, patience, goodness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22)? 3) In the sacrament of the Eucharist, we are offered the most pure body and the most pure blood of our Lord, and we are honored to receive into ourselves the whole of Christ the God-Man: with what attention and reverence should we prepare for such a great and terrible sacrament; with what reverence, faith and love to approach it, with what love and care - then to keep within ourselves the priceless gift, the guarantee of our eternal life and salvation! 4) Coming to the sacrament of repentance with contrition for the sins we have committed, and receiving remission of sins from our spiritual father, each time we make a vow to the Lord and a firm intention to correct ourselves and henceforth to live piously: may this vow always be before our eyes and may it excite us to create fruits worthy of repentance (Matthew 3:8). 5) Through the sacrament of the consecration of oil, sick and dying people are not only cleansed of sins, but are often raised by the Lord from the bed of illness and death: to whom should their whole life, as if given again, be dedicated, if not to the Lord who healed them, and what should it be, if not continuous gratitude to Him? 6) When performing the sacrament of marriage, those who are married pronounce vows of mutual fidelity and love before God and the church, and receive grace-filled strength for the worthy fulfillment of their new responsibilities - family ones; May the memory of both serve as a constant lesson for the spouses on how to behave towards each other and together towards the children with whom God has blessed them. 7) Through the sacrament of the priesthood, those chosen are elevated to special service in the Church and receive the special grace of being teachers of the faith, builders of the mysteries of God, shepherds of the spiritual flock of Christ: what a high calling and what a responsibility! Be faithful in word, life, love, spirit, faith, purity (1 Tim. 4:12)! With what attention to themselves and to the whole flock should they shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, having acquired it with their blood (Acts 20:28)! With what untiring zeal they must perform that great work, on which their own salvation and the salvation of their neighbors, entrusted to their spiritual guidance, depends! Publicity instructive III, paragraph 2, p. 44, in Russian. translation Pouch. secret breeder III, paragraph 3, p. 451. Orat. in baptisma Christi, T. II, p. 803, ed. Morel. On Matt. conversations LXXXII, n. 4, in vol. III, p. 421. Letters. to Kesar. XCIII, in TV. St. Father X, 219. This is especially emphasized by Protestants. Renaudot. Perpetuite de la foi. T. V, lib. 1, p. 2. 3. 9; Galan, conc. eccles. Arm. cum Rom. T. III, p. 439; Dissert. de Coptis, Jacobitis, Sect. III, n. 186 (in Bolland. Jun. T. V, p. 140). One cannot help but recall the words of Tertullian here: quod apud multos unum invenitur, non est erratum, sed traditum (de praescr haeret. p. 28), and then blessed. Augustine: quod universa tenet Ecclesia, nec Conciliis institutum, sed semper retentum est, nonnisi autoritate apostolica traditum rectissime creditur (de baptism. contr. Donat. IV, 24, n. 31). We have already pointed out many of these differences above. Theolog. Wirtemberg...respons. 1 patriarch. Hieremiae ad Augnstan. Confess. c. VII, p. 77, Wirtemb. 1584. De septem sacramentis cap. V (in Schellstrat. Act. Orient. Eccl. adv. Lutheran.). Συμεών, Αρχιεπισκόπου Θεσσαλονίκης τά απαντα, μερ. II, περι των μυστηρίων τής εκκλησίας, έν Βενετία 1820, σ. 74. Decret. ad Armen. in Conc. Florent. Apud Allat. de eccles. orient. et occid. conseris. III, c. 16, no. 4, p. 1256. Manuel. Calec. Prine, fld. cathol. cap. VI. Galan. Conc. eccles. Armen. cum Rom. T. III, p, 439. Apud Allat. de E. O. et Occ. cons. III, 16, n. 4. Thom. Aquinat. Summa Theologiae P. III, qu. 65, art. 1; Bonavent. Comment. in quatuor libr. Sentent. brev. VI, cent. III, sect. 47, p. 3; Alex. de Hales·, Summa Theolog. P. IV, qu. 8, membr. 2, art. 1. Vid. in Collect. Concilior. Ottonis vit, lib. II, p. 3, in Basnag. thes. Mon. T. III, P. II, p. 62. Hugo de S. Victore, Summa sentent., de sacram. lib. 1, p. IX, c. 2. Petr. Lombard. Libri quatuor sentent., lib. IV, hist. 13. As they rightly conclude from the very letter of these rites, examples of which were included at the beginning of his book Martenius - de antiquis eccles. ritibus libri IV. Cfr. Renaudot. Perpetuite de la foi t. V, liv. 1, chap. 7. From Chapter 27 about the Holy Spirit to Amphiloch., right. 91, in the book. rules, art. 328. Emma. a Schelstrate, Diss. apolog. de disciplin. arcani, Rom. 1685, cap. II et III, where many proofs are given in support of this truth. For example, St. Justin (Apolog. 1, n. 65. 66), blessed. Augustine (Enarr. 1 in Ps. CCCVIII, 14), St. John of Damascus (precise exposition of the rightful faith, book IV, paragraph 9. 13) - about baptism and the Eucharist. For example, St. Ambrose (de sacram, lib. VI) and St. Cyril of Jerusalem (instructional secret guide. I-IV) - about baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. For example, blessed. Augustine says: Si ad hoc valet, quod dictum est in Evangelio, Deus peccatorem non audit (John. IX, 31), ut per peccatorum Sacramenta celebrentur; quomodo exaudit homicidam deprecantem, vel super aquam baptismi (baptism), vel super oleum (blessing of oil), vel super Eucharistiam (communion), vel super capita eorum, quibas manus imponitur (priesthood)? Quae omnia tamen et fiunt et valent etiam per homicidas, id est per eos, qui oderunt fratres, etiam in ipsa intus ecclesia (De baptism. V, c. 20, n. 28). St. Gregory the Great (in Sacramentario) also speaks of the four sacraments: baptism, confirmation, communion and consecration of oil. See above the very names of these teachers. For example. bliss Augustine in the same place (see note 1607) says; respice ad munera ipsius ecclesiae. Munus Sacramentorum in baptismo, in Eucharistia et in caeteris sanctis sacramentis (Enarr. cit. n. 9). The same, for example, blessed. Augustine clearly refers to the sacraments or calls them sacraments, except baptism and the Eucharist (see previous note), confirmation - sacramentum chrismatis (See above note 1039, about confirmation), repentance: quae baptismatis, eadem reconciliationis est causa (de poenit. 1, c. 38, n. 35; demolished approx. 1360), consecration of oil (note 1609), marriage – sacramentum (approx. 1504. 1505), priesthood: utrumque (baptismus et ordo) sacramentum est, et quadam consecratione utrumque homini datur, illud, cum baptizatur, istud, cum ordinatur (contr. Epist. II, c. 98; Renaudot made this clear. Perpetuite de la foi t. V, livr. 1, chap. 8. Gabriel Philadelph. de sacr. Sacramentis cap. V; nampiapx. Jerem. respons. 1, ad Augustan. Confess. c. VII (in Script. Theolog. Wirtemherg. p. 77). Demolished. Orthodox confession east department Churches, Rev. to the question 98. Space Christ Katich. about member X. It is known that there is a rather heated debate about this subject between the Latins and Protestants, not alien, as is usually the case, to extremes and scholastic subtleties (V. Perrone. Praelect. Theolog., tract. de Sacrament. in genere c. 3, prop. 3). “Grace is not given from men, but from God through men: come to him who baptizes, but draw near. do not look at the face of the one you see, but keep in your thoughts this Holy Spirit, about whom we are now talking. For he is ready to imprint your soul (St. Cyril. hirus. chapter. lecture XVII, paragraph 35, p. 402). Ό ίερεΰς ου τό ύδωρ αγιάζει, άλλα τήν δέουσαν ύπερησίαν άναπληροΐ ειληφώς παρά τού Θεοΰ χάριν (St. Athanas. vel. de comm, essent. Patr., Fil, et S. Sp. n. 40). See further note. 1620. Sive baptizamus, sive ad poenitentiam cogimus seu veniam poenitentibns relaxamus, Christo id auctore tractamus (Tatian. ad Sympronian. Epist. III, n. 7). Demolished. approx. 1355. 1356. ? χείρ έστιν ή άπτομένη τής κεϕαλής του χειροτονούμενου δει χειροτονήται (St. Chrysostom, in Act. homil. XIV, n. 3). Demolished. approx. 1550. “Believe that even now the same supper is being celebrated at which He (Jesus Christ) himself reclined. Because one is no different from the other. It cannot be said that man does this, and Christ did that: on the contrary, He himself does both. Therefore, when you see that a priest is giving you gifts, imagine that it is not the priest who is doing this, but Christ extending his hand to you. Just as at baptism, it is not the priest who baptizes you, but God with an invisible force holds your head, and neither an angel, nor an archangel, nor anyone else dares to approach and touch; so it is in communion. If God alone regenerates, then to Him alone belongs the gift” (Chrysostom on Matt. p. 2, in vol. 11, p. 357). Word on St. baptism, in TV. Holy Father III, pp. 298–299. In 1Corinth. homil. VIII, no. 1... υμάς ό μυσταγωγών. Epist. ad Donatistas CV, n. 12. Contr. lib. Petil. 11, 37, n. 88. And again: baptizant quantum ad visibile ministerium et boni et mali, invisibiliter autem per eos ille baptizat, cujus est et visibile baptisma et invisibilis gratia (Contr. Crescon. II, 21, n. 26). ... ώς καί διά τών αναξίων ιερέων άγιαζόμεθα . In Math. VII. Augustine, in Joann. tract. V, n. 15; contr. Crescon. III, c. 8; de baptism. III, 10, n. 15. You might be interested in: