Necessity of the Sacraments

What Sacraments Have a Necessity of Means (see 360, 786, 2156)?—(a) Those Sacraments have a necessity of means without which sanctifying grace and salvation cannot be had. Hence the necessity for individuals of Baptism (without which there is no regeneration), of Penance (without which there is no reconciliation), of the Eucharist’s effect (without which there is no incorporation with Christ), and for the Church the necessity of Orders (without which there are no ministers and dispensers of grace, Prov., xi, 14).

(b) Those Sacraments have no necessity of means without which sanctifying grace and salvation can be had; but they have a necessity of convenience, inasmuch as they perfect grace already had and make salvation more easy. In this sense, then, Confirmation and Extreme Unction may be called necessary for the individual, since the former perfects the grace of Baptism and the latter the grace of Penance; and Matrimony may be called necessary for the Church, since it perfects with a sacramental grace the propagation of the children of the Church.

Reception of Sacraments in re or in voto.—The Sacraments that have a necessity of means must be received either in themselves (in re) or in desire (in voto).

(a) Thus, Baptism in re is necessary for all infants (John, iii. 5), Baptism in re or in voto for all adults (John, xiv. 21-23). Baptism of desire consists in an act of perfect charity or contrition made by an unbaptized person, which includes the will to do all that God has commanded, and consequently at least an implicit or virtual desire of Baptism of water. As is proved in Dogmatic Theology, Baptism may be supplied for, as regards grace, by martyrdom in an infant and by martyrdom joined with attrition in an adult.

(b) Penance in re or in voto is necessary for all who have committed grave sin after Baptism. The desire of the Sacrament is an act of perfect charity or contrition, which includes at least implicitly the wish to receive absolution. Martyrdom joined with attrition also suffices.

(c) The Sacrament of the Eucharist is not a necessary means for anyone, either in re or in voto; for the essential grace of justification can be obtained through Baptism and Penance. But the proper result (res) of the Eucharist, which consists in incorporation with Christ, perseverance, and life eternal, is a necessary means in voto, tacitly or interpretatively; for Baptism, as was said, is absolutely necessary for salvation, and Baptism itself is a tacit or interpretative desire of the result of the Eucharist, inasmuch as Baptism is but a means to that result and the beginning of its accomplishment.

What Sacraments Have a Necessity of Precept?—An act is said to fall under precept per se, when it is directly commanded in a law that mentions it specifically; it is said to fall under precept per accidens, when it becomes obligatory in virtue of a law that does not command it directly or specifically (cfr. 935, 1099, 1602).

(a) There is a divine precept obliging per se and sub gravi in reference to Baptism (“Preach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them, etc.,” Matt., xxviii. 19), Penance (“Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, etc.”, John, xx. 23), and the Eucharist (“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, you shall not have life in you,” John, vi. 54). According to some authorities there is also a divine precept obliging at least sub levi to receive Confirmation (“He commanded them to await the promise of the Father,” Acts, i. 4) and Extreme Unction (“Is there any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the Church,” James, v. 14).

(b) There is a divine precept obliging per accidens and sub gravi in reference to Confirmation and Extreme Unction, when they cannot be omitted without peril to salvation, scandal to neighbors, or other such inconvenience which one is seriously bound to prevent. Similarly, there might be a per accidens obligation of receiving Matrimony or Orders (see 2627).

(c) There are ecclesiastical precepts determining the circumstances of the reception of Penance and the Eucharist (see 2590-2593) and prescribing Confirmation for candidates to Orders (Canon 974). Moreover, the Code reminds us that no one may lawfully neglect Confirmation when he has an opportunity to receive it (Canon 787), and likewise that it is not lawful to neglect Extreme Unction (Canon 944).