Pints With Aquinas - 228: What's the Deal With the 7 Sacraments?

Episode Date: October 20, 2020

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G'day there, welcome to Pints with Aquinas. How you going? My name's Matt Fradd and in today's episode we're going to do three things. First, we're going to take a look at what Thomas Aquinas has to say about the seven sacraments, why there are seven sacraments. Next, we're going to take some questions from our patrons, including a question about whether I've ever met Bishop Robert Barron. The answer is yes, and there was a very awkward photo taken of the two of us, mainly because of me, which I will be sharing with you. And then finally, I want to take a look at an excellent website. It's a Catholic satirical website. I just want to do this just for fun. It's called Eye of the Tiber, which you may be familiar with. And there's an article someone shared with me recently. Here's the title. Self-proclaimed Thomist admits he knows nothing of Thomas.

So look forward to that. Do us a favor. If you haven't subscribed to the channel, please consider doing that because it really helps us out. Also, if you're only listening to this as a podcast, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel because we're putting out a lot more things, a lot more videos that I think you're going to want to have access to, which you won't have access to if you're only listening to this through the podcast app. Okay, let's dive in. But before I do, I'm going to tell you about this. This week, we are launching the largest Catholic Apologetics Conference that has ever taken place, October 23rd through 25th. If you have not signed up yet, you need to, or else you will miss out. We have over 50 speakers,

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Okay, so let's look at what Thomas Aquinas has to say about why there are seven sacraments. Now, before we do, what do we mean by a sacrament? why there are seven sacraments. And before we do, what do we mean by a sacrament? Well, the Baltimore Catechism says that a sacrament is an external sign, an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace. What are they? Well, we have baptism, Eucharist, confirmation, anointing of the sick,

holy orders, reconciliation or confession or Penance, and Extreme Unction. I think I got those in the right order. Now, what's interesting is these seven sacraments are found both in the Catholic Church. They're also found in the Orthodox Church. In Protestant churches, we usually find two of those seven sacraments, Baptism and holy matrimony. But these were instituted by Christ. And so what does Thomas Aquinas have to say, especially in regards to the number? Why are there seven? Well, he gives us kind of three options to pick from. And they're all very fascinating. The first one he spends more time on. This is found in the Tertia Pars of the Summa Theologiae, the third part that means.

Question 16, Article 1. Now here are the three reasons he's going to give, the three kind of ways of thinking of the sacraments and why there are seven. The first is that they conform the spiritual life to the life of the body. So we're going to see an analogy between how the body grows and flourishes and the seven sacraments. Second, we can think of the seven sacraments as a remedy against the defects caused by sin. And thirdly, we can think of them as corresponding to different virtues. Now, if you like lists, buckle up because you are going to love today's show. Thomas Aquinas, big list guy. Not only are there lists, there are multiple lists. And not only are there multiple lists, there are sub lists within each list.

So see if you can keep up. I will put this text from Thomas Aquinas in the description below so you can read it for yourself. Here's what he has to say. Spiritual life has a certain conformity with the life of the body, just as corporeal things have a certain likeness to things spiritual. Now, a man attains perfection in the corporeal life, that is the life of the body, in two ways. First, in regards to his own person. But second, in regards to the whole community of the society in which he lives, for man is by nature a social animal. Man is by nature a social animal, right? So if a man is going to attain perfection, he is going to get that in two ways.

First, in regard to himself and second, in regard to the community. Okay, now let's start with himself. With regard to himself, Thomas Aquinas says, he is perfected in the life of the body in two ways. First, directly. Second, indirectly. Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? So directly by acquiring some vital perfection and indirectly by the removal of hindrances to life, such as ailments, sicknesses, and the like. Now, the life of the body is perfected directly in three ways, by generation, by growth, and by nourishment. So first, by generation, whereby a man begins to be and to live. And corresponding to this, in the spiritual life, there is baptism, which is a spiritual regeneration, as we read in Titus 3, verse 5, by the lava of regeneration.

Now, what you're going to find here in this first explanation is Aquinas is not only going to show an analogy between the life of the body and the life of the spirit, he's going to give us a proof text for every sacrament. This is something Aquinas does. proof text for every sacrament. This is something Aquinas does. Whenever he speaks, whenever he makes a point, it's very difficult, or it's very rare that he doesn't quote scripture along with it. So that's the first way man is perfected, generation. Second, by growth, whereby a man is brought to perfect size and strength. And corresponding to this in the spiritual life, there is confirmation, also called chrismation, in which the Holy Ghost is given to strengthen us. Wherefore, the disciples who were already baptized were bidden thus, stay you in the city till you be endued with power from on high, Luke chapter 24 verse 49 49. Now, thirdly, nourishment, whereby life and strength

are preserved to man. And corresponding to this in the spiritual life, there is Eucharist. Wherefore, it is said in John 6, 54, except you eat of the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. Right., now Aquinas is going to say here, that's all we would need, right? All we would need if we hadn't fallen into sin would be generation, growth, and nourishment in the corporeal life. But since we have, we need also those things

which remedy us when we are sick or when we are degenerating. So he says this would be enough for man if he had an impassable life, both corporally and spiritually. But since man is liable at times to both corporal and spiritual infirmity, that is sin, hence man needs a cure for his infirmity. And this cure is twofold. One is healing and the other has to do with restoration, which are slightly different. So here's what he says. First, in the healing that restores health and corresponding to this sin, sorry, corresponding to this in the spiritual life, there is penance or confession or

reconciliation. These three names are appropriate. According to Psalm 40 verse 5, heal my soul for I have sinned against thee. Right, that's for healing. Now secondly, for restoration of former vigor by means of suitable diet and exercise. So it's not just like we can be born, grow, and eat. If we want to remain healthy, we have to eat well, and we have to move. We can't just sit around and do nothing, of course. And Aquinas says, corresponding to this in the spiritual life, there is extreme unction, sometimes called anointing of the sick, which removes the remainder of sin and prepares man for final glory. Therefore, it is written in James 5, 15. And if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.

All right. So man is perfected in that way in regards to himself in the corporeal life. What about the second thing Aquinas had to say? And that is to say with regard to the whole community, because you'll notice that right now we've gone through five sacraments. We have two remaining. Here's what he says. In regard to the whole community, man is perfected in two ways. First, by receiving power to rule the community and to exercise public acts.

Second, has to do with natural propagation. So let's look at that first one. He says, corresponding to this, the power to rule the community, in the spiritual life, there is the sacrament of holy orders. According to the saying of Hebrews chapter 7, verse 27, that priests offer sacrifices, not for themselves only, but also for the people. Secondly, in regards, as we've said, to natural propagation, this is accomplished by matrimony, both in the corporal and in the spiritual life, since it is not only a sacrament, but also a function of nature. All right. So you remember at the top of the show, I said, Aquinas is going to give us three reasons we could think

that there are seven sacraments. Here are two more. And these two go very quickly. So we'll go through those and then we'll take a look at some questions from our patrons. He says this, we may likewise gather the number of the sacraments from their being instituted as a remedy against the defects caused by sin. And he's going to bang these out really quick. Listen, for baptism is intended as a remedy against the absence of spiritual life, confirmation or chrismation against the infirmity of soul found in those of recent birth, the Eucharist against the soul's proneness to sin, penance against actual sin committed after baptism, extreme unction or anointing of the sick against the remainders of sins, of those sins namely which are not sufficiently removed by confession,

whether through negligence or through ignorance, holy orders against divisions in the community, and holy matrimony as a remedy against concupiscence in the individual and against the decrease in numbers that result from death. All right, man, that was fantastic. I'm going to put Aquinas' text below in the description, so if that went by too fast, be sure to slow down and check that out. Here's the third way we can think of the sacraments and why there are seven. We can think of them as corresponding to the different virtues, and this is even quicker. Here's what Aquinas says.

Some, again, gather the number of sacraments from a certain adaptation to the virtues and to the defects and penal effects resulting from sin. They say that baptism corresponds to faith and is ordained as a remedy against original sin. Extreme unction to hope being ordained against venial sin, the Eucharist to charity being ordained against the penal effect, which is malice, holy orders to prudence being ordained against ignorance, penance to justice being ordained against mortal sin, matrimony to temperance being ordained against concupiscence. Confirmation to fortitude being ordained against infirmity. All right. So now when somebody asks you, hey, why are there seven sacraments? You could suggest three different reasons.

Okay. Hope you enjoyed that. Now for our next section, I want to take some questions from our patrons. But before I do, I'm going to pour myself a drink because this is Pints with Aquinas after all. And even though I am drinking out of a pint-sized vessel, I'm going to be drinking scotch today. So cheers. That's good. I've said this before. You may have heard me say it. I like scotches that are peaty, that taste like you are drinking a campfire. I used to buy Lagavulin 16. It's too expensive.

Now I buy Laphroaig, usually. And it's really great. It's kind of got this salty, smoky It's kind of got this like salty, smoky flavor. I really enjoy it. Okay, before we look at these questions from our patrons, I want to say thank you to our sponsor, Halo. Now, if you have been wanting to pray, if you wanted to meditate for a while, and maybe you've just been making excuses,

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what are your favorite books to recommend to people who are trying to understand Catholicism? That's a good question. I think, honestly, and I'm not just saying this because he's a friend of mine, the best book I've come across as far as a non-intimidating, though relatively thorough exposition of what the Catholic Church teaches and why we believe it, exposition of what the Catholic Church teaches and why we believe it is Trent Horne's excellent little book called Why We're Catholic by Catholic Answers Press. I would highly recommend that you check that out, Why We're Catholic. I think they sell them in bulk as well. So that's really good, non-intimidating. It's also on Audible. So I like that. Another book I would recommend if you're looking for something a little more sophisticated and heavy-hitting would be Father Thomas Joseph White's book called An Introduction to Catholicism. Those would be two books right off the top of my head.

Okay, this next question comes from JP. I'm not going to say his last name, and you'll see why in a minute. He says this, I have a date to marry my fiancé in one year. I have a date to marry my fiance in one year. What advice can you share with me about prepping for married life and or married life in general? Thanks in advance and God bless. All right. Now the reason I didn't read his last name is he says he's got a date to marry his fiance. I didn't want to say his last name in case his fiance listens to this. And of course she would because she's an amazing person. So there you go. All right, what kind of advice would I give?

Okay. Whew, man. Look, I mean, there's so much to say. One thing I would say is find yourself a good marriage prep. My wife and I got married in Houston, Texas at St. Thomas More Church. And as part of the marriage prep, they found for us an older couple, not an elderly couple, but an older couple, someone who'd been married for a few decades, to meet with us weekly as we prepared for marriage. And we got to speak about everything together. And it was just over a real casual conversation. Every week we'd get together, have a beer, have dinner,

and we would talk about all these different things. you know, and it was somewhat guided, you know, so we would talk about finances, you know, sex, housekeeping, raising children, our hopes and plans for the future and things like this. And that was really great. So finding a couple like that who are walking with the Lord and who have a very beautiful and realistic view of marriage. I got to tell you this because it's kind of funny. After my wife and I got married, we went on our honeymoon. And when we came back to the apartment in which we were living, we found a complete mess. And there was a complete mess because one of my groomsmen, I won't say who, spent a few nights in that apartment before going back to his home. spent a few nights in that apartment before going back to his home. So we had left prior to him and he had left a bunch of food out. So it kind of got moldy and there was just junk everywhere.

I'm not going to have him stay at our house again. But what was funny is I come back from the honeymoon. We had the greatest time. And I said, babe, I just need to sleep. I'm really tired. So I went in and I was asleep for what felt like, I don't know, 10 minutes. And all of a sudden I hear the vacuum cleaner banging against my bed. My wife Cameron was not pleased that my friend left a bunch of crap everywhere.

And it was one of those welcome to marriage moments. So that would be one thing I would say. I'd also say one thing that helped us was going through the Dave Ramsey course and learning more about finances. Finance is obviously a really big deal and many of us don't think about it. We're not educated on how to be responsible with our finances in high school or college.

And so we went through a Dave Ramsey course on money and that actually helped us. I would also say getting good sex advice. So my wife and I, thank God, did not engage in sex prior to our marriage. And so it was really cool to ask the advice of good men who loved the Lord. And that was really great. And my wife also got sex advice from her female friends who were married. And that was really cool because if you haven't had sex before, as was the case with my wife, it can be kind of weird and awkward and strange, obviously. Totally new experience.

And so being prepped for that in an appropriate way, in a healthy way, I think is also good. Here's the final thing I would say, and this is kind of something I learned from Dr. Scott Hahn, and it's something I'm really trying to get better at. There are two things. Well, one thing he says that you should say all the time. If your wife ever asks you something, you should say, I'd be happy to. And yeah, this is really important. I mean, you think about, I mean, think about, gee, talk about how the spiritual life and the corporeal life are kind of intertwined or how they're analogous you know in the spiritual life we pray the rosary what do we do it why do we pray the hail mary because our

our words our actions sometimes lead our soul if you want this is why we genuflect this is why we stand and kneel and sit even if we don't want to. It almost kind of leads us spiritually to engage in these things. Well, saying things like, I'd be happy to, also kind of leads your spirit, if you want, to do the right thing. Now, finally, another thing I'm starting to say to my wife more and more is, what can I do for you today? When we wake up or when we're around the kitchen, is there something I can do for you? Now, believe me, she'd be the first to say,

I'm not great at this, but I'm trying to get better at it. Okay, next question comes from Ethan Lansang. Ethan asks, if I have ever met Bishop Robert Barron okay so here's the here's the moment in the show I'm going to share this very awkward photo with you and yes I have met him I where was I I was in New York City my wife and I were asked to give a presentation in Manhattan and we're actually staying on Bleaker Street Street. Actually, Bleecker Street is where Doctor Strange is said to have lived in the comics. So 177B, 177A, Bleecker Street or something. And nerd alert. Anyway, I was walking down the road and I looked over and I saw Bishop

Robert Barron, a few of his friends. And I had just recently interviewed him on Pints with Aquinas. So I knew he knew who I was or maybe he didn't remember, but we had at least spoken. So I said, hey, Bishop Robert Barron. All right. So we went up and I'm like, hey, can I get a photo with you after we chatted for a bit? Here's the photo. Are you ready for this? I said, are you ready for this?

Boom. So bad. boom so bad i look like i look like the joker from that first uh batman you know jack nicholson but i love that i'm also wearing this geeky comic book shirt which i guess is appropriate on bleaker street although i am wearing a dc shirt so that was the time that i met bishop robert barron he was super delightful we chatted for a bit. He was doing something there and at this Catholic center, which we were outside of. So yes, I have met Bishop Robert Barron. Okay. Let's see. Finally, Ben asks if I am working on any books lately. Yes. Yes. I'm so excited about this. Actually, let me tell you about this. Chastity.com. I just started working on a book with Jason Everett. It's actually out now, so I'm super pumped about it. Check this out. It's called Forged. It's sort of a 33-day journey towards freedom that Jason Everett and myself put together. Journey Towards Freedom that Jason, Everett, and myself put together.

What's cool about it is you can't just buy them singly, individually. You have to buy them as a pair because we want men to go through these 33 days together. And it's only $7.95 to get two. So that was really fun. This is something I worked on during my month off in August. Jason is really a good author and he's got great ideas. And I think you're going to really like this. So if you're a man who's struggling with porn and lust, you could get that book. I'm also working on a book with Ignatius Press on what Thomas Aquinas has to say about happiness.

So there's that. Okay. All right. So that's the end of those questions and now just for fun i want to take a i want to take a look at this article i told you about from eye of the tiber check this out self-proclaimed thomas admits he knows nothing of thomas so let's read this together. Spokane, Washington. It was reported this week that Gonzaga University grad and self-proclaimed Thomist Stephen Hillers knows virtually nothing about the works of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Hillers, well known for beginning his sentences with the words, well, according to Thomas, came clean to friends late Tuesday night when he revealed that he did in fact know nothing about the Summa Theologiae and that he had never even heard of the Summa Contra Gentiles until that very night. Until that very night. We always knew that he was full of it, a friend of Hiller's said. But on Tuesday, when Steve said that according to Thomas, the biggest human temptation was to... Sorry, let me read that again. But on Tuesday, when Steve said that according to Thomas, the biggest human temptation was to settle for too little, that was too much.

I called him out on it. Hillers has since apologized to his friends, saying that he never meant to mislead anyone. Really, I didn't. I never meant Thomas Aquinas. I meant Thomas, as in a student of Thomas, sorry, Thomas Merton. Ever heard of him? Hillers says he intends to begin reading Seven Story Mountain this fall.

That's fantastic. So just wanted to share that with you. That's hilarious. All right. Well, thank you so much for tuning into Pints with Aquinas this week. Hey, I want to tell you about a course that I've created that a lot of men are getting a lot out of right now. It's called strive21.com.

We have over 22,800 men in the community. So if you're a man who struggles with porn or lust in any way, you could get my book, if you wanted, Forge, that Jason Everett and I put together. But you can also check out this course. It's 100% free. So I don't make a cent from you going through this course. It's also anonymous. And you get like five-minute videos of me every day, challenges to perform.

You get to engage with the brothers in the community. It's really cool. So please check that out. And then finally, if you want to start supporting the show on Patreon, be sure to do that at patreon.com slash mattfradd. We have all sorts of free gifts that we give you, like this beautiful pint with Aquinas Bierstein and. We have all sorts of free gifts that we give you like this beautiful pint with Aquinas Bierstein and signed books

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God bless.