Which is the greatest and the most important of all these sacraments, and the one to which the rest are directed and whereby they are in some sort perfected?
It is the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. For in this sacrament, as we shall see later, our Lord Himself is present substantially, whereas in all the other sacraments there is only a power or a virtue which comes from Him. Further, all the other sacraments would seem to be directed to the Holy Eucharist, as Holy Orders which effect the sacrament; or as Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, and Extreme Unction, which make one worthy or more worthy to receive the Holy Eucharist; or as Marriage which signifies it, in so far as it is a union. Lastly, one ends other ceremonies that refer to the reception of the other Sacraments, almost always, by the reception of the Holy Eucharist; even after Baptism, if the one baptised be an adult (LXV. 3).
Next - The Catechism of the Summa - Tertia Pars - XXIV. OF THE SACRAMENTS OF JESUS CHRIST: OF THEIR NATURE AND NUMBER; OF THEIR NECESSITY; AND OF THEIR EFFICACY (C)
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