Speaking the Love of God: An Introduction to the Sacraments
Overview
“Our words indicate our thoughts, but our thoughts don’t make anything happen.… It’s not the same with God.” In Speaking the Love of God: An Introduction to the Sacraments, Dr. Jacob W. Wood shows how Christ gives his Church the power to speak with God’s voice in the seven sacraments. In this foundational guide to the sacraments, discover the power of the signs and words that transform us by grace and prepare us for glory.
Top Highlights
“‘The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us’ (CCC 1131).” (Page 5)
“In technical language, we say that our words are signs (they point to things), but they are not causes (they don’t make things happen).” (Page 2)
“God can never lie, cheat, or deceive, because there is no gap between his words and his actions. All God has to do is talk about doing homework and it gets done, because everything that God says happens. God’s words are both signs and causes; and since Jesus is God, Jesus’ words are signs and causes, too.” (Page 2)
“he gave the Catholic Church the power to use his words in seven ways. Those seven ways are the seven sacraments:” (Page 3)
“God sent his own Word, Jesus, to live, die, and rise again among us. We call Jesus the ‘Word of God’ (Jn 1:1) because he does for God what words do for us; he shows us who God is and what God has in mind for us.” (Page 2)