The Church continues to revise and finalize translations of her liturgical books. While it is a great grace to celebrate the sacraments with worthy texts, keeping up with the changes creates confusion among pastors and faithful alike. Likewise, it is still an all-too-common occurrence that the sacraments are celebrated illicitly or even invalidly, wounding the Church and bringing sorrow to the faithful. The Holy See agrees—and in February 2024, issued the note Gestis Verbisque, “On the Validity of the Sacraments,” a resource meant to help bishops assess questions of sacramental validity. In this light, Dr. Aaron Sanders presents a seven-part series on the sacramental matter and form for each of the sacraments, hoping to clarify the Church’s norms on the proper celebration of these great gifts.

1. A Deep Plunge into the Form and Matter of Baptism
2. Anointed and Sealed: Clarifying the Conferral of Confirmation
3. Wheat, Wine, and the Word: Essentials of the Eucharist
4. From Contrition to Absolution: Form and Matter of Penance
5. The Prayer of Faith Will Save the Sick: Matter and Form in the Sacrament of Anointing
6. Imposing Hands and Words: The Matter and Form of Holy Orders
7. What Makes a Marriage? (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not the Flowers!)

_{^{Image Source: AB/Wikipedia Commons}}