In this broad panorama of in-depth theological studies, held at a really international level, regarding the sacraments of Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation, it becomes obvious for everyone that the fundamental condition for understanding and penetrating the real meaning of the entire sacramental economy, as God the Trinity has envisaged it, lies in faith.

As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Church's faith precedes the faith of the believer who is invited to adhere to it. When the Church celebrates the sacraments, she confesses the faith received from the apostles" (CCC, 1124).

In our times the main difficulty we encounter in sacramental pastoral care is the difficulty in making the faithful understand the need for sacraments, or rather their irreplaceable centrality in the believer’s life –think about the Eucharist and Confession – because of a certain weakness of faith that hinders the intimate and spiritual relationship of each individual with these mysteries, mysteries that convey a living Christ to us and regenerate us to a new life. We can in fact see this in the life of Jesus. As the very first requirement for welcoming the Gift of God, He asked His disciples for total faith in Him.

Each of us, the Pastors and the faithful, feel the need today for a return to an enlivened and faith filled celebration of the sacraments; it is only in the firm belief that we are faced with a mystery – and each sacrament that transcends us and at the same time bows over us is a mystery - that we can be introduced to that which we celebrate. It is the Lord Jesus Himself who is the main officiant of the sacraments.

The Holy Father John Paul II has often drawn the attention of the Church to the importance of studying in depth and interiorizing the celebration of each sacrament, so as to encourage the encounter with this eminently spiritual reality of the redeeming presence of the Lord in the sacraments. This form of pastoral care is irreplaceable.

In a sense today’s theological meditation, in this virtual conference that embraces the Congregation of the Clergy in all the Continents, is also a contribution to the promotion of sacramental pastoral care, which is greatly wished for by the Church and always necessary for progress. I would like to thank each of you and congratulate you for your efforts.