"no unmediated divine actions, no unmediated divine gifts, no unmediated sources of sanctification"

"The sacraments are little Christs.  Just as the Incarnation of the Eternal Word establishes the framework of the Christian religion, so the sacraments define the parameters of sanctified life in the Church.  Once the Eternal Word becomes Incarnate, no unmediated divine actions, no unmediated divine gifts, no unmediated sources of sanctification are recognized by the Church.  Otherwise put, the sacraments have become the indispensable instruments for the communication of God’s love."

     Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P., “The sacraments, grace and ethics,” Thomistic Institute lecture, Harvard University, 15 November 2018, from 5:07.