Other gifts of the Catholic Church besides the truths of the faith are the sacraments (cf. Q. 140).

Jesus taught the Apostles that His grace was to be given to men through them. It would be through the Apostles and their successors, for example, that He would forgive sin and give the world His Precious Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist.

In the Person of Jesus Christ, God first laid the foundation of His Church. This was a task spread over three years, from Jesus’ first public miracle at Cana until His ascent into Heaven. During this time Jesus chose His twelve Apostles, whom He had destined to be the first bishops of His Church. He instructed and trained them for their duties and prepared them for the task of establishing the Kingdom of God. During that time, Jesus gave His Church the Seven Sacraments—the seven channels through which the graces He would gain for mankind upon the Cross would flow into men’s souls.