Which statement about the difference between ex opere operato and proper disposition is correct?

Which statement about the difference between ex opere operato and proper disposition is correct?

• A. Ex opere operato guarantees grace regardless of disposition.
• B. Proper disposition is irrelevant to receiving grace.
• C. They are the same concept.
• D. They are the same concept.

Answer: (D)

Ex opere operato describes how a sacrament operates: the grace it conveys comes from the sacramental action itself, validly performed, and not from the holiness of the minister or the personal merit of the recipient. Proper disposition, on the other hand, concerns the recipient’s interior readiness to receive that grace—faith, repentance, and openness to what the sacrament offers. The two concepts address different aspects of how grace is received: the first explains why the sacrament can confer grace regardless of the minister’s sin or failure, while the second explains how the recipient’s attitude affects the reception and fruits of that grace. So they are not the same concept; one is about the sacrament’s operative power, the other about the person’s spiritual receptivity.

Ex opere operato describes how a sacrament operates: the grace it conveys comes from the sacramental action itself, validly performed, and not from the holiness of the minister or the personal merit of the recipient. Proper disposition, on the other hand, concerns the recipient’s interior readiness to receive that grace—faith, repentance, and openness to what the sacrament offers. The two concepts address different aspects of how grace is received: the first explains why the sacrament can confer grace regardless of the minister’s sin or failure, while the second explains how the recipient’s attitude affects the reception and fruits of that grace. So they are not the same concept; one is about the sacrament’s operative power, the other about the person’s spiritual receptivity.