Belonging to the Church is not an optional extra for a follower of Jesus. It is an essential part of what it means to be His disciple and have a relationship with Him. As we have learned, Jesus founded the Church and made her the sign and instrument of humanity’s salvation. This truth means that through the Church, God leads humanity to Heaven. The Church is His instrument, or the means by which He accomplishes this mission of salvation. Through her, we receive the Sacred Scriptures. Through her, we receive Sacred Tradition, handed on from the Apostles. And through her, we receive the Sacraments, through which God’s grace flows to humanity. These Sacraments, especially Baptism and the Eucharist, are how God desires to dispense His salvific grace.