Sacraments:

Sacraments: Introduction

The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are tangible ways that Jesus continues to share his life and power with us today.  The sacraments are divided into 3 categories:

  • The Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist
  • The Sacraments of Healing: Confession and Anointing of the Sick
  • The Sacraments of Service: Marriage and Holy Orders (diaconate, priesthood and episcopacy)

The seven sacraments were specifically entrusted to the Church by the risen Jesus – they are not simply ceremonies which emerged over the centuries.  At the very end of the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was about to return to the Father in heaven, he commanded his disciples to:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

In this passage Jesus speaks of the first sacrament – Baptism.  Jesus assures his disciples that he will be with them “until the end of time.” It is through the Sacraments that Jesus is most concretely “with us” here and now.  Jesus’ physical presence on earth has passed into the Sacraments.  So that, whenever we receive one of the Sacraments, we encounter the life, love and power of Jesus in just as real and concrete of a way as if we had met him on the dusty streets of Jerusalem so many centuries ago.  Through the Sacraments, entrusted to the Church, the risen Jesus is available to every person, in every place, in every age.

Sacraments of Initiation

The Sacraments of Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.  These sacraments give us the gift of the Holy Spirit, welcome us into the family of the Church, and continuously deepen and strengthen our unity with God and the family of the Church.

  • Baptism:

Baptism is the first and the foundation of all the Sacraments.  We cannot receive the other sacraments until we first receive baptism.  Baptism is conferred upon a person (infant, child or adult) by the pouring of water over the head three times with the minister proclaiming the words “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism does three primary things for us:

  • It heals the wound of original sin (a spiritual “genetic defect” passed down to all people making it difficult at times for us to know God, to know God’s will and to make good and healthy decisions in our lives).
  • It gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  After baptism, the Holy Spirit (God’s life and Spirit) begins to live within us – to guide and strengthen us throughout life.
  • It makes us members of God’s family – the Church.  With baptism we become God’s daughters and sons and are invited to receive the fullness of the blessings and gifts God wishes to give to his people.

Baptism is conferred by a deacon or priest (or anyone in the case of an emergency).

  • Confirmation:

Confirmation gives us a fuller and deeper gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is a spiritual “software upgrade” of sorts.  Confirmation takes the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us at baptism and enhances it – giving us more spiritual resources needed to live our adult lives in a holy and healthy way.  Confirmation is usually conferred by the bishop himself to people who are between the ages of 7 and 16.  In the Diocese of Erie, confirmation is normally celebrated in the 11th grade.  When adults are baptized, they also receive confirmation and first Eucharist in the same ceremony.

  • Eucharist:

At the Last Supper, on the night before he died for us, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, and entrusted to the Apostles its celebration throughout the centuries.  Even today at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (more commonly referred to as the Mass) the Risen Jesus is truly present in the readings from the Bible, in the group of assembled people, and in the consecrated bread and wine.  In some beautifully mysterious way, through the action of the Holy Spirit, the ordinary bread and wine become the real presence of Jesus, in a form which we can consume.  It becomes a spiritual food which nourishes our spirit, soul and body. 

Jesus’ presence in the Eucharistic Celebration is one of the most sublime mysteries of the universe.  The most intimate moment of the Eucharistic Celebration is the reception of Holy Communion.  God comes to us in the simple form of bread and wine – so that he can continue to nourish us – drawing us spiritually closer to him and to our neighbor.  Catholics typically receive their first communion in the 3rd grade, or at the time of their baptism (if older than 7 years).  Catholics are obligated to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) every weekend and on holy days of obligation. 

The Sacraments of Healing

Through the Sacraments of Initiation, we receive the new life of Christ (CCC 1420). We remain, however, subject to suffering, illness and death, and our new life can be weakened and even lost by sin. But Christ, who has given us new life through His Church, does not abandon us in our weakness. He lovingly calls us back to himself, forgives our sins and strengthens us in sickness and old age through the Sacraments of Healing.

  • The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

The Christian is brought into profound relationship with God and with his/her brothers and sisters in the Church through the sacraments of initiation. This relationship is harmed or even broken through sin. Through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the sinner approaches God and the Church, acknowledging and confessing sins, expressing regret and sorrow for them and receiving forgiveness through the mercy of God at the hands of a priest.

  • The Anointing of the Sick

In the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, Jesus carries on in His Church his ministry to the ill in body, mind and spirit which he exercised in the towns and villages of Judea. The loving compassion which Jesus showed to the sick, the lame and the anguished, He shows through the ministry of his priest. Illness and infirmity are part of the human condition and often bring with them a sense of powerlessness, hopelessness and depression. Illness can give us a glimpse of death and make us realize our limitations and the finitude of this life. Christ does not abandon us in our physical, psychological and emotional weakness, but through the mediation of His Church in the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, gives us the grace to embrace our infirmity and, at times, brings physical healing to us.

This sacrament is given to those who are seriously ill or infirm by anointing them on the forehead and hands with blessed oil, saying: “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up” (cf. Sacram unctionem infirmorum). 

Sacraments of Service

The Sacraments of Initiation and Healing give gifts of grace to us primarily for our own benefit.  The Sacraments of Service give us grace primarily for the benefit of others – to help us love and serve others in a more excellent way than we could left to our own natural abilities.

  • Marriage:

In the Sacrament of Marriage, the natural love shared by a man and a woman is raised to a supernatural level.  The bride and groom are the ministers of the sacrament. They confer the Sacrament of Marriage on each other when they commit to a lifelong partnership of their entire lives which is total, permanent and open to the possibility of children.  The sacramental relationship between Christian wives and husbands is an image of the mystical relationship between Christ and his bride – the Church.

  • Holy Orders:

At the Last Supper, Jesus ordained the twelve Apostles to continue his saving work throughout the world and throughout the centuries.  The successors of the Apostles are the bishops and priests of today.  The Sacrament of Holy Orders confers upon designated men the spiritual power to teach, lead and sanctify in the name of Jesus.  There are 3 levels to the Sacrament of Holy Orders: Diaconate, Presbyterate (priesthood) and Episcopacy (bishops).  The Sacrament of Holy Orders allows a man to teach and act in the person of the risen Jesus – particularly in the celebration of the sacraments for God’s people.