The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church

Would you like to know the usefulness of the seven sacraments in the life of the believer? And how they can bring him closer to God?

We decided to inform you about what you need to know to better understand the seven sacraments.

In the Middle Ages, the Church developed a Manichean vision of the world, the good go to heaven and the bad to hell. Christians want to obtain their salvation, that is, to go to heaven after their death and hope to experience a better life in the afterlife. This is why the sacraments are very important in the life of a Christian.

To better inform you about the seven sacraments and their importance, we will divide our article into three main levels:

• The sacraments of Christian initiation consist of:

1. Baptism
2. The Eucharist
3. The Confirmation

• The sacraments of healing which include:

1. Penance
2. The Anointing of the Sick

• The sacraments at the service of communion and mission divided into two:

1. The Order
2. The Wedding

With the foundations thus laid, let us go into the sacred world of the sacraments.

When we talk about sacrament, what should we remember?

The sacrament is a religious act instituted by the Church whose objective is to make one holy, to be saved and to reach paradise. The sacrament thus expresses the relationship between the human being and God and is a way of accessing eternal life. According to the Council of Trent : DS 1604, "a Sacrament is, in the theology of the Catholic Church , a gesture that is accompanied by a word.

In which God acts effectively through an ordained minister for the salvation of men." Thus, a sacrament is that sacred act which allows a link to be created between all Christians and God. The objective is the realization of the Divine project which is only the redemption and salvation of man.

We have seven sacraments in the Catholic Church: baptism, communion, confirmation, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage and orders. The first category of sacrament is that of Christian initiation. They are realized by the sacraments which establish the foundations of Christian life. Born again through Baptism , the faithful are nourished by the Eucharist and are strengthened by Confirmation.

The sacrament of Baptism, first of the trio of Christian initiation

In the Old Covenant, we find various prefigurations of Baptism: water, the source of life and death. Noah's Ark that saves from water or the passage of the Red Sea that delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. The crossing of the Jordan that brings Israel into the promised land giving an image of eternal life .

With the New Testament, Jesus Christ at the beginning of his priesthood was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. On the cross, from his pierced side, blood and water flowed, signs of Baptism and the Eucharist . After his Resurrection he entrusted the following mission to the Apostles: "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19).

This mission entrusted to the Apostles was on the day of Pentecost . This is why this institution took shape with the sacred formula of the Holy Trinity. All the Churches thus baptize their faithful who confess and believe in Jesus using this formula.

Baptism: For whom, by whom and why?

The sacrament of baptism is open to anyone who has not yet been baptized. Through this sacrament, adults are reborn and have their sins committed erased in order to enter the great family. Children are also baptized so that original sin is erased and they are introduced into the kingdom of the sons of God.

The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the Bishop and the priests, in the Latin Church there is also the deacon. In case of necessity, any person can baptize, provided that he intends to do what the Church does. The officiant pours the water on the candidate's head and pronounces the Trinitarian baptismal formula: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Baptism makes one participate in the Divine Trinitarian life by the sanctifying grace that incorporates Christ and his Church. It gives part in the priesthood of Christ and constitutes the foundation of communion with all Christians. It dispenses the theological virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, thus the baptized belongs forever to Christ because marked with the indelible seal of Christ.

Second sacrament of initiation into Christian life: the mystery of the Eucharist

The Eucharist is the very sacrifice of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus. He instituted it to perpetuate throughout the centuries until his return the sacrifice of the cross . He thus entrusted to his Church the memorial of his Death and Resurrection. The Eucharist is the Passover meal where Christ is received, where the soul is filled with grace and where the pledge of eternal life is given.

The latter instituted it on Holy Thursday , "the same night in which he was betrayed" (1 Cor 11:23). After having gathered his Apostles in the Upper Room , Jesus took the bread in his hands, broke it and gave it to them. Then he said: "Take this, all of you, and eat it; this is my body given up for you."

Then he took the cup full of wine in his hands and said to them, “Take it, all of you, and drink from it. For this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant , which will be shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”

The benefits and different parameters of a good Eucharist

The first parameter to be respected in order to administer the sacrament of the Eucharist is the quality of the officiant. Generally speaking, the bishop and duly ordained priests can officiate. who act in the Person of Christ the Head and in the name of the Church. Deacons may assist the officiant but do not have the power to consecrate the hosts into the body and the wine into the blood of Christ.

To receive communion at the Holy Table , one must be fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and in a state of grace. That is, without awareness of having committed a mortal sin, because whoever commits one must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. One must also have a spirit of recollection and prayer, observe fasting and have dignified bodily attitudes.

Communion increases our union with Christ and with his Church. It maintains and renews the life of grace received at Baptism and Confirmation, and it increases love for our neighbor. By strengthening us in charity, it wipes away venial sins and preserves us, for the future, from mortal sins.

The sacrament of confirmation: the last of the trio of sacraments of initiation

In the Old Testament, the prophets announced the gift of the Spirit of the Lord to the awaited Messiah and to the messianic people. The whole life and mission of Christ unfold in total communion with the Holy Spirit. The Apostles received him at Pentecost and proclaimed the "wonderful works of God" (Acts 2:11). By the laying on of hands, they transmitted to the baptized the gift of the Spirit himself.

Throughout the centuries, the Church has continually lived by the Spirit and transmitted it to her sons. In the Eastern Churches, we say Chrismation with the holy myron, which means holy chrism, because the essential rite is the anointing . This oil is consecrated by the bishop and is carried out by the laying on of hands while pronouncing the sacramental words. We call it Confirmation, because it confirms and strengthens baptismal grace.

The minister responsible for this anointing and his role in the life of a Christian

Confirmation is given by the bishop, but in case of impediment, the latter gives power to the priest to officiate in his place. In the West, this anointing is done on the forehead of the baptized with these words: "Be marked with the Holy Spirit, the gift of God". In the Eastern Churches the anointing is done with the formula: "I mark you with the gift of the Holy Spirit".

The effect of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as at Pentecost, imprinting an indelible mark on the soul. It increases baptismal grace . It also roots divine filiation more deeply and unites more firmly to Christ and his Church.

It strengthens the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the soul and gives a special strength to bear witness to the Christian faith. Anyone who has already been baptized can and must receive confirmation, and this only once if they follow the necessary steps. To effectively receive this sacrament, the baptized person must be in a state of grace.

Second level of sacraments: the sacraments of healing both physical and spiritual

Christ, the physician of the soul and body, instituted these sacraments because the new life he gave us can be weakened by sin. This is why he wanted the Church to continue her work of healing and salvation, thanks to these two sacraments. These sacraments are penance or reconciliation and the anointing of the sick.

The sacrament of penance or reconciliation (confession)

During his life on earth, Jesus laid the foundations for the sacrament of reconciliation or penance. In Matthew 16 v19, he says that he will give his Church, Peter and his apostles "the power to bind and to loose." After his resurrection, when he appeared to them on the day he sent the Holy Spirit, he says, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you retain, they are retained" John 20 V 22-23.

Here the man is converted under the action of the Holy Spirit and the priest in the name of Christ grants him forgiveness. The penitent must make a serious examination of conscience followed by repentance for all his sins. He must confess and accept the accomplishment of the acts of penance that the confessor imposes on him in reparation for the damage caused by sin.

Christ entrusted the ministry of Reconciliation to his Apostles, to the Bishops, their successors, and to the priests, their collaborators. They exercise the power to forgive sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The latter are bound by the secrecy of the confessional .

The sacrament of the anointing of the sick which can bring about physical healing

In the Old Testament, man experienced his limitations during periods of illness. He understood that illness is mysteriously linked to sin. The prophets foresaw that it could also have a redemptive value for his own sins and those of others.

This sacrament is instituted by Christ himself and attested by Saint James. "If any of you is sick, let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" (Jas 5:14-15). It is administered by bishops and priests duly ordained in their mystery.

Every faithful person can receive it when he or she begins to find himself or herself in danger of death due to illness or old age. The sacrament confers a special grace that unites the sick person more intimately to the Passion of Christ. It brings comfort, peace, courage and forgiveness of sins if the sick person has not been able to confess.

Third and final category: sacraments in the service of communion and mission

Two sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, confer a special grace for a particular mission in the Church, in the service of the edification of the people of God.

The sacrament of marriage uniting a man and a woman

In creating man and woman, God called them into marriage , to an intimate communion of life and love between them. "Therefore they are no longer two, but one" (Mt 19:6). In blessing them, God said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen 1:28). According to God's original plan, the matrimonial union is indissoluble. Jesus Christ affirmed this: "What God has joined together, let no man separate" (Mk 10:9).

The sacrament of Matrimony creates a perpetual and exclusive bond between spouses. A marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved, which is why religious divorce is not accepted. The sacrament gives spouses the grace necessary to achieve holiness in married life, and in the responsible reception and education of children.

The role of the sacrament of orders in the Catholic Church

It is the sacrament by which the mission entrusted by Christ to his Apostles continues to be exercised in the Church. We distinguish the ministry of the episcopate , the presbyterate and the diaconate. The episcopate is the order of bishops and makes him the legitimate successor of the Apostles and integrates him into the episcopal college. The bishop has the mission of teaching, sanctifying and governing a territory composed of several parishes called a diocese.

At the time of presbyteral ordination (priests), the anointing of the Holy Spirit marks the priest with an indelible spiritual character. It configures him to Christ the priest, makes him capable of acting in the name of Christ the Head and is a Cooperator of the Episcopal Order. He is consecrated to proclaim the Gospel, to celebrate the worship of the Eucharist from which he draws strength for his ministry and to be the pastor of the faithful.

The deacon (diaconal ordination) is ordained for the service of the Church. Under the authority of the Bishop, he exercises this service of the ministry of the word, divine worship, pastoral care and charity. It is up to the validly ordained bishops to confer these three degrees of order by the imposition of hands on the head of the ordinand through the solemn prayer of consecration.

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In conclusion, we can remember that the seven sacraments instituted in the Catholic Church each have their own history and their own advantages . The sacraments are religious acts which, by their sacred character, bring us closer of God and his Heavenly House. These sacraments of baptism, communion, confirmation, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage and orders participate in communion with the Divine and prepare the faithful for the kingdom of Heaven. It is thus true that these sacraments participate in obtaining the visa for paradise.

We are glad for your attention and believe that you have had enough information about the seven sacraments that exist in the Catholic Church.