"As one candle is lit from the flame of another, so is faith kindled by faith."
ROMANO GUARDINI
(1885–1968)
ROMANO GUARDINI
(1885–1968)
Marriage
Holy Orders |
Baptism
Eucharist
Anointing of the Sick |
Confirmation
Penance/Reconciliation |
What is a Sacrament?
The Catechism of the Catholic defines a Sacrament as, "An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit (c.f. CCC 774, 1131)."
The Baltimore Catechism probably gives the most simple and strait forward definition. "A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace." (Question 304)
The Baltimore Catechism probably gives the most simple and strait forward definition. "A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace." (Question 304)
What do Sacraments do?
Sacraments are outward signs of interior realities. When we receive the sacraments something really happens, we are actually changed! Each of the sacraments does something different, bestows a particular grace for a particular purpose. In Baptism we are initiated into God's family, infused with the virtues of Faith, Hope and Love, and original sin is washed away. In Confirmation the gifts of the Spirit received at Baptism are strengthened and we are initiated into the mission of the Church. When the priest says the words of consecration over the gifts of bread and wine on the altar, they actually become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ who transforms us when we "eat his flesh, and drink his blood." While it may not always seem as if something truly happens when a sacrament is bestowed, in reality sacraments actually DO something. It is by faith that we accept this.
How many Sacraments are there?
"The sacraments (called “mysteries” in the Eastern Churches) are seven in number: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance or Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony (c.f. CCC 1210)."
These seven sacraments can be divided into three categories: Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick), and Sacraments of Vocation (Matrimony and Holy Orders). For more information on each of these sacraments, click the pictures above.
These seven sacraments can be divided into three categories: Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), Sacraments of Healing (Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick), and Sacraments of Vocation (Matrimony and Holy Orders). For more information on each of these sacraments, click the pictures above.
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