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What Are The Sacraments
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What’s a Sacrament?
The Catechism of the Catholic Churchparagraph 1131:"Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions."That’s confusing, what does that Mean???
Let’s break it down!
In short, gave Jesus has given us means of obtaining His grace in real, concrete ways that one can experience through their senses, prayers and environment.- Efficacious grace?
First Grace is a gift freely given by God to humanity to help one on their journey of life, and ultimately for salvation. Efficacious grace is the Divine assistance working through the ritual or Sacramental act.- Instituted by Christ?
In the Bible, Jesus did not explicitly state to his disciples here are the 7 Seven Sacraments and here is how you do them. Christ gave his bride, the Church, to the Apostles to carry on His work. Thus, the Church has become the vehicle to God’s grace, and the Church has stated that there are 7 concrete ways to obtain God’s grace. The 7 Sacraments are kept sacred through the protection of the magisterium (the teaching office of the Church). Now, grace can come in many other ways and today we call these sacramentals. For instance praying the Rosary, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, and different devotions.- Visible Sign?
In every Sacrament there are five components that are needed.- 1. The Matter – This is the physical objects or material that are used for the Sacrament. For instance water for Baptism, Bread and wine for Eucharist.
- 2. The Form – The words that are used for a valid Sacrament. This is not the whole liturgy but rather the moment when the Sacrament takes place. For instance, in Baptism the form is “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” All the other words that are used prepare one for the Sacrament which include teaching, prayer, and formation.
- 3. The Minister – In every Sacrament, there is a proper minister. For instance Confirmation the primary minister is the Bishop, the Eucharist is the Priest, Baptism is a Priest or a Deacon, and Marriage is the couple entering into matrimony.
- 4. Proper Disposition – In every Sacrament, one must freely come to the Sacrament willing it in their hearts. This is done through proper preparation to the Sacrament. In all the Sacraments there is an age that is dictated through Canon Law, which is Church Law, and also through the local Ordinary (the Bishop). For instance, in the Sacraments of Communion, Reconciliation, and Confirmation, Canon Law states that one may receive at the age of reason interpreted by the Local Council of Bishops. In the United States, the age of reason is a person who has completed their 7th year of birth, meaning the day after their 7th birthday. In most Dioceses in the United States, most children receive First Communion and First Reconciliation in second grade. The Sacrament of Confirmation varies widely by diocese again anywhere from mostly 2nd grade through High School.
- 5. Reception of the Sacrament – In the Catholic Church, there are three Sacraments that one may receive once. (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders) All the other Sacraments one may receive as needed.
There are 3 Groups of Sacraments:
Initiation, Healing and Service
SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION: These Sacraments welcomes one into a deeper relationship personal relationship with God.
- BAPTISM
The doorway to all the other Sacraments. It is in baptism that one begins a new relationship with God. One is welcomed into God’s Holy Family. One can only be baptized once, whether in a Catholic Church or even in many Christian Church’s providing that the right form was used, ‘I baptized you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.’ If a person who has been baptized in the Trinitarian formula in another Christian faith, and wants to enter into the Catholic Church, the person will make a Profession of Faith stating their desire to want to live as a Catholic. At Baptism, one receives a special character or mark on their souls.The Ordinary Minister of the Sacrament is the Bishop when the person has reached the age of reason. However, in the extraordinary form, meaning in infant baptism, a deacon or a priest may perform the baptism providing there is consent of the parents and the presence of a Godparent.
In the event of an emergency, meaning the person is on their death bed, anyone with the intention may baptize using water and the formula. - CONFIRMATIONConfirmation is allowing the Spirit to work through the person in a concrete way. Like Baptism, Confirmation leaves a special character or mark on one’s soul. One may only be confirmed once.
The Bishop is the ordinary minister of the Sacrament, however he may give permission to a priest.
By Code of Canon Law, the reception of the Sacrament can be conferred any time after the age of reason. In the Diocese of Manchester, the person should be at least a 3rd grader or the age of 9. - COMMUNIONCommunion is ‘the source and summit of the Christian Life.’ In communion, one participates in the heavenly banquet of Heaven here on earth. The Eucharist gives one the strength to live their faith in their daily lives.
The matter of Communion is unleavened bread and wine that has been made purely from grapes. The form are the words heard at the Last Supper, ‘Take this all of you and eat of it’ and ‘Take this all of you and drink from it.’
The reception of Communion is any person who has been prepared and has reached the age of reason.
SACRAMENTS OF HEALING
- RECONCILATION
Every person makes mistakes. Even Jesus’ closest friends made mistakes. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, even after Jesus told him that he would deny him. Peter felt awful after that. It was about a week later after Jesus’ resurrection that Peter and Jesus had a talk, and Peter was forgiven. Peter found God’s true love and peace. Peter had a personal encounter with Jesus in that moment, as he shared with Peter God’s grace. God acts through the priest how acts in ‘Persona Christi capita,’ which means the person of Christ the head. In the Sacrament one comes not so much to meet the priest, but rather to meet Jesus. On comes to find God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. The priest, through Jesus, reconciles one not just back to God, but also to the community, for every sin hurts not just God, but also other people and their self as well.
In Confession, since it is Jesus that one meets, there is a seal or protection that comes down upon the Penitent (the one going to confession) The Seal of Confession means that no matter what is said during the time of Confession, nothing can be shared with anyone else. If a priest does break the Seal of Confession, there are severe punishments.
The primary minister for the Sacrament is a priest or the bishop
To go to Confession one must do four things:- A personal Examination of Conscience – see what’s going on
- Confess their sins
- Be given Absolution from their sins
- Do their Penance
- ANOINTING OF THE SICK
Anointing of the Sick seeks out God’s physical, spiritual, and mental healing grace. Part of the Sacrament involves Confession, thus only a priest or a bishop may administer the Sacrament. One may receive this Sacrament when needed. The Sacrament first invites the person into Reconciliation. Then, the family, friends, and the whole faith community are called to pray with the person. The priest will pray in silence for a few moments while he places his hands on the head of the person. Then he will anoint the person with the Oil of the Infirm on the Forehead and the Palm of their hands. This is what makes the Sacrament both form and matter.
Who can receive the Sacrament?- Those who are in the process of dying
- Those going in for severe surgeries
- Those who are frail
- Those who are severely sick
- Those who are mentally ill
SACRAMENTS OF SERVICE
- MATRIMONY: God who calls a man and a woman to enter into a sacred bond with one another. The couple come before God in His home seeking his blessing, support and peace as they make their vows to one another.
The minister of matrimony is the actually couple who witness their vows before a deacon or a priest before the faithful in the Church. The entire faith community is called to come together to pray for this couple as they enter into marriage. - HOLY ORDERS:God calls men to enter into religious life following in the life of the Apostles. A bishop will ordain a man into three different stages or levels of Holy Orders. The levels are Deaconate, Presbyterate and Episcopacy.
- Deaconate: A deacon is a servant at the Altar. A deacon at Mass proclaims the Gospel, can preach, instructs the people during the Mass, and sets the Altar. A deacon can also perform baptisms and witness at matrimony. There are two types of deacons. (1)Transitional Deacons are men who are entering into the priesthood. Every priest has been a deacon prior to being ordained to a priest. A transitional deacon must be at least 23 years old at their time of ordination. (2) Permanent Deacons are men who may be married, but must be married prior to being ordained. If they are married, they must be at least 25 years old, and if not married be at least 35 years old at their time of ordination.
- Presbyterate: A priest is ordained by a bishop to serve God’s faithful. They make promises to be faithful in their service to God’s holy people. A priest becomes a co-worker of the bishop, helping him out where ever there is a need. A priest must be at least 25 years old prior to their ordination.
- Episcopacy: A bishop has first been a deacon and a priest and is named to a particular sea called a diocese. The bishop is in charge of the spiritual welfare of all the people within their sea. He is helped by his priests, deacons, religious brothers and sisters, and the laity. When one is ordained to the episcopacy, he must be at least 35 years old.