Grace Thompson
The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments, which are considered mystical channels of divine grace, instituted by Christ. These sacraments are celebrated with visible rites, reflecting the invisible spiritual essence of each sacrament. They are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. While the number of sacraments has varied throughout history, the current seven were confirmed by the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215. These sacraments are seen as essential for salvation, uniting Catholics worldwide with Jesus and each other.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of sacraments | 7 |
| Type of sacraments | Holy |
| Who instituted the sacraments | Jesus Christ |
| Who are the sacraments for | Catholics all over the world |
| What do the sacraments do | Join Catholics with Jesus and one another |
| What else do the sacraments do | Give birth, increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith |
| What are the sacraments | Visible rites |
| What are the sacraments also | Mystical channels of divine grace |
| What are the sacraments also | Signs and efficacious channels of the grace of God |
| What are the sacraments also | Real symbols |
| What are the sacraments also | Sacraments of Christ, Sacraments of the Church, Sacraments of Faith, Sacraments of Salvation, and Sacraments of Eternal Life |
| What are the three categories of sacraments | Sacrament of Initiation, Sacraments of Healing, and Sacraments at the Service of Communion |
| What are the two sacraments of healing | Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick |
| What are the two sacraments of vocation | Holy Orders and Matrimony |
| What are the two core sacraments according to many Protestant Churches | Baptism/Initiation and Eucharist/Communion |
| What are the seven sacraments | Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony |
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Baptism
The act of baptism is the means by which one receives the Holy Spirit, and it is seen as the sacrament of admission to the faith, bringing sanctifying grace to the person being baptised. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), water baptism is the first sacrament and gives access to the other sacraments. It is also the act that forgives sins, grants spiritual rebirth, and makes one a member of the church. The Catholic Church believes that Jesus requires one's baptism in order to receive eternal life. The sacrament is called "the gateway to life in the Spirit" (CCC, 1213). The "washing of rebirth" in Titus 3:5 is interpreted as a literal washing by water and is associated with the rite of baptism.
The actual baptismal rite may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three times, once for each person of the Trinity. The word "baptism" itself means "to be immersed". For the first few hundred years of the Church's history, baptisms would be done in large natural bodies of water, such as rivers, streams, lakes, and oceans. While any lay person can baptise in certain emergency situations, it is preferred to have a priest administer the sacrament of baptism. In the Catholic Church, canon law for the Latin Church lays down that the ordinary minister of baptism is a bishop, priest or deacon, but its administration is one of the functions "especially entrusted to the parish priest".
Some Catholics believe that children who have died without baptism go to Limbo, a place on the border of heaven and hell. Limbo has never been an official church teaching, however. Officially, the Church "can only entrust them to the mercy of God" and "hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism" (CCC, 1261). Catholics use verses such as Luke 18:15–16 and 1 Corinthians 1:16 in support of the practice of infant baptism. However, these passages are misused. The Bible does not teach infant baptism. In Luke 18, parents are bringing their children so that Jesus might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for it. Christ told His disciples, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
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Confirmation
The sacrament of confirmation typically takes place in the early teenage years, when a child starts to be seen as an adult member of the Church. There is, however, no set age for the confirmation rite, and people are often confirmed as adults. The confirmation rite can occur as early as age 7 for children who were baptised as infants, but it is commonly received around age 13. For adult converts, confirmation takes place immediately after baptism.
The confirmation ceremony is usually performed by a bishop or a priest. It includes the laying on of hands in prayer and blessing, and the anointing of the forehead with chrism (holy oil). The bishop or priest will say the words, "Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit". The anointing with chrism is a symbol of sealing the individual as a member of the church. It signifies the inner presence of the Holy Spirit, who is believed to provide the strength to live out a life of faith.
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Eucharist
The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is a sacrament of initiation in the Catholic Church. It is the central rite of Catholic worship and can be received daily if desired. The Eucharist involves the consecration of bread and wine, which are transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. The consecrated elements are then shared among the congregation as a sacred meal, memorialising Christ's sacrifice on the cross and his Last Supper with his disciples.
The Bible contains several references that support the Eucharist as a biblical sacrament. For example, the term "Eucharist" itself comes from the Greek word "eucharistia", meaning "thanksgiving", and can be found in the Didache, written around 70 A.D., as well as in some references to the Body and Blood of Christ in the Bible. Additionally, 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 contains some of the strongest language used by St. Paul, underscoring the importance of "'discerning the body' in the Eucharist and recognising the real presence of Jesus Christ.
Another reference is found in the Letter to the Smyrnaeans, written by St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the apostle John, in 110 A.D. In this letter, those who abstain from the Eucharist and prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of Jesus Christ, which suffered for humanity's sins, are considered heretics. Furthermore, Jesus is referred to as "the true bread come down from heaven" and "true drink" in John 6:32 and verse 55, justifying the common practice of referring to the Eucharist as "bread" and "wine".
The Eucharist is typically received by Catholics weekly, during the penitential seasons of Lent or Advent, or even daily. A baptised child's First Communion is usually celebrated around the age of seven or eight and is preceded by their first confession, known as the sacrament of Reconciliation.
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Penance and Reconciliation
The Roman Catholic Church recognizes seven holy sacraments that are seen as mystical channels of divine grace, instituted by Christ. Each sacrament is celebrated with a visible rite, which reflects the invisible, spiritual essence of the sacrament. One of these sacraments is Penance and Reconciliation, also referred to as the "Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation", "Conversion", "Confession", and "Forgiveness".
The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation is a means of obtaining pardon from God for sins for which the sinner is truly remorseful, and brings the sinner back into communion with God and the Church. It is an opportunity for self-reflection and requires that the person take full responsibility for their sins, both in thought and in action. During the rite, sins are recounted privately to a priest, who is seen as a healer aiding the process. The priest commonly assigns acts of penance, such as specific prayers or acts of restitution, to be completed in the following days. A prayer of contrition is offered at the end of the confession, and the newly absolved Catholic is urged to refrain from repeating those sins.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that individual and integral confession and absolution (as opposed to collective absolution) is the only ordinary way in which a person conscious of mortal sins committed after baptism can be reconciled with God and the Church. The sacrament of penance has been one of the main settings for spiritual direction, enabling the Christian to become sensitive to God's presence, deepen their personal relationship with Christ, and attend to the action of the Spirit in one's life.
The formula of absolution contained in the 1614 Ordo ministrandi sacramentum poenitentiae was:
> May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you: and I by his authority absolve you from every bond of excommunication, suspension and interdict, insofar as I am able and you need it. And finally, I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) decreed in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy that the "rite and formulas for the sacrament of penance are to be revised so that they more clearly express both the nature and effect of the sacrament." In a post-conciliar document, The Constitution on Penance, Pope Paul VI emphasized "the intimate relationship between external act and internal conversion, prayer, and works of charity."
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Anointing of the Sick
The Anointing of the Sick is a sacrament that is believed to bring spiritual and physical strength to those who are ill, especially near the time of death. It is based on the idea that Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament during his earthly ministry, and it is alluded to in the Bible by Mark and recommended by James, the apostle and brother of the Lord.
The practice of anointing with oil for medicinal and religious purposes was common in Biblical times. The Bible mentions the use of olive oil for anointing in several passages, including 2 Kings 20:13, Joel 2:19, Luke 7:46, Psalm 23:5, Ruth 3:3, and Psalms 104:15. Isaiah also mentions the therapeutic qualities of olive oil in his writings (Isaiah 1:6).
The Anointing of the Sick sacrament is specifically referenced in James 5:14-15:
> Is anyone among you 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. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
The sacrament is also connected to the Twelve Apostles' practice of healing the sick with anointing oil, as mentioned in Mark 6:13:
> [Jesus sent out the twelve disciples] to preach, and they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.
The early Church Fathers, including Origen (around A.D. 250) and Bishop Serapion (around A.D. 350), recognized the importance of this sacrament in the life of the Church. Origen wrote about the penitent Christian seeking medicine and the apostle James' recommendation to call upon the elders of the church for anointing and prayer.
The Anointing of the Sick sacrament is often included in the "Last Rites" or "continuous rites of penance and anointing", which also include penance (or confession), confirmation, Viaticum (the last reception of Communion), and other liturgical rites. It is meant to comfort and prepare individuals in their final days and is a way to petition God for spiritual and physical healing through the Holy Spirit.
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Frequently asked questions
The seven Catholic sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance and Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
The seven sacraments are based on the belief that they are "mystical channels of divine grace, instituted by Christ". They are seen as "Sacraments of Christ", "Sacraments of the Church", "Sacraments of Faith", "Sacraments of Salvation", and "Sacraments of Eternal Life".
The seven sacraments are divided into three types: the sacraments of initiation (into the Catholic Church and the mystical body of Christ), consisting of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist; the sacraments of healing, consisting of the Sacrament of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick; and the sacraments of service: Holy Orders and Matrimony.
Each sacrament is celebrated with a visible rite, which reflects the invisible, spiritual essence of the sacrament. For example, in the Sacrament of Baptism, the immersion of a person into water symbolizes that they are dying to sin and being reborn in Christ.
