MODULE 5

The Seven Sacraments

Introduction:
Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation
(or Chrismation), the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and
Matrimony. the seven sacraments touch all the stages and all the important moments of Christian
life:1 they give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is
thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

1. Describe and explain the different categories of the sacraments.

2. Identify the common characteristics or nature of the sacraments
3. Illustrate the interconnectedness of the sacraments.
4. Explain the new ways of understanding the sacraments.
5. Reflect the importance of sacraments in today’s situation.

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 Reflection in Faith

The Sacraments of Christ

"Adhering to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, to the apostolic traditions, and to the consensus
. . . of the Fathers," we profess that "the sacraments of the new law were . . . all instituted by
Jesus Christ our Lord."
Jesus' words and actions during his hidden life and public ministry were already salvific, for they
anticipated the power of his Paschal mystery. They announced and prepared what he was going
to give the Church when all was accomplished. The mysteries of Christ's life are the foundations
of what he would henceforth dispense in the sacraments, through the ministers of his Church, for
"what was visible in our Savior has passed over into his mysteries."
Sacraments are "powers that comes forth" from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-
giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are "the
masterworks of God" in the new and everlasting covenant.

The Sacraments of the Church

The sacraments are "of the Church" in the double sense that they are "by her" and "for her." They
are "by the Church," for she is the sacrament of Christ's action at work in her through the mission
of the Holy Spirit. They are "for the Church" in the sense that "the sacraments make the Church,"
since they manifest and communicate to men, above all in the Eucharist, the mystery of
communion with the God who is love, One in three persons.

The ordained ministry or ministerial priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood. The
ordained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments through the
Holy Spirit for the Church. The saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was
committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to
act in his name and in his person. The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties the
liturgical action to what the apostles said and did and, through them, to the words and actions of
Christ, the source and foundation of the sacraments.

The three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders confer, in addition to grace, a
sacramental character or "seal" by which the Christian shares in Christ's priesthood and is made a
member of the Church according to different states and functions. This configuration to Christ
and to the Church, brought about by the Spirit, is indelible, it remains for ever in the Christian as
a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as a vocation
to divine worship and to the service of the Church. Therefore, these sacraments can never be
repeated.

The Sacraments of Faith

Christ sent his apostles so that "repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his
name to all nations." "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." The mission to baptize, and so the
sacramental mission, is implied in the mission to evangelize, because the sacrament is prepared
for by the word of God and by the faith which is assent to this word:

The People of God is formed into one in the first place by the Word of the living God.... the
preaching of the Word is required for the sacramental ministry itself, since the sacraments are
sacraments of faith, drawing their origin and nourishment from the Word.

"The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of Christ and, finally, to
give worship to God. Because they are signs, they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith,

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but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are
called 'sacraments of faith."'

For this reason, no sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or
the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily,
but only in the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy.
Likewise, since the sacraments express and develop the communion of faith in the Church, the
lex orandi is one of the essential criteria of the dialogue that seeks to restore the unity of
Christians.

The Sacraments of Salvation

This is the meaning of the Church's affirmation that the sacraments act ex opere operato
(literally: "by the very fact of the action's being performed"), i.e., by virtue of the saving work of
Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that "the sacrament is not wrought by the
righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God." From the
moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power
of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the
minister. Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who
receives them.

The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for
salvation. "Sacramental grace" is the grace of the Holy Spirit, given by Christ and proper to each
sacrament. the Spirit heals and transforms those who receive him by conforming them to the Son
of God. the fruit of the sacramental life is that the Spirit of adoption makes the faithful partakers
in the divine nature by uniting them in a living union with the only Son, the Savior.

The Sacraments of Eternal Life

The Church celebrates the mystery of her Lord "until he comes," when God will be "everything
to everyone." Since the apostolic age the liturgy has been drawn toward its goal by the Spirit's
groaning in the Church: Marana tha! The liturgy thus shares in Jesus' desire: "I have earnestly
desired to eat this Passover with you . . . until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." In the
sacraments of Christ, the Church already receives the guarantee of her inheritance and even now
shares in everlasting life, while "awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior Christ Jesus." The "Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come . . . Come, Lord
Jesus!"'

St. Thomas sums up the various aspects of sacramental signs: "Therefore a sacrament is a sign
that commemorates what precedes it - Christ's Passion; demonstrates what is accomplished in
us through Christ's Passion - grace; and prefigures what that Passion pledges to us - future
glory."

All →SACRAMENTS are an encounter with Christ, who is himself the original sacrament.
There are sacraments of → INITIATION, which introduce the recipient into the faith: Baptism,
→CONFIRMATION, and →EUCHARIST. There are sacraments of healing: Reconciliation and
the Anointing of the Sick. And there are sacraments of communion and mission: Matrimony and
Holy Orders.

Baptism joins us with Christ. Confirmation gives us his Spirit. The Eucharist unites us with him.
Confession reconciles us with Christ. Through the Anointing of the Sick, Christ heals,
strengthens, and consoles. In the sacrament of Matrimony, Christ promises his love in our love
and his fidelity in our fidelity. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, →PRIESTS have the
privilege of forgiving sins and celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
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Jesus touches our lives through the sacraments. Our celebrations of the sacraments are signs of
Jesus’ presence in our lives and a means for receiving his grace. The Church celebrates seven
sacraments, which are divided into three categories.

Sacraments of Initiation
Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. "The
sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to
the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. the faithful are born anew by Baptism,
strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal
life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure
the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity."
1. Baptism
In Baptism we receive new life in Christ. Baptism takes away original sin and gives us a new
birth in the Holy Spirit. Its sign is the pouring of water.
2. Confirmation
Confirmation seals our life of faith in Jesus. Its signs are the laying on of hands on a person’s
head, most often by a bishop, and the anointing with oil. Like Baptism, Confirmation is received
only once.
3. Eucharist
The Eucharist nourishes our life of faith. Its signs are the bread and wine we receive—the Body
and Blood of Christ.

Sacraments of Healing
These sacraments celebrate the healing power of Jesus.
Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ. Now we
carry this life "in earthen vessels," and it remains "hidden with Christ in God." We are still in our
"earthly tent," subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new life as a child of God can be
weakened and even lost by sin.

The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic
and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy
Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of
the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the
Sick.
4. Penance
Through Penance we receive God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness requires being sorry for our sins. In
Penance we receive Jesus’ healing grace through absolution by the priest. The signs of this
sacrament are our confession of sins and the words of absolution.
5. Anointing of the Sick
This sacrament unites a sick person’s suffering with that of Jesus and brings forgiveness of sins.
Oil, a symbol of strength, is the sign of this sacrament. A person is anointed with oil and receives
the laying on of hands from a priest.

Sacraments at the Service of Communion

These sacraments help members serve the community.
Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others;
if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so.
They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God.

Through these sacraments those already consecrated by Baptism and Confirmation for the
common priesthood of all the faithful can receive particular consecrations. Those who receive
the sacrament of Holy Orders are consecrated in Christ's name "to feed the Church by the word
and grace of God." On their part, "Christian spouses are fortified and, as it were, consecrated for
the duties and dignity of their state by a special sacrament."
6. Matrimony

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In Matrimony a baptized man and woman are united with each other as a sign of the unity
between Jesus and his Church. Matrimony requires the consent of the couple, as expressed in the
marriage promises. The couple and their wedding rings are the signs of this sacrament.
7. Holy Orders
In Holy Orders men are ordained as priests, deacons, or bishops. Priests serve as spiritual leaders
of their communities, and deacons serve to remind us of our baptismal call to help others.
Bishops carry on the teachings of the apostles. The signs of this sacrament are the laying on of
hands and anointing with oil by the bishop.

Kindly watch a video for an additional insights or reflections about the sacraments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snXH2j19-9I&t=277s

References:

https://littleflowerchurch.net/sacraments/. Retrieved: November 4, 2021.

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH - Latin text copyright (c) Libreria Editrice
Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano 1993. https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P34.HTM

Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church (YOUCAT). Nihil Obstat, March 3, 2010.
https://www.cdowcym.org/documents/resources/YOUCAT.pdf
https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/sacraments/the-seven-sacraments/the-seven-
sacramentsarticle2/. Retrived: November 4, 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snXH2j19-9I&t=277s

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