SACRAMENTS

WHAT IS A SACRAMENT???

Religious rituals that are outward signs of grace; visual demonstrations and actions showing faith and commitment to God.

2 DIMENSIONS OF SACRAMENTS

Each sacrament has 2 dimensions …

1) Express the faith of the Church (show who the Church is)

2) Renew and strengthen the faith by affirming that we are united in Christ and want to pass on God’s love

THE 7 SACRAMENTS

1) Baptism

2) Eucharist

3) Reconciliation

4) Confirmation

5) Anointing of the sick

6) Holy orders

7) Marriage

CATEGORIES OF SACRAMENTS

The 7 sacraments are organized into 3 categories

Sacraments of

Initiation

Sacraments of

Healing

Sacraments of

Vocation

• Baptism

• Eucharist

• Confirmation

• Reconciliation

• Anointing of the sick

• Holy orders

• Marriage

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

For each sacrament, you will need to know:

1) What does it celebrate?

2) What are the symbols and rituals of the sacrament?

3) A brief history of the sacrament

JESUS AS A SACRAMENT

* As the Church grew and developed, Christians recognized 7 primary ways in which Jesus himself was a Sacrament of God

* Eventually, all 7 of Jesus’ actions were ritualized into what are now the official sacraments of the Catholic Church.

Brought people to New life – Baptism

Forgave people’s sins – Reconciliation

Sacrificed himself out of love – Eucharist

Shared the power of his spirit– Confirmation

Healed illness – Anointing of the Sick

He was faithful to Abba(father) - Marriage

Ministered to people’s spiritual needs - Holy Orders

CHURCH AS SACRAMENT

The Church was entrusted with the sacraments to see that they are fulfilled. The Gospel of Jesus shaped culture and society as the Word and spirit of God spread throughout the world.

The church is about loving others, creating unity. It is our task to work with the Church to make the Holy Spirit and Jesus more visible.

HOW DO SACRAMENTS PLAY A ROLE IN CHURCH??

The Seven Sacraments play a unique and powerful role in the Catholic Church:

1) Ritualize the concrete beliefs of our faith

2) Embody what the church is & what is becoming

3) Reveal the EXTRAORDINARY in the ORDINARY

4) Keep alive the mysteries of our faith

SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION …•Rituals of welcome and inclusion into the Catholic faith community & mark the beginning of a new stage in our relationship with God.

•Baptism: people are cleansed and initiated into the Catholic Church.

•Confirmation: people are anointed and become personally responsible for their faith.

•Holy Eucharist: people express their unity with the Church

BAPTISM

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• God welcoming you into his

kingdom

• Identifies as Christians forever

• Takes away original sin (Adam

& Eve)

• Forgives personal sins

• Gives Grace (a special gift

from God)

• Beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he was

baptised in the Jordan River by

John the Baptist

• After his resurrection, Jesus

commanded his Apostles to go forth

and baptize all nations.

• In the first few centuries, Baptism

was administered predominantly to

adults (now it’s primarily infants

who are baptized)

• White garment (newness)

• Lighted candle (sharing the light of

Christ)

• Oil (healing, strengthening)

• Water (cleansing, life-giving)

EUCHARIST

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• Belonging to Christ, being

identified with him and being

gifted by his spirit in the community

of his followers, the church

• Greek word for “thanksgiving”.

• Transubstantiation: the changing

of the substance of bread and

wine into the body and blood of

Christ.

• At the last supper, Jesus

transformed the meaning of the

Passover Seder meal by identifying

the bread and wine, which were

customarily blessed and shared at

the Seder, with his own body and

blood.

• Jesus’ broken body and shared for

all as nourishment, and Jesus’

blood, poured out to give people

‘new life.’

• Liturgy of the Eucharist (re-

creation of the Last Supper)

• Bread (By eating the bread, we

gain life from it)

• Wine (Symbolizes the blood that

Christ willingly shed in freeing

humanity from sin and death)

CONFIRMATION

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• Lifelong growth in the spirit

• Gifts of the spirit unfolding

(wisdom, understanding, right

judgement, courage, knowledge,

reverence, and wonder and awe in

God’s presence)

• Taking on the Ministry of Jesus by

conveying God’s love to all

persons.

• Confirmation used to be thought of

as a “coming of age” and reaching

spiritual maturity. This implied that

our learning and formation as

Christians would be complete.

• Now, we believe that Confirmation

celebrates the beginning of our

faith journey.

• Laying on of hands (passing on the

power of the holy spirit)

• Anointing with Chrism Oil (links the

person to the church)

SACRAMENTS OF HEALING…

The Sacraments of Healing – Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick – are rituals of healing, forgiveness and strengthening of our own Christian selves.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (sometimes referred to as Penance) provides spiritual healing for our souls, which have been wounded by sin.

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick (sometimes known as Last Rites) is a symbol of God’s healing love and guidance during a time of our greatest need

RECONCILIATION

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• Acknowledging our Sin (personal,

mortal, venial)

• Telling our stories (healing through

talking)

• Turning around (change)

• Means “coming back together.”

• Private one-on-one confessions

grew out of the experience

introduced by Irish monks who

assisted each other in overcoming

sins.

• Confession - The penitent

confesses their sins.

• Absolution of Sins - God forgives

the penitent’s sins through the priest

and releases penitents from the

guilt of their sins.

• Penance - The priest gives the

penitent an act or task to carry out.

7 DEADLY SINS …1) Pride- An extreme love of self

2) Lust- treating others as mere sexual objects

3) Envy- Resentment of another person’s good fortune

4) Anger- The sudden outburst of emotion – namely hostility

5) Gluttony- Over-consuming and abusing food and drink, often to the point of illness

6) Greed- An unhealthy love and desire for earthly possessions

7) Sloth- This is also known as laziness. It is an aversion to physical, mental and spiritual work.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• God’s Love and Concern (helping

us through our suffering)

• The Healing Power of the Faith

Community

• Hope Through the Resurrection

• Anointing used to be offered

only to those who were dying.

The oil was drunk or spread

over the entire body and was

sometimes treated as a

“magic potion”.

• Anointing was used as a

preparation for death. Now,

we use it for healing the spirit.

• Anointing with Oil on the forehead

and hands by the priest

• Prayers and Reading from the

Scriptures

• Laying on of hands by the priest

and Holy Communion

SACRAMENTS OF VOCATION…

•The Sacraments of Vocation / Community – Matrimony and Holy Orders

• Marriage: Ritual for the uniting of families and the demonstration of God’s love. Imparts a special grace that gives the recipients the strength and ability to assume and fulfill all the duties and responsibilities of Christian marriage.

• Holy Orders: symbol of God’s ministry and guidance within the society of the Church and demonstrates the commitment of individuals to serve the spiritual needs of others.

MARRIAGE

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• Mutual Self-Giving

A husband and wife reveal God’s

love through their own love for

each other.

• The Faithfulness of a Covenant

CONTRACT – agreement

between two parties. It can

expire/break.

COVENANT – a permanent

promise between two people. A

covenant binds us together with

promises of love and faithfulness.

• Originally, the church had no

specific role in marriage

ceremonies.

• Became an official sacrament in the

13th century.

• Ring (love and fidelity)

• Community (offer support)

• The couple (ongoing shared life)

HOLY ORDERS

What does it celebrate? History Symbol(s)/ Rituals

• Celebrates priests serving as

mediators between the people and

God’s love and grace

• Ties into celibacy which is giving

oneself entirely to the service of

God and God’s people

• Celebrate the ministry and work of

Jesus

• Jesus as priest, prophet and

servant-leader, shaped the Catholic

understanding of the ministry of all

God’s people and the ordained

Ministry

• Jesus chose men, not women to be

his apostles

• The church community is the

primary symbol

• Laying on of the hands

(empowerment by the spirit)