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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)