THE SACRAMENTS

What is a Sacrament and why do

we
them?
The
Latinhave
word sacramentum
means "a sign of the sacred." The seven
sacraments are ceremonies we celebrate in the Church and they point to
what is sacred. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving
presence.
When we think of the sacraments, we would normally think of them as just
rituals which we have and participate in at Church. But sacraments are much
deeper than that.
The sacraments are gifts which Jesus gave to the Church so that we could
experience God spiritually and share in his life more fully. They are specific
signs of Gods relationship with us. They are described as signs because they
point towards God and because God is accessible and made present in them.

How many Sacraments are there?

There are 7 Sacraments in the Church. They are:

Baptism
Reconciliation
Eucharist
Confirmation

Marriage
Holy Orders
Anointing of the Sick

What kinds of Sacraments do we

have?
The
sacraments can be grouped into 3 categories:

Sacraments of Initiation- these lay the foundations of

Christian life. They are Baptism, Eucharist &
Confirmation.

Sacraments of Service- these show how God is active

when we respond to the call to serve him and others.
They are Reconciliation & the Anointing of the Sick.

Sacraments of Healing- through these God shows that

he is present and active in the difficult times of our
lives, especially when we need to be forgiven or are
challenged by illness. They are Marriage & Holy Orders

Baptism
For Catholics, the Sacrament of Baptism is the first step in a
lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Whether
we are baptised as infants or adults, Baptism celebrates our
entering into the Christian community.
The ritual of the priest pouring water over our heads
represents us being plunged into the mystery of Christs
death and resurrection. In Baptism, as we go under water,
we go down into the depths of Christs Passion and death
and then as we come up, we are ascending as He did, and
thus we are literally being born again into a new life (with
Jesus).
As part of this process, we are absolved from original sin,
which everyone is born with. Original sin has to do with our
human condition and the fact that were finite beings and
therefore were not perfect.
In baptism, the symbolism behind the water is used to
cleanse and purify us. The oil that the priest places over our

Reconciliation

The Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation

(also known as Penance) has three elements:
Conversion, Confession and Celebration.
In this Sacrament, Jesus calls us to go to him
and experience God's unconditional
forgiveness. Through confessing our sins to
the Priest, we spiritually go to Jesus with all
our brokenness, with all our failures,
weaknesses, sins and sorrows and then
experience through Him Gods everlasting
and unconditional love for us. As a result we
are called to become better people and to
forgive one another.
It is a very important and powerful

Eucharist
The Eucharist is the MOST important
Sacrament of the Church. It is described
as the Source and Summit of all
Christian life, which means that it is the
central and most highest point of our
faith.
We believe that, in the Eucharist, we
encounter the Real Presence of Jesus,
who died for our sins. As we receive
Christ's Body and Blood in Holy
Communion (through the physical form of
the host) we are nourished spiritually and
are brought closer to God.

Confirmation
The Sacrament of Confirmation celebrates
the coming of the Holy Spirit upon us. The
Holy Spirit bestows its gifts and fruits upon
the confirmed.
This sacrament is often confused with being
a coming of age rite of passage, but
Confirmation is much more than that. It is a
renewal of our Baptismal promises and gifts
and a call to become more like Jesus by
responding to the call to serve one another
and to live justly, love tenderly and walk
humbly with our God throughout the rest of
our lives.

Marriage
The Sacrament of Marriage (or Holy
Matrimony) is a public sign that the
husband and wife gives themselves totally
to the other and to God. It is also a public
statement about God: the loving union of
husband and wife speaks of family values
and also of God's values.
Marriage is also a very special Sacrament
because it is through the sacred unity of
the husband and wife, and only through
that specific unity, that we as human
beings can reflect the oneness of God in
the Holy Trinity.

Holy Orders
The sacrament of the Holy Orders is,
apart from Marriage, the second
sacrament of service. It is a different yet
a very special kind of ministry.
It is the sacrament by which a man is
made a priest, a bishop or a deacon. It is
a commitment to a life of total service
and devotion to Jesus.
The word holy in this sacrament means
to be set apart for a purpose.
In becoming a priest, the man is
ordained to lead the people of God by
proclaiming the Gospel, offering up the

Anointing of the Sick

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, (the
Last Rites or Extreme Unction) is a sacrament
of healing.
We normally receive this sacrament just
before we are about to pass away. A priest will
come to the home or to the hospital of the
sick or elderly dying person, gives them one
last confession, anoints them with oil and
prepares the soul for its journey to Heaven.
Having said that, this sacrament is not strictly
used only for the dying. We can receive the
Anointing of the Sick at any time and as many
times as we feel our body and soul needs it in
our lives. It is appropriate not only for physical