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SACRAMENTS
The
Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist (Holy Communion)
Penance
Annointing of the Sick
Holy Orders
Matrimony
Before one can receive any other sacrament in the Catholic Church, they must receive the sacrament of Baptism
(Q): Why must we be baptized?
(A): Because baptism removes the stain of original sin and all other types of sin. Also, it was Christ who instituted the sacrament of baptism when he was baptized by John. Christ also is quite clear that Baptism is essential when He commanded His apostles to go and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).John the Baptist baptized with water symbolizing the cleansing of sins. John stated to the Pharisees that his baptism was not the final standard for baptism, (Jn. 1:26) that someone would come (Jesus) that would do more than baptize with water. The verse non-Catholics like to quote, John 3:3, is not completed by Jesus, or let us say interpreted until verse 3:5. Let us look two verses ahead at John 3:5. In John 3:5, Nicodemus is confused about being born again. Jesus clarifies what He states to Nicodemus stating:
(John 3:5) - "Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Here we see that being "born again" means the sacrament of baptism! If the non-Catholic would only read a little further he would find the true meaning of being "born again." For more information on the differences between the Catholic sacrament and the Non-Catholic viewpoint go to http://www.anawim.pair.com/CATHOLICS/BAPTISM.htm
(Q): What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state?
(A):
1213 Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word."
1265 Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte "a new creature," an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature," member of Christ and co-heir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.1266 The Most Holy Trinity gives the baptized sanctifying grace, the grace of justification:
(1) enabling them to believe in God, to hope in him, and to love him through the theological virtues;
(2) giving them the power to live and act under the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
(3) allowing them to grow in goodness through the moral virtues.
Thus the whole organism of the Christian's supernatural life has its roots in Baptism. Incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ.
1267 Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore we are members one of another." Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."
(Q): What is Confirmation?
(A): Christ presented Confirmation to his apostles on Pentecost when He gave them the Holy Spirit. In the same way that Christ strengthened his apostles to face the world through the many graces of the Holy Spirit, Confirmation also prepares us to go into the world armed with graces from above to preach and confirm our Catholic faith.(Q): What is Confirmation and why is it necessary?
(A): We receive strength through confirmation to fight against any danger that may stand in the way of our salvation. It also is necessary in that it prepares you to defend your faith when you are out in the world.(Q): What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state?
(A):1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.
1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:
- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!"
- it unites us more firmly to Christ;
- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.
(Q): What is the Eucharist?
(A): The Eucharist is our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearance of bread and wine. Jesus is present in the sacrament of the Eucharist, body, blood, soul and divinity. Holy Communion unites you with God. The Eucharist helps protect you from mortal sins and cleanses away venial sins. Most importantly, Holy Communion is the life of the world and if you partake in Holy Communion in the state of grace, you are promised eternal life.(Q): When did Christ institute the Eucharist?
(A): The sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted by Christ during the Last Supper (the night before he died). In Matthew 26:26-28, Jesus said to his disciples, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."(Q): How can bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus?
(A): Let us look at John 6:52-55, the Jews had a hard time believing Jesus' words, as do non-Catholics.(John 6:52-55) - The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you…"
(John 6:58), Jesus explains the importance of this bread, that He states that it is truly Himself. "This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died, he who eats this bread will live for ever." (This bread that Jesus speaks of, is the food that will give life)In John 6:66 many of Jesus' disciples left Jesus because they could not believe in His words. Then Jesus says to His twelve apostles in John 6:67 "Will you also go away?" It is clear what Jesus is stating, He does not take back His words and He does not say that it is another parable. He gives His apostles the opportunity to leave. Then Peter Simon, speaking for the 12 states in John 6:68, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." rd, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life".
(Q): Why must we confess grave sins or skipping mass (not of our own choosing) before receiving Jesus in the Eucharist?
(A): When we receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we must have a dwelling place within us that is acceptable to Christ. What is an acceptable dwelling place for Christ? A sinless dwelling place is acceptable to Christ. We all sin, some sins are more devastating than others (see Sins, Ten Commandments). Some of the more devastating sins that must be confessed prior to receiving Jesus are stealing, abortion, murder, adultery, cursing God, fornication, missing mass (other than for being sick or unable to get to a church), etc. There are some sins that are displeasing to God but will not prohibit you from receiving Jesus (see Sins).St. Paul explains to us in 1 Cor. 11:27-30 that we must be clean of sin before receiving: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died."
(Q): What is wrong with Protestants partaking in communion in the Catholic Church?
(A): The last thing a Protestant would want to do is to claim that they are in complete unity with the church. This in fact is exactly what a Protestant is proclaiming when he or she receives communion in the Catholic Church. By receiving communion the Protestant is stating that they believe in the dogmas of Catholic Church, are obedient to the Catholic moral system, and that they recognize the authority of the Catholic Bishops and the Pope.(Q): What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state?
(A):1324 The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."
1325 "The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit."
1326 Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.
1327 In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: "Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking."
"It is wonderful to be able to confess our sins, and to hear as a balm the word which floods us with mercy and sends us on our way again. Only those who have known the Father's tender embrace, as the Gospel describes it in the parable of the Prodigal Son--'he embraced him and kissed him' (Lk 15,20)-only they can pass on to others the same warmth, when after receiving pardon themselves they administer it to others" (Letter of John Paul II to Priests for Holy Thursday 2001, n. 10).
(Q): My sins are so horrible, why would God forgive me?
(A): If we are truly sorry for our sins from the depths of our heart (no matter how horrible the sin might be), Christ will forgive our sins and wipe the slate clean so that we may start again. We must remember that it is Jesus' wish that we all join Him in Heaven one day, so he forgets our sins once they are confessed. Jesus does expect us to try not to commit the sin again.(Q): Can sins be forgiven by confession to a priest?
(A): The Bible teaches us that only by confessing our sins can we achieve forgiveness from God. How do we know this? Again, the Bible tells us these facts. Let's start with the Old Testament. In II Samuel 12:13, David confesses his sins to Nathan and was given assurance from Nathan that his sins were forgiven. From the New Testament we see many verses regarding confessing sins, however, we will stick to only the verse pertaining to the authority that God gave man. Look at John 20:22-23 it states that Jesus "breathed" on them and said:(John 20:22-23) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
God has given man the authority, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to forgive sins. It is interesting to note that there is only two places in the Bible that the term "breathe" is found as an action performed by God. The first, of course, is in the Old Testament Genesis 2:7 when God "breathes" the breath of life into man. In John 20:22, God again "breathes" the gift of life into man (the gift of Eternal Life) in that He is giving His representatives the authority to assist in purifying the souls of men, thus giving them life. Let us look at verses to support confession:
(Acts 19:18) - "And many of those who were now believers came (to the Apostles), confessing and divulging their practices."
(Matt. 18:18) Again, Jesus gives the apostles authority by stating: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."(2 Corinthians 2:10) Paul said: "Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven any thing, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ"
(2 Cor. 5:18-20) Paul states; (read the whole verse) "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (the ministry of forgiving sins); that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
It is easy for us to say in our head "Jesus I am sorry for the sin I committed" however, this type of confession is hardly the type of confession Jesus intended for us--especially when the Bible states otherwise! To stand in front of a representative of Christ, whom God has given the authority to be His stand-in, and actually state aloud the sin, which was committed with true contrition, is not an easy thing to do--think about it? Once an individual goes to confession and actually states the sin aloud with true contrition, it is guaranteed that a relief and cleansing will immediately follow, as well as a strong sense of forgiveness--there is no doubt that you are forgiven--you know! Confession gives the penitent a fresh start to perhaps work with a strong passion to never commit the sin. Not only does confession cleans the soul, it is pleasing to God and He fills the soul with graces.
Throughout the history of mankind, God has used humans to give us His messages. He gave us the prophets to instruct His people and to advise them of their many sins and offences and to tell them what they needed to do to make amends to God. He appointed priests to make scarifies to atone for the many offences committed against Him. This is how God communicates His message to man until in His wisdom, love and mercy He sent His Son, to become man to teach us in His own words, how to live a life pleasing to God. Then He became the sacrifice of atonement for the sins of man committed against His Father. Knowing our human nature and how we continue to fail God, Jesus ordained 12 men and commissioned them to continue His sacrifice (Lk. 22:19) and he gave them the power to forgive our sins (Jn 20:21-23) that we may know our sins are forgiven and that we may have His peace.
It is man's obligation to examine his life in regard to the teachings of Jesus and to acknowledge where he has failed. How else are we able to make amends if we do not first admit to our sins and failings? Then to hear the words of the priest "I absolve you..."
In the Old Testament, God prepared His people for the coming of His Son. His Son came, reconciled us with the Father and left us a church to assure and continue the reconciliation through the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Penance. All this so that man may know His Peace.
1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."
(Q): What exactly is the Anointing of the Sick?
(A): The anointing of the sick has its roots in scripture and has been around from the beginning of the church. In Jas 5:14-15, the elders in the early church stated, "Is any 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 sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. This sacrament does not guarantee that the individual will be physically healed, nor does it guarantee that one will go to heaven. The sacrament may not bring physical healing but if one is open they will be spiritually healed. One must be heartily sorry for all sins in order to go to heaven.(Q): Does one have to be on their deathbed to receive this sacrament?
(A): According to the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, no 73, Anointing of the Sick is not a sacrament for those only who are at the point of death. Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived.(Q): What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state?
(A):1499 "By the sacred anointing of the sick and the prayer of the priests the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. And indeed she exhorts them to contribute to the good of the People of God by freely uniting themselves to the Passion and death of Christ."
1526 "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters 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 sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (Jas 5:14-15).1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age.
1528 The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.
1529 Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he has received it, the illness worsens.
1530 Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself.
1531 The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.
1532 The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ,
- for his own good and that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.
(Q): What are Holy Orders?
(A): Holy Orders are the sacrament of a religious who is called to become a priest. Many graces are pour out upon those who are called to this path in life.(Q): What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state?
(A):1536 Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry. It includes three degrees: episcopate, presbyterate, and diaconate.
1575 Christ himself chose the apostles and gave them a share in his mission and authority. Raised to the Father's right hand, he has not forsaken his flock but he keeps it under his constant protection through the apostles, and guides it still through these same pastors who continue his work today. Thus, it is Christ whose gift it is that some be apostles, others pastors. He continues to act through the bishops.
1576 Since the sacrament of Holy Orders is the sacrament of the apostolic ministry, it is for the bishops as the successors of the apostles to hand on the "gift of the Spirit," the "apostolic line." Validly ordained bishops, i.e., those who are in the line of apostolic succession, validly confer the three degrees of the sacrament of Holy Orders.
(Q): Why is Marriage a sacrament?
(A): Because Christ taught us that the union of a man and woman should be permanent until death. Christ said in Mt 19:4-6: "Have you not read that the creator form the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wire, and the two shall become one?" Then Jesus states in Mt. 19:8-9: "It was because you were so unteachable, he said, that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning. Now I say to you: The man who divorces his wife-I am not speaking of fornication-and marries another, is guilty of adultery."(Q): What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church state?
(A):1601 The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."
1639 The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself. From their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by the divine law, even in the eyes of society." The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man: "Authentic married love is caught up into divine love."
1640 Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God's fidelity. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.
The grace of the sacrament of Matrimony
1641 " By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God." This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple's love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they "help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children."
