Baptism - Part 1 (Jan. 2002 issue)
Baptism - Part 2 (Feb. 2002 issue)
Reconciliation (March 2002 issue)
Holy Communion (April 2002 issue)
Confirmation (May/June 2002 issue)
Holy Orders (July/Aug 2002 issue)
Matrimony (October 2002 issue)
Anointing of the Sick (November 2002 issue)

Sacraments: An Overview

In order to share the tenets of our faith, each issue of this year's FAITH Magazine will focus on one of the seven sacraments. Rita Thiron, Associatate Director of the Office for Worship will briefly trace history, theology, and the rites surrounding the sacraments.

What does "sacrament" really mean?

The old Baltimore Catechism defined a sacrament as "an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace." But that only tells part of the story.

Early Christians used the Greek word mysterion - "that to which signs referred; a reality laced with the unseen presence of God." Translated into Latin, this word became sacramentum (Sacra - to set apart and mentum - the means or instrument). In the Roman era, a sacramentum was a pledge of money or property deposited by parties as a guarantee of a contract. Soldiers, too, swore a sacramentum or an oath of allegiance to their commander.

A "sign" of something greater? In Catholic liturgy we use "signs perceptible to the senses" (Sacrosanctum Concilium #7) - oil, water, bread, wine, laying on of hands, words, etc. But these signs have an effect; they cause what they signify. They are efficacious because in them Christ Himself is at work: it is He who baptizes, He who acts in His sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies. The Father always hears the prayer of His Son's Church, ... (as she) expresses her faith in the power of the Sirit ... (CCC 1127).

How do sacraments work?

The sacraments act ex opere operato (literally "by the very fact of the action being performed"), i.e., by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that "the sacraments are not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God" (CCC 1128).

The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions (CCC 1131).

The seven sacraments thouch all stages of life and all the important moments of Christian life (CCC #1210).

The Sacraments of Initiation
1 Baptism
2 Confirmation
3 Eucharist

The Sacraments of Healing
4 Reconciliation
5 Annointing of the Sick

The Sacraments of Vocation
6 Marriage
7 Ordination

Some sacraments can be received only once, since they impart a special "character" - baptism, confirmation, and holy orders.

Timeline: 6 Events of the 7 Sacraments

Jesus Christ 30-33 A.D.
Christ instituted the Church with its sacramental nature firmly founded on Scripture and tradition.

Early Church 90-350
The early Christians loosely applied the term "sacrament" to a variety of experiences, ritual actions and objects - the washing of feet, the sign of the cross, etc.

St. Augustine 354-430
Augustine spoke broadly of the sacraments - their effects, their administration, and their fruitfulness.

2nd Council of Lyons 1274
In the 13th century, the Second Council of Lyons (1274), based on the writings of Peter Lombard in his Book of Sentences, defined the seven sacraments we have today.

Council of Florence 1439
The Council of Florence (1439) said the sacraments "contained and conferred grace."

Council of Trent 1545-1563
The Council of Trent (1545-1563) stated that there were "no more nor less than seven" and defined them more clearly.

Theology Profile: Edward Schillebeeckx

What's the Number One Sacrament? Jesus

For centuries, theologians have argued metaphysical realities, discussed matter and form, and debated validity and liceity. All these are important issues. But in this century, theologian Edward Schillebeeckx, wrote of sacraments in a much more intimate way. At God's own invitation, we meet Him in grace, we encounter Him. Jesus, Schillebeeckx says, is the primordial sacrament - by His incarnation, passion, death and resurrection, Jesus was/is our greatest encounter with God. Through the redemptive acts of Jesus, the divine bestowal of grace itself was realized in human form.

Further, Schillebeeckx sees the Church as a sacrament of Christ. Through symbolic actions and the calling down of the Holy Spirit prayed through Christ our mediator, the Church is an enduring incarnation. "By her relationship with Christ, the Church is a kind of sacrament or sign of intimate union with God, and of the unity of all mankind. She is also an instrument for the achievement of such union and unity ... " (Lumen Gentium 2).

The Rites

In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963), the Second Vatican Council called for a revision of all the liturgical books, but especially those rites that pertained to the sacraments (nn. 47-50, 59-78). This series of articles will draw heavily from these revised rites for they, better than any tome, express what we believe about our relationship with God and the effect of these sacramental moments. This is an ancient principle - lex orandi, lex credendi. In short, the rules of our prayers reveal what we believe and what we believe formulates our prary. They are inextricably linked. Sacramental rites express and deepen our understanding of the sacraments.

We encourage you to read more about the sacraments and/or to attend religious education classes at your parish.