Tiber River Cafe--Seven Sacraments

Hello, and welcome to the Tiber River Café.  My name is Dean Humphreys.  Today’s topic is the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church; the Sacraments are the visible signs given to us by Jesus to give grace.

The Catholic Church recognizes seven Sacraments: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony (marriage), Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation (also known as confession).  We believe that there is a sacred reality to each of the Sacraments and that each Sacrament points us towards Jesus.  Catholics believe that each of the Sacraments was instituted by Jesus himself, pointing to Biblical events in the life and ministry, as well as the stories and teachings, of Jesus of Nazareth, our Lord and Savior. 

Let’s first start with the word ‘sacrament’ which comes from the word ‘sacramentum’.  Sacramentum is a Latin word which means “a sign of the sacred”, and the Sacraments point to and reflect that which is sacred and important to Christians.  Basically a Sacrament is “a visible sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace.”  Sacraments represent our tradition as Christians, our past and future, as well as our hope.  The Sacraments are our celebration of our Catholic faith, a celebration of our Christian lives, because the Sacraments are those special moments in our lives when we experience God’s presence in our lives.  And to fully understand and appreciate our Sacraments is to fully participate in the life of the Church.

Each of the Sacraments also points to the Christian life, as we participate as a faith community, in the celebration of the Sacraments.   The Sacraments are signs and a means to God’s graces, the graces that are needed to live a truly Christian life.  The Church teaches that we cannot earn grace, for God’s grace is a free gift of Himself as the controlling influence in our lives.  Sacraments are the life of the Church for they help to make us more holy people, they help to build up the Body of Christ, and they point us towards God. 

There is both a visible as well as invisible reality to each of the Sacraments.  The visible expression is what we can see, as well as what we can smell, touch, taste, and hear—we use our five senses to experience this outward expression of our faith.  There is also an invisible reality in which we cannot readily see God’s grace, the graces which are the free and loving gifts that God shares with us, his children, which is to help us grow as disciples of Jesus, to show us the way to eternal salvation.  When the Sacrament is administered in the way Jesus established, and with the proper intention, then the Sacrament gives freely the grace it signifies.  The Sacraments are not dependent upon the worthiness of the person, but are rather completely dependent upon the power of Jesus.  The power of our Lord and Savior lives in the Sacraments. 

Let’s take a moment to briefly discuss sacramentals.  Sacramentals are not the same as Sacraments.  The Sacraments were given to the Church by Jesus, to be administered by the Church, and the Sacraments provide graces absolutely necessary for our eternal salvation.  Sacramentals on the other hand have a resemblance to the Sacraments, but sacramentals do not give us the grace of God.  Sacramentals will include a prayer and an outward sign or symbol, such as laying on of hands, making the sign of the cross, sprinkling holy water.  Sacramentals do not confer grace but they do prepare us to receive God’s grace and helps us to better cooperate with God’s grace.  Sacramentals include religious signs, symbols, both public and private devotions and prayers such as the Rosary, gestures, rituals, music, images, as well as natural or made objects such as sacred oils, water, candles, and the vestments worn by clergy.  Sacramentals also include our gestures during times of prayer and worship, such as standing, kneeling, prostrating, bowing, sitting, as well as making the sign of the cross. 

Sacramentals also include ritual words such as amen which is the Hebrew word for ‘so be it’, the Hebrew word ‘alleluia’ which means ‘praise the Lord’, as well as the Hebrew word ‘hosanna’ which means ‘please, save us.’  Sacramentals also include various Christian symbols such as the cross, lamb, fish, incense, and the palm branch.  There are a wealth of sacramentals that we can cherish and use to help us move closer to God, we can basically pick and choose which ones move us, which ones mean something special to us.  Remember, we can choose which of the sacramentals we may want to incorporate, many or few, whatever helps us in our spiritual journey.  The Sacraments are necessary for our eternal salvation, whereas sacramentals simply help point us in the proper direction.

Next we will take a brief look at the general and basic concepts of each of the Sacraments.  Remember, the seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation, and Holy Orders; and each Sacrament was given to us by Jesus as we will see.   The first three Sacraments, Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation are called the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, because the rest of our Christian lives depends on this firm foundation.  There are two Sacraments of Healing which are the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as confession.  And there are two Sacraments of Service which are the Sacrament of Matrimony and the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 3 verse 5, Jesus tells Nicodemus that “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  Baptism is the first of the Sacraments, one of the Sacraments of Initiation (along with the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist), for in Baptism we are made a new creation, we undergo a new birth, we are born again.  We believe that Baptism washes away sin and that the baptized are brought into the life of the Church through water and Spirit, as in the Book of Acts, chapter 22 verse 16, we read “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” 

The person being baptized has water poured over their heads, or they can be immersed in water if they prefer, as the minister says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  In the Books of Acts, chapter 2 verse 38, we read, “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”  And Baptism is essential for our eternal salvation, as we read in First Peter, chapter 3 verses 20-21, “In the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is eight persons, were saved through water.  Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you.”

In the Gospel of John, chapter 6 verses 53-58, we read, “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; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”  This is the Eucharist, one of the Sacraments of Initiation, the Sacrament celebrated the most often—every time we attend Mass.  The Eucharist is the Sacrament that makes present the body and blood of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine, just like Jesus promised us in the Gospels.

In the Book of Acts, chapter 2 verses 2-4, we read about the first Pentecost, “And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”  The Sacrament of Confirmation is the last of the three Sacraments of Initiation.  The Sacrament of Confirmation perpetuates the grace of Pentecost, confirms the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and strengthens our life in Christ that began with our Baptism. Confirmation is our Pentecost.  Confirmation solidifies more firmly our bond with the Church and associates us more closely with the mission of the Church.  And Confirmation helps us to proclaim our Christian faith in words accomplished by deeds, as we are told in the Book of Acts, chapter 1 verse 8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses.”  We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, giving us the courage to continue on our faith journey.

In the Book of James, chapter 5 verses 15-16, we read, “If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”  The Sacrament of Reconciliation, also known as confession, is for those times when we turn away from God’s will in our life, at times we fail in loving God and our neighbor, and we sin—in the Sacrament of Reconciliation our loving relationships with Christ, our neighbor, and the Church are restored.  We have a conversion of heart to turn away from sin and to move in the direction of God and to follow His will, which is our eternal salvation.  Reconciliation is about admitting our sins, expressing our sorrow, resolving to try to do better in the future, and obtaining God’s magnificent gift of forgiveness.  Just like Jesus promised us in the Gospel of John, chapter 20 verse 23, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

In the Old Testament, the Book of Genesis, chapter 2 verse 24, we read, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”  This similar passage continues in the New Testament, in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5 verse 31, we read, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  The Sacrament of Matrimony, the marriage between one man and one woman, is when human love and God’s love work together to establish an enduring and faithful covenant.  Marriage is a permanent commitment between a man and a woman intended for the stability of the couple, the stability of the family, and the stability of society.

In the Book of Hebrews, chapter 5 verse 1, we read, “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.”  The Sacrament of Holy Orders continues God’s plan to have priests act as a mediator between Himself and us, His people.  Jesus sent his Apostles into the world to preach the kingdom of God, to bring people to conversion, to heal the sick and cast our demons, to forgive sins, and to celebrate the Eucharist. The three levels of Holy Orders are deacon, priest, and bishop.  Deacons are those men called to minister to the people of God in communion with the bishop and priests.  Priests are those men called to serve the local church.  And bishops are those men called to serve the wider community.  Through the laying on of hands, for 2000 years, there has been an unbroken chain in the Sacrament of ordained ministers in the Catholic Church.

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 6 verse 13, we read, “And they cast our many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.”  The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is the Sacrament of healing and forgiveness.  From the earliest apostolic times, the religious leaders have anointed and prayed over the sick for the purpose of spiritual assistance.  The purpose of the anointing is to give Christ’s own comfort and strength to the person who is suffering, who is seriously ill, or advanced in age.  We read about this in the Letter of James, chapter 5 verses 14-15, “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.”

So there you have it, a simple overview of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church; Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Reconciliation, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick.  Each of the Sacraments was instituted by Jesus himself.  Each Sacrament points to Biblical events in the life and ministry, as well as the stories and teachings, of Jesus of Nazareth.  Something to think about next Sunday at Mass.

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Well, thanks again for stopping by the Tiber River Café, where there is always plenty of room at the banquet table.  I hope to see you next time.  Peace be with you.