Sacraments of the Catholic Church

8/2/2019 Sacraments of the Catholic Church

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Sacraments of the Catholic Church

The Sacraments of the Catholic Church are, the Roman Catholic Church teaches, "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 eachsacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions."[1]

Though not every individual has to receive every sacrament, the Church affirms that, for believers as a

whole, the sacraments are necessary for salvation, as the modes of grace divinely instituted

by Christ Himself.[2]Likewise, as the sole dispenser of Christ's sacraments, the Catholic Church itself is

spoken of as "The universal Sacrament of salvation" containing the individual seven sacraments. Through

each of these sacraments, according to the Church, Christ bestows that sacrament's particular grace, such

as incorporation into Christ and the Church, forgiveness of sins, or consecration for a particular service.

The Church teaches that the effect of a sacrament comesex opere operato, by the very fact of being

administered, regardless of the personal holiness of the minister administering it.[3] However, a recipient's

own lack of proper disposition to receive the grace conveyed can block the effectiveness of the sacrament

in that person. The sacraments presuppose faith and through their words and ritual elements, nourish,

strengthen and give expression to faith.[4]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists the sacraments as follows: "The whole liturgical life of the

Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. There are seven sacraments in the

Church: Baptism,Confirmation orChrismation,Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders,

and Matrimony."

Sacraments of Christian initiation

The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Churchstates: "Christian initiation is accomplished by

means of the sacraments which establish the foundations of Christian life. The faithful born anew by

Baptism are strengthened by Confirmation and are then nourished by the Eucharist."[6]

Baptism

The Catholic Church sees baptism as the first and basic sacrament of Christian initiation.

[7]

In the WesternorLatin Rite of the Church, baptism is usually conferred today by pouring water three times on the

recipient's head, while reciting the baptismal formula: "I baptize youin the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit" (cf. Matthew 28:19). In theEastern Catholic Churches ofByzantine

Rite immersion or submersion is used, and the formula is: "The servant of God, N., is baptized in the name

of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."[8] Though sprinkling is not normally used, its validity is

accepted, provided that the water flows over the skin, since otherwise it is not a washing.[9][10]The ordinary
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minister of the sacrament is a bishop or priest, or (in the Western Church, but not in the Eastern Catholic

Churches) a deacon. In case of necessity, anyone intending to do what the Church does, even if that

person is not a Christian, can baptize.[11]The sacrament frees from original sin and all personal sins, and

from the punishment due to them. Baptism makes the person share in the Trinitarian life of God through

"sanctifying grace", (the grace of justification that incorporates the person into the body of Christ and his

Church), also making the person a sharer in the priesthood of Christ. It imparts the"theological"

virtues (faith,hope, and charity) and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and marks the baptized person with a

spiritual seal or character that indicates permanent belonging to Christ. Baptism is the foundation of

communion between all Christians. The many symbols of baptism include a white garment, symbolizing

innocence and purity, a candle, symbolising the Light of Christ, the Oil of Chrism, which is used to anoint

the baby or candidate (catechumen) being baptised, and the water, which symbolizes cleansing and the

washing away of sin.

Confirmation

Confirmation or Chrismation is the second sacrament of Christian initiation.[12]"It is called Chrismation (in

the Eastern Churches: anointing with holy myron or chrism) because the essential rite of the sacrament is

anointing with chrism. It is called Confirmation because it confirms and strengthens baptismal grace."[13] It is

conferred by "the anointing with SacredChrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop),

which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to

the rite."[14]These words, in both their Western and Eastern variants, refer to a gift of theHoly Spirit that

marks the recipient as with a seal. Through the sacrament the grace given in baptism is "strengthened and

deepened."[15]Like baptism, confirmation may be received only once, and the recipient must be in a state of

grace (meaning free from any known unconfessedmortal sin) in order to receive its effects. The

"originating" minister of the sacrament is a validly consecratedbishop; if a priest (a "presbyter") confers the

sacrament as is done ordinarily in the Eastern Churches and in special cases (such as the baptism of an

adult or in danger of the death of a young child) in theLatin Church (CCC 13121313) the link with the

higher order is indicated by the use of oil (known as "chrism" or "myron") blessed by the bishop on Holy

Thursday itself or on a day close to it. In the East, which retains the ancient practice, the sacrament is

administered by the parish priest immediately after baptism. In the West, where administration is normally

reserved for those who can understand its significance, it came to be postponed until the recipient's early

adulthood; but in view of the earlier age at which children are now admitted to reception of the Eucharist, it

is more and more restored to the traditional order and administered before giving the third sacrament of

Christian initiation.
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Eucharist

The Eucharist, also called the Most Blessed Sacrament, is the sacrament (the third of Christian initiation,

[16]the one that the Catechism of the Catholic Church says "completes Christian initiation")[17]by which

Catholics partake of the Body and Blood ofJesus Christ and participate in his one sacrifice. The first of

these two aspects of the sacrament is also called Holy Communion. The bread (which must be wheaten,

and which is unleavened in the Latin, Armenian and Ethiopic Rites, but is leavened in most Eastern Rites)

and wine (which must be from grapes) used in the Eucharistic rite are, in Catholic faith, transformed in all

but appearance into the Body and Blood of Christ, a change that is calledtransubstantiation. That is,

Catholics believe they are sacramentally, though not physically, eating and drinking the human flesh and

blood of Jesus Christ. Only a bishop orpriest is enabled to be a minister of the Eucharist, acting in the

person of Christ himself. Deacons as well as priests are ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, and lay

people may be authorized in limited circumstances to act as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.

The Eucharist is seen as "the source and summit" of Christian living, the high point of God's sanctifyingaction on the faithful and of their worship of God, the point of contact between them and the liturgy of

heaven. So important is it that participation in the Eucharistic celebration (seeMass) is seen as obligatory

on every Sunday and holy day of obligationand is recommended on other days. Also recommended for

those who participate in the Mass is reception, with the proper dispositions, of Holy Communion. This is

seen as obligatory at least once a year, during Eastertide.

Sacraments of Healing

Penance and Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Penance is the first of two sacraments of healing. The Catechism of the Catholic Church

mentions in the following orders different names of the sacrament, calling it the sacrament of conversion,

Penance, confession, forgiveness and Reconciliation.[18] It is the sacrament of spiritual healing for a

baptized person from the distancing from God resulting from sins committed. If a man sins after baptism, he

cannot have baptism as a remedy; Baptism, which is a spiritual regeneration, cannot be given a second

time.

Reconciliation involves four elements: (1) Contrition (the Penitent's sincere remorse for wrongdoing or sin,

repentance, without which the rite has no effect); (2) Confession to a Priest with the faculty to hear

confessions (Canon 966.1) while it may be spiritually helpful to confess to another, only a Priest has the

power to administer the sacrament; (3) Absolution by the Priest; and, (4) Satisfaction or Penance.

"Many sins wrong our neighbour. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return

stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice

requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God
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and neighbour. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised

up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends

for the sin: he must 'make satisfaction for' or 'expiate' his sins. This satisfaction is also called 'penance'"

(CCC 1459). In early Christian centuries, this element of satisfaction was quite onerous and generally

preceded absolution, but now it usually involves a simple task for the penitent to perform, to make some

reparation and as a medicinal means of strengthening against further temptation.

The priest is bound by the "seal of confession", which is inviolable. "Accordingly, it is absolutely wrong for a

confessor in any way to betray the penitent, for any reason whatsoever, whether by word or in any other

fashion."[19]A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs an automatic excommunication

whose lifting is reserved to the Holy See.[20]

In some dioceses, certain sins are "reserved" which means only certain confessors can absolve them.

Some sins, such as violation of the sacramental seal, consecration of bishops without authorization by the

Holy See, direct physical attacks on the Pope, and intentional desecration of the Eucharist are reserved to

the Holy See. A special case-by-case faculty from the Sacred Penitentiary is normally required to absolve

these sins.

Anointing of the Sick

Anointing of the Sick is the second sacrament of healing. In this sacrament a priest anoints the sick with oil

blessed specifically for that purpose. "The anointing of the sick can be administered to any member of the

faithful who, having reached the use of reason, begins to be in danger by reason of illness or old age"

(canon 1004; cf. CCC 1514). A new illness or a worsening of health enables a person to receive the

sacrament a further time.

When, in the Western Church, the sacrament was conferred only on those inimmediate danger of death, it

came to be known as "Extreme Unction", i.e. "Final Anointing", administered as one of theLast Rites. The

other Last Rites are Confession (if the dying person is physically unable to confess, at least absolution,

conditional on the existence of contrition, is given), and the Eucharist, which when administered to the dying

is known as "Viaticum", a word whose original meaning inLatin was "provision for a journey".

Sacraments at the service of communion

Holy Orders

Holy Orders is the sacrament by which a man is made abishop, a priest, or a deacon, and thus dedicated

to be an image of Christ. A bishop is the minister of this sacrament. Ordination as a bishop confers the

fullness of the sacrament, making the bishop a member of the body of successors of the Apostles, and
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giving him the mission to teach, sanctify, and govern, along with the care of all the Churches. Ordination as

a priest configures the priest to Christ the Head of the Church and the one essential High Priest, and

conferring on him the power, as the bishops' assistant, to celebrate the sacraments and other liturgical acts,

especially the Eucharist. Ordination as a deacon configures the deacon to Christ the Servant of All, placing

him at the service of the bishop, especially in the Church's exercising of Christian charity towards the poor

and preaching of the word of God.

Aspirants to the priesthood are required by canon law (canon 1032 of the Code of Canon Law) to go

through a seminary program that includes, as well as graduate level philosophical and theological studies, a

formation program that includes spiritual direction, retreats, apostolate experience, etc. The course of

studies in preparation for ordination as a permanent deacon is decided by theepiscopal

conference concerned.

Marriage

Matrimony, or Marriage, like Holy Orders, is a sacrament that consecrates for a particular mission in

building up the Church, and that provides grace for accomplishing that mission. This sacrament, seen as a

sign of the love uniting Christ and the Church, establishes between the spouses a permanent and exclusive

bond, sealed by God. Accordingly, a marriage betweenbaptized people, validly entered into and

consummated, cannot be dissolved. The sacrament confers on them the grace they need for attaining

holiness in their married life and for responsible acceptance and upbringing of their children. As a condition

for validity, the sacrament is celebrated in the presence of the local Ordinary orParish Priest or of a cleric

delegated by them (or in certain limited circumstances a lay person delegated by the diocesan Bishop with

the approval of the Episcopal Conference and the permission of the Holy See) and at least two other

witnesses,[21]though in the theological tradition of the Latin Church the ministers of the sacrament are the

couple themselves. For a valid marriage, a man and a woman must express their conscious and free

consent to a definitive self-giving to the other, excluding none of the essential properties and aims of

marriage. If one of the two is a non-Catholic Christian, their marriage is licit only if the permission of the

competent authority of the Catholic Church is obtained. If one of the two is not a Christian (i.e. has not

beenbaptized), the competent authority's dispensation is necessary for validity.
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St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas discussed the biblical justification for the Sacraments inSumma contra

Gentiles and Summa Theologica.

Validity and liceity of administration of the sacraments

As stated above, the effect of the sacraments comes ex opere operato (by the very fact of being

administered). Since it is Christ who operates through them, their effectiveness does not depend on the

worthiness of the minister. The belief that the validity of the sacrament is dependent upon the holiness of

the administrator was rejected in the Donatistcrisis.

However, an apparent administration of a sacrament is invalid, if the person acting as minister does not

have the necessary power (as if a deacon were to celebrateMass). They are also invalid if the required

"matter" or "form" is lacking. The matter is the perceptible material object, such as water in baptism or

wheaten bread and grape wine for the Eucharist, or the visible action. The form is the verbal statement that

specifies the signification of the matter, such as, (in the Western Church), "N., I baptize you in the name of

the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". Furthermore, if the minister positively excludes some

essential aspect of the sacrament, the sacrament is invalid. This last condition lies behind the 1896

judgement of the Holy See denying the validity ofAnglican Orders.

A sacrament may be administered validly, but illicitly, if a condition imposed by canon law is not observed.

Obvious cases are administration of a sacrament by a priest under a penalty of excommunication or

suspension, and an episcopal ordination without a mandate from the Pope.

Canon lawspecifies impediments to reception of the sacraments of orders and marriage. Those concerning

the first of these two sacraments only concern liceity, but "a diriment impediment renders a person

incapable of validly contracting a marriage" (canon 1073).

In theLatin Church, only the Holy See can authentically declare when divine law prohibits or invalidates a

marriage, and only the Holy See has the right to establish for those who are baptised other impediments to

marriage (canon 1075). But individualEastern Catholic Churches, after having fulfilled certain requirements

that include consulting (but not necessarily obtaining approval from) the Holy See, may establish

impediments (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, canon 792).

If an impediment is imposed by merely ecclesiastical law, rather than being a matter of divine law, the

Church may grant a dispensation from the impediment.

Conditions for validity of marriage such as sufficient use of reason (canon 1095) and freedom from coercion

(canon 1103), and the requirement that, normally, a marriage be contracted in the presence of the local

Ordinary or parish priest or of the priest or deacon delegated by either of them, and in the presence of two
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_contra_Gentileshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_contra_Gentileshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_contra_Gentileshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_Theologicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_Theologicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(liturgy)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Ordershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Ordershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Ritehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Ritehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churcheshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churcheshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churcheshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_contra_Gentileshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_contra_Gentileshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_Theologicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donatisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_(liturgy)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Ordershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Ritehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches


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witnesses (canon 1108), are not classified in the Code of Canon Law as impediments, but have much the

same effect.

Three of the sacraments may not be repeated: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders: their effect is

permanent. This teaching has been expressed by the images of, in the West, an indeliblecharacter or

mark and of, in the East, a seal (CCC 698). However, if there is doubt about the validity of the

administration of one or more of these sacraments, a conditional form of conferral may be used, such as: "If

you are not already baptized, I baptize you "[22]

In the still recent past, it was common practice in the Catholic Church to baptize conditionally almost every

convert from Protestantism because of a perceived difficulty in judging about the validity in any concrete

instance. In the case of the major Protestant denominations, agreements involving assurances about the

manner in which they administer baptism has ended this practice, which sometimes continues for other

groups of Protestant tradition. The Catholic Church has always recognized the validity of baptism in the

Churches ofEastern Christianity, but it has explicitly denied the validity of the baptism conferred inthe

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[23]It does not recognize a baptismal ceremony in which the

names of the three Persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are replaced by descriptions such as

Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, and requires that the conditional form should not be used when baptizing

people who have received this kind of baptism.[24]

Ordinary and extraordinary ministers of the sacraments

Ministers of Sacraments in the Catholic Church

Sacrament Ordinary ministers Extraordinary ministers

Baptism

bishop, priest or (in the Western

Church) deacon, but reserved normally

to the parish priest.[25]

Laity delegated by the bishop.[26]

In case of necessity: Anyone

(baptized or unbaptized) who has the

required intention, which is the will to

do what the Church does when she

baptizes.[27]

Confirmatio

nBishop

Priest given faculty by law or special

grant. For example always in a) the

Eastern Church, b) emergency

circumstances, c) an adult's baptism, d)

conversion to the Catholic Church.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramental_characterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramental_characterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramental_characterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saintshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saintshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saintshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priesthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaconhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramental_characterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacramental_characterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-21http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestantismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Christianityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saintshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saintshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-22http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-23http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baptismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priesthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaconhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-24http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-25http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_(Catholic_Church)


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Eucharist

Consecration: Bishop or priest

Distribution: Bishop, priest, or

deacon (see Holy Communion)

Exposition: Bishop, priest, or

deacon (see Eucharistic adoration)

Consecration: None

Distribution of Holy Communion

(licit only if not enough clergy):

Instituted acolyte or another lay

person delegated by the diocesan

bishop or, in special cases, authorized

by the priest presiding at Mass[28]

Exposition: Instituted acolyte;

extraordinary minister of Holy

Communion or another person

deputed by the local Ordinary

Penance Bishop or priest. Juridical authoritynecessary. None

Anointing of

the SickBishop or priest None

Holy OrdersBishop (for liceity, at least three at an

episcopal ordination)

Episcopal ordinations may proceed with

just one consecrating bishop, formal

dispensation from the Pope required. In

the Eastern Churches, an Archimandrite

may admit his subjects to minor orders.

Matrimony

Husband and wife for each other(Western tradition; clergy (bishop,

priest, or deacon) with proper

jurisdiction act as witnesses necessary

for validity, not as ministers); officiating

priest with proper

jurisdiction[29] (Eastern tradition)

In Eastern canon law, husband and wife

can, in the presence of witnesses, marry

without a priest if in danger of death or if

it can be reasonably foreseen that no

priest with proper jurisdiction can be

approached within a month.[30]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Communionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharistic_adorationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrament_of_Penance_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anointing_of_the_Sickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anointing_of_the_Sickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Ordershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimandritehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_marriagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-28http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Churchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Communionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharistic_adorationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrament_of_Penance_(Catholic_Church)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anointing_of_the_Sickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anointing_of_the_Sickhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Ordershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimandritehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_marriagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-28http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church

Documents

Sacraments of the Catholic Church