A.

SACRAMENTS IN GENERAL

In order to impart a sense of gratitude to God in His goodness in the Sacraments, the
students may be able to;
1. Trace the origin of the word” sacrament”
2. Discuss sacrament as instituted by Christ, by and for her Church, to sanctify men, confer grace,
until God will be everything for everyone.
3. Express gratitude to God for His goodness and love as revealed by Christ, proclaim and witness
by the Church through the Sacraments.

1. Meaning of the word ‘Sacrament’

The English word “sacrament” comes from the latin sacramentum.. The early Church
applied the word sacramentum to the whole of God’s saving activity. This word was used to
translate the New Testament Greek term “Mysterion” (Rm 16:25-26), for the sacraments are
called mysteries in the Eastern Churches. The word Mysterion was used to refer to God’s plan
of salvation as a whole as well as the several phases of realization of that plan, whose center is
Jesus Christ.
A sacrament is an outward efficacious sign instituted by Christ to give grace. Jesus Christ
himself is the sacrament, as he gave his life to save mankind. His humanity is the outward sign
or the instrument of his Divinity. It is through his humanity that the life of the Father and the
Holy Spirit come to us as grace through the sacraments. It is Jesus Christ alone who mediates
the sacraments to allow grace to flow to mankind.

Sacraments as “symbols” do not merely indicate a meaning or an effect. They are rather
per formative word event – like Jesus’ own ministry of words and deeds.
They are real happenings that make present the reality they express. Jesus continues to
offer us His life, healing and forgiveness by means of concrete things (water, oil, bread,
etc.), gestures (washing, anointing, eating, etc.) and words because we are human persons,
embodied spirits who can perceive spiritual realities through concrete, material means.
Thus by being washed with the water of baptism, a person really becomes a partaker of the
new life in Christ, or by partaking in the Eucharistic meal, a person really receives Christ, the
Living Bread.
The Gospel of Mark 5:25-34 describes a woman afflicted with hemorrhage touched the
cloak of Jesus and was immediately healed. This event serves as an apt symbol of Sacrament -
the power that flows out from the body of Jesus, in order to effect both remission of sin and
new life in Christ.

2. Sacrament of Christ

Christ is the origin of all the sacraments by first being the SACRAMENT of the Father’s love
for humanity. In His Son’s becoming man, the Father made His great healing love visible to
humanity. By His preaching and His works of mercy, Jesus made visible the love and
compassion of the Father. Each of the seven sacraments unfolds or reveals an aspect of the
 saving ministry of Christ. He also established the Church, His community of disciples, in and
through which He desires that His saving works be carried on.

3. The Church as the Fundamental Sacrament

By being the community of Christ’s disciples, the Body of Christ, and by her mission of
continuing the saving mission of Christ, the Church is the SACRAMENT, the visible presence
of Christ in the world today. She makes Christ present among men and women in the world
by her work of proclaiming the Word of God, by being servant of the needs of God’s people,
and above all, by celebrating those actions that continue Christ’s ministry. In each of the
seven sacraments, it is Christ who acts through his Church. Thus, in the sacrament of
reconciliation, it is Christ who forgives through his Church. Thus, in the sacrament of
reconciliation, it is Christ who forgives through his Church, it is Christ who gives His life-
giving Body and Blood in the Eucharist through the Church.
THE SACRAMENT OF THE CHURCH
The Seven Sacraments are the core to the nature of the
Church as a community and in its mission as the living presence of
Christ in the world. This calls for two emphases.
1. The first is that the seven ritual sacraments of the Church
are grounded on

a. Christ’s being the SACRAMENTS OF GOD’S

LOVE for humanity
b. The Church’s being the SACRAMENT OF CHRIST
in the world today.
1. The connection between the seven ritual sacraments and
the everyday life of the Sacraments.

Catholic as well as Eastern Orthodox Churches all recognized the seven sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.
The three sacraments of Christian Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. The
two sacraments of Healing are Penance and the Anointing of the Sick, and the two sacraments
of Vocation are Holy Orders and Marriage. Three sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy
Orders, are given once, as they render a permanent seal or character upon one's soul (2
Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 4:30, Revelations 7:3).

SACRAMENT SIGNS MEANING

1. Baptism Water Cleansing
2. Confirmation Oil Strength
3. Eucharist Bread and Wine Body and Blood
4. Reconciliation Sign of the Cross Absolution
5. Anointing of the sick Chrism Comfort for the Sick
6. Holy Order Prostration Leader / Servant
7. Matrimony Ring and Arrhae Eternal bond
 Each sacrament consists of a visible external rite, which is
composed of matter and form, the matter being the action, such as the
pouring of water, and the form being the words spoken by the minister.
Each sacramental rite confers a special ecclesial effect and sacramental
grace appropriate for each sacrament. The sacraments occur at pivotal
events and give meaning to a person's life.

The sacraments act ex opere operato, by the very fact of the

action being performed, independent of the minister. The effect on the person receiving the
sacrament is called ex opere operantis, and depends on the interior disposition of the receiver.

4. The Sacrament of Faith

The sacraments effectively confer on us this life-giving and liberating presence of God when
we celebrate them with the necessary disposition of faith. Faith in celebrating the
sacraments means that we believe that Christ is offering His life, love and healing through
the sacrament; that we trust in His power to give life, or in His desire to forgive, and, that
we allow the sacrament to direct our behavior to thinking, acting and praying like Christ.
SACRAMENTS DRAW US INTO A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHURCH AND THEREBY
WITH GOD, FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT
The grace that the sacraments confer is not some quantifiable thing, but rather God’s
liberating and life-giving presence and loving relationship with us through the Risen Christ.
In the sacraments, Christ’s saving actions in the past are made present and effective by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

5. The Sacrament of Salvation and of Eternal Life

Grace is a favor, the free and undeserved gift from God through Christ Jesus, to help us
respond to his call to become children of God, to become partakers of the divine nature and of
eternal life. Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is a participation in the life of
God and is necessary for salvation
#1212 – The Sacraments of Christian initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist – lay
the foundations of every Christian life.
“The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a
certain likeness to the origin, development and nourishment of natural life. The faithful are
born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the
Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they
thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the
perfection of charity.”
The importance of the Sacraments in our Christian lives is very great, for through the
Sacraments:
1. Christ gives or makes grow the divine life in us which He has merited on the Cross;
 2. Christ unites us with himself;
3. Christ makes us lead better Catholic lives.

As actions of Christ and of the Church, they are signs and means by which faith is expressed
and strengthened, worship is offered to God and our sanctification is brought about. Thus they
contribute in the most effective manner to establishing, strengthening and manifesting
ecclesiastical communion.
Accordingly, in the celebration of the sacraments both the sacred ministers and all the
other members of Christ’s faithful must show great reverence and due care.