The Seven Sacraments: Our Encounter with the Risen Christ Part One
Jesus Christ is risen and alive, but how do we encounter him? How do we meet him? Jesus Christ is risen and alive, but how do we hear his word? How does he touch us today? The Catholic answer to these questions is the seven sacraments. Through the sacraments the risen Lord extends his saving work of salvation to the Church. Through the sacraments, we encounter the risen Christ. Given the importance of the sacraments for our Christian life, I will be devoting the next several weeks to a discussion of the seven sacraments. In the weeks ahead I will discuss each of the sacraments individually. But in today’s column, I will speak about the sacraments in general.
What is a sacrament? The traditional answer that many of us learned from the Baltimore Catechism is this: “a sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.” That definition is a good starting point for our discussion. A sacrament is a sign, something we can see, for example, the bread and wine of the Eucharist, the anointing of a sick person with oil, the laying on of hands at ordination. But like all signs, the sacramental sign points to something beyond itself—it points to an encounter with Christ. For example, the water of baptism points to the new life of the baptized; the bread and wine point to the body and blood of the risen Christ.
The sacraments, however, are not merely signs. They truly bring about what they point to—an encounter with the risen Christ and so with God. Accordingly, the baptized enter into the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection; the Eucharist is a participation in the Lord’s own life. The words of absolution bring about the forgiveness of sins. The sacraments are our encounter with the risen Christ. Each time we receive a sacrament we encounter the risen Lord. For example, in the sacrament of Marriage, the risen Lord joins man and wife in a union so close that it reflects the union between Christ and his Church. In the sacrament of Confirmation, the risen Lord sends his life-giving Spirit upon us. In the sacrament of Holy Orders, a young man is conformed to Christ as his minister. In the sacrament of Penance, Christ reconciles us to God by forgiving our sins. Put most simply, sacraments are not something we do; they are something that Christ does for us.
While most Protestant churches count two sacraments (Baptism and Eucharist), the Roman Catholic Church counts seven, which can be arranged in this way. First, there are three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. These are the sacraments by which we enter the community of the church. Second, there are two sacraments of healing: Penance (which is also called Reconciliation or Confession) and the Anointing of the Sick. By the former Christ forgives our sins. By the latter, Christ restores us to heath. Third, there are two sacraments of vocation: Marriage and Holy Order. By the first, man and woman are made one flesh in Christ. By the second a man is called to serve in the Church in the person of Christ.
The seven sacraments are at the heart of Catholic piety since Catholic Christianity expresses its spirituality through the sacramental life. To live as a Catholic is to live a sacramental life. To live a sacramental life is to live in and with Christ. To neglect the sacraments is to neglect an opportunity to live in and with Christ.
Next week, I will consider the foundational sacrament, the sacrament without which there can be no other sacrament: the Sacrament of Baptism. Father Matera