Catholic Sacraments: Channels of divine grace

Sacraments are external signs or visible symbols, which are instituted by Christ, and which provide grace or blessing to people who receive and use these signs.

Sacraments are all of the following:

• Sacraments are special means for us humans to receive God's grace; that is, they are channels of divine blessing.
• A Sacrament is a presence of the Lord in us. It is a God-experience or God-encounter.
• Sacraments constitute highly symbolic religious rituals and special ceremonies, and form part of our culture.

Further, sacraments are gifts from God in order to reinforce and strengthen our faith in God, and pointers of more divine grace and blessing to come.

The Vatican Council II (1962-65) explained the presence of Christ in sacraments, and the significance of sacraments, as follows:

• By His power Christ is present in the sacraments, so that when a man baptizes it is really Christ Himself who baptizes.
• The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called "sacraments of faith." They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity. It is therefore of the highest importance that the faithful should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should frequent with great eagerness those sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life.

The Seven Sacraments

There are seven sacraments in the Catholic Church:

• Baptism
• Confirmation or Chrismation
• Reconciliation or Confession/Penance
• Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion
• Holy Orders
• Holy Matrimony
• Anointing of the sick or Extreme Unction

As you can see, these seven sacraments touch all the important points of human life.

The sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist are called the sacraments of Christian initiation. The sacraments of Reconciliation (Confession) and Anointing of the sick (Extreme Unction) are known as the sacraments of healing. The other two sacraments -- Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony -- form the sacraments at the Service of the Communion (sacraments of vocation and commitment).

SyroMalabar.com will publish accounts of all the seven sacraments, and classes/reports on all of them.

Seven Sacraments (DVK Course)

Copyright © 2003-2005, SyroMalabar.com.  All rights reserved.