Catholicism and the Seven Sacraments in the Early Modern World

By Bradley Howells

Professor M. Cary

SLA 200 02

December 4, 2017
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Beginning at the start of the common era, the establishment of Christianity grew slowly

before taking root and expanding globally at a rapid pace. It was during the first century when

growth of this religion was slow, it began to take root in the second, and it spread immeasurable

distances come the third. After the third century, Christianity continued to grow, eventually

becoming the largest religion in the world and the official religion of the Roman Empire.

Through a sense of belonging, familiarity, and a message of salvation, individuals wanted to

identify as Christian.1 Roman Catholicism was the particular branch of Christianity practiced

during the years leading up to and including parts of the early modern world since this was the

only form of Christianity, given the Protestant Reformation had not yet taken place. In order to

identify as a practicing Catholic, certain rites must be recognized and observed, and these are the

seven sacraments. Firmly established in the early modern world by the Council of Trent in 1547,

an embodiment of the Counter-Reformation, the seven sacraments were the main religious

practices of Roman Catholics at this time, ultimately remaining true to the present day.

The Council of Trent and the Seven Sacraments of the Early Modern World

Between December 13, 1545 and December 4, 1563, an ecumenical council of the

Roman Catholic Church, the Council of Trent, met for twenty-five sessions in Trento, Italy to

issue condemnations heresies committed by Protestantism after the Reformation and also issue

clarifications on Catholic doctrines and teachings through three popes.2 Protestants were not

happy with the Catholics, therefore, “in the sixteenth century, just when European Catholicism

was experiencing global expansion, Protestant criticism put the validity of the sacraments on

trial. Faced with this challenge, the Council of Trent’s decrees placed the sacraments at the

junction between discipline and doctrine.”3 Several devout Catholics were on the council because

it has been documented that, “from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, the bulk of the
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legislation on the sacraments was produced by a constant activity of the Roman bureaucracy

(Propagation of the Faith, Holy Office, and Congregation of Council).”4 During the celebration

of seventh session on March 3, 1547, the seven sacraments were established and reaffirmed since

they have such a high importance. The majority of the council’s attention was given to this

particular session.5 Baptism, Conformation, Eucharist, Penance (Reconciliation), Matrimony,

Order (Holy Orders), and Extreme Unction (Last Rites/Anointing of the Sick) are the seven

codified in their official documents that were practiced during that time and which are still

practiced today.6 Each one of these are special and carry a true, deep meaning because, “the

seven sacraments are 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 each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who

receive them with the required dispositions.”7 Within the seventh decree, several cannons

provide direct statements on what the sacraments are, why they are to be respected, and why they

are essential. The first cannon establishes these sacraments stating, “If anyone says that the

sacraments of the New Law were not all instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, or that there are

more or less than seven, namely, baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, penance, extreme unction,

order and matrimony, or that any one of these seven is not truly and intrinsically a sacrament, let

him be anathema.”8 In the fourth cannon, it states, “If anyone says that the sacraments of the

New Law are not necessary for salvation but are superfluous, and that without them or without

the desire of them men obtain from God through faith alone the grace of justification, though all

are not necessary for each one, let him be anathema” since they are truly so important for a

Roman Catholic to obtain salvation. 9

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Biblical References to the Sacraments

Several Biblical references can be traced to each sacrament. Sacraments must be

administered to each Catholic by priest and nobody else, or they will not be legitimate because,

“sacrament can only be instituted by appointing and commanding the form and matter of the

sacrament, which comes from a priest’s holy powers.10 “Matter” would include oil that is used

for confirmation, and “form” would be used when the administer states something along the lines

of, “I sign thee with the sign of the cross, and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the

name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” during conformation, for example.11

Through Baptism, individuals are set free from original sin, born again, admitted, and adopted

into the church by being blessed with Holy Water over the head in the name of the Father, and of

the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In John’s Gospel, he states, “Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say

to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”12 Through

Confirmation, baptized individuals receive the Holy Spirit and become one with Christ’s Church.

In the Acts of the Apostles, it is stated, “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria

had accepted the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for

them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them, they had

only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they

received the holy Spirit.”13 The Eucharist first took place at the Last Supper, and it is included in

the celebration of Mass. The Eucharistic Prayer said by the priest during Mass reflects on this

moment and quotes Christ, “Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be

given up for you…. Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood,

the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the

forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.”14 Penance has been renamed to “reconciliation”
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where one prays their Act of Contrition, confesses to a priest, who acts on behalf of Christ, the

wrongdoings they have committed before asking for and being granted absolution of sin, and

then completes their assigned Penance. In John’s Gospel, it states, “Jesus said to them again,

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this, he

breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are

forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.””15 In order for there to be more children,

two people must fall in love, join together, and produce children for the world. Two should be

married to do this, and God wants his children to find somebody they love and connect with. In

Matthew’s Gospel, it is states, “He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the

Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and

mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer

two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.””16

Order (Holy Orders) is a sacrament for those called upon by God to serve as a bishop, priest, or

deacon. In Acts 6:3-6, “reputable, filled the Spirit and wisdom” take part in a tradition of a pope

or bishop laying hands on a man to ordain him a deacon, into the priesthood, or bishop.17 The last

sacrament, Extreme Unction (now Anointing of the Sick/previously and commonly known as

Last Rites) is a way for an individual, God willing, to be healed from sickness and abolished of

sin through a special blessing with oils from a priest. James 5:14 states, “Is anyone among you

sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint

him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the

Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.”18

Conclusion
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Without the Council of Trent’s establishment of the seven sacraments in the early modern

world, early modern Catholics would not have been set apart from Protestants in a unique way.

“In moments of joy, sorrow, transition, hope, suffering, commitment and so on, we need rituals

that open us to the infusion of God’s grace,” and the sacrament help with this.19 They are “like a

portal or gateway into heaven” and “the amount of grace given is infinite.”20 This aspect and

religious practice by Catholics during this time period took root and created a beautiful tradition

for many years to come for the faithful Catholics.

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Notes

1. Jackson J. Spielvogel, Western Civilization: a brief history (Boston: Cengage

Learning, 2017), 142-3.

2. “Council of Trent,” Wikipedia, last modified November 7, 2017,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent.

3. Fattori, Maria Teresa, “Sacraments for the Faithful of the New World, Jews, and
Eastern-Rite Christians: Roman Legislation from Paul III to Benedict XIV (1537-1758),”
Catholic Historical Review 102, no. 4 (687-711): 687-88

4. Ibid., 708.

5. “Council of Trent”

6. “Library : Seventh Session of the Council of Trent,” Library : Seventh Session of the
Council of Trent | Catholic Culture, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?
recnum=5393

7. Catechism of the Catholic Church (Manila: ECCCE, 1994), 2.1.1.

8. “Library : Seventh Session of the Council of Trent” Library : Seventh Session of the
Council of Trent | Catholic Culture

9. Ibid.

10. "The Seven Sacraments," The Catholic Layman 2, no. 17 (1853): 56.

11. Ibid., 56-57.

12. John, Holy Bible (Wichita, KS: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2011), 3:5.

13. Acts, Holy Bible (Wichita, KS: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2011), 8: 14-17.

14. “Missal,” Eucharistic Prayer II- iBreviary,

http://www.ibreviary.com/m/messale.php?s=liturgia_eucaristica&id=73

15. John, Holy Bible (Wichita, KS: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2011), 20: 21-23.

16. Matthew, Holy Bible (Wichita, KS: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2011), 19:4-6.

17. Acts, Holy Bible (Wichita, KS: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2011), 6:3-6.

18. James, Holy Bible (Wichita, KS: Fireside Catholic Publishing, 2011), 5:14.
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19. Neela Kale, “How have the seven sacraments changed over time?,” Busted Halo, last
modified September 14, 2013, http://bustedhalo.com/questionbox/how-have-the-seven-
sacraments-changed-over-time.

20. “The Seven Sacraments,” Catholic Bible 101,

http://www.catholicbible101.com/thesevensacraments.htm.
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“The Seven Sacraments.” Catholic Bible 101. Accessed November 22, 2017.

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