The Sacraments

Foundation of the Catholic Way

of Life
The Work of Salvation
Salvation History is a process by which God
reaches down to human beings in order to
bring them to True Happiness – a life lived
with God.
 Jesus is the climax of this history. And Jesus
promised that He would always be with His
people.
 Led by the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church came
to recognize certain actions and rituals which
became powerful signs of Christ’s presence on
earth throughout the ages and today.
The Sacraments
A Sacrament is a special sign, what we call an
EFFECTIVE SIGN, which has been given to us by
Jesus Christ which helps us share in God’s life.
What is an effective sign? A sign that brings about
what it signifies. (glow on the horizon before
sunset!)
 Each Sacrament relates to a different aspect of the
life and ministry of Jesus – thus, brining us into the
fold of Christ’s mission in Salvation History.
It only requires that we respond to God’s grace –
that’s why we need virtues, so we can respond with
a yes!
The Instruments of Grace
 Forthe Catholic Church, each Sacrament gives grace in
a special way.
 The Grace we receive from the Sacraments is called
Sanctifying Grace: this kind of grace enables us to love God,
ourselves, and others
 Sanctifying means “to make holy” and that’s what happens,
we are made holy – i.e we are made ready to enter heaven.
 Godhas bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he
himself is not bound by his sacraments. (CCC)
 This
kind of grace infuses us with a special life and
character, infusing us with the very life and love of God.
 We need only to respond to it!
The Seven Sacraments:
 TheChurch recognizes seven Sacraments, and
these help us respond to God’s work in the world
(Salvation History)
 The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who works in
these, and in a very special way.
 However, we should ask ourselves a very important
question: is grace limited to the Sacraments?
 Are the Sacraments necessary for salvation?
 What exactly are the Sacraments and how important are
they?
 Remember, we talked about the sacraments being a sure source of
Grace – not necessarily the only way to get grace.
The Life of the Church
 The Church in itself has a sacramental character, it
is an effective sign which shows us the life and
mission of Jesus.
 Inthe Liturgy of the Mass we come to know and
understand Christ and the true meaning of the
Sacraments.
 Liturgy: the official communal prayer life of the Church,
praying and mourning together to better understand what
we believe.
 NOTICE: the life of the Church requires us to be in community.
 WE ARE SOCIAL CREATURES! And we’ll find that the Sacramental and
Liturgical Life have ethical and moral aspects to them.
Receiving the Sacraments
As mentioned, we live the sacraments best
when we do so in Community.
But, first we have to receive them.
 God gives us the grace to respond and receive
these gifts, but we still have to prepare our will to
make an act of our free will.
 The Holy Spirit helps us in the process in a
particular way.
We are by nature concupiscent – leaning toward
sin – so we need extra help!
Purpose of the Sacraments
CCC reads: “ The Purpose of the Sacraments
is to Sanctify [humanity], build up the Body
of Christ, and to give worship to God.”
 Sanctify: help make us holy
 Build up the Church: help us live in community,
but also a call to social justice.
 Worshiping God: by bringing us closer to God, we
become better worshipers – giving thanks and
praise to God.
Breaking them Down
 Sacraments of  Sacrament of Service
Initiation  Marriage and Holy
 Baptism Orders
 Eucharist
 Confirmation
 Sacraments • This breakdown
of Healing
corresponds to various
 Reconciliation stages of Human Life. What
 Anointing of the Sick are the stages of life
represented in the
breakdown of the
Sacraments?