The Catholic Church has seven sacraments, including Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick. These are considered holy and intended to bring people closer to God. Baptism welcomes a child into the church, while Reconciliation absolves sins. Holy Communion is both symbolic and real, and Confirmation affirms commitment to Catholicism. Marriage and Holy Orders are considered sacraments of vocations and are serious commitments. The Anointing of the Sick blesses the person and calls upon the healing powers of Christ.
The sacraments in the Catholic Church are defined as both the symbol of the thing and the thing itself. There are seven sacraments. Sacraments are various blessings, vows, and activities that are considered the holiest and most sacred. Participation in the various sacraments is intended to bring someone closer to God.
The seven sacraments are Baptism, Eucharist or Holy Communion, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Anointing of the Sick or Last Rites. Most practicing Catholics will not participate in all of the sacraments. For example, taking Holy Orders essentially precludes marriage.
Last rites are often thought of as prayers before a Catholic dies, however, the sacrament is actually called the Anointing of the Sick. A person can receive this sacrament more than once if he is sick and recovers. Not all Catholics will receive the Anointing of the Sick, and this is one of the sacraments that causes confusion. Dying without the last rite does not mean being excluded from paradise.
Instead this sacrament blesses the person and calls upon the healing powers of Christ. It is also intended to comfort those who are sick and their families by reminding all present that they have more than one physical body and that life in one form or another is eternal because of the love of Jesus Christ.
The first of the normally received sacraments, however, is baptism. This usually occurs within a few months of a baby being born. Baptism of an infant is intended to welcome the child into the Catholic Church, and is also a promise that the child will be raised as a Catholic. It is no longer believed that unbaptized children are not welcome in heaven.
Much emphasis in baptism was on eliminating original sin, or eliminating potential evils in a child. Now a greater emphasis on the sacrament is based on a commitment to welcome the child into the church. The same is true for adults who were not baptized as infants. This is the time to officially join the church.
For a baptized child, the Eucharist and Reconciliation are sacraments often received together when a child reaches the age of seven or eight. Reconciliation is usually the first sacrament taken. This is known to most of the world as a confession.
A person who makes a sincere confession to a priest is absolved of the sins committed. Once a sincere confession is made, a person has a clean slate. Confession used to be more common in the United States and has now declined in popularity.
Holy communion or the Eucharist occurs when people partake of Christ’s bread and Christ’s wine. This is both symbolic and very real to the Catholic. By participating in communion, the person literally takes Christ into himself.
Confirmation occurred for children at about the age of 13 or 14. Now it can be done at a much later time or never done. An unconfirmed Catholic is no less a Catholic. This is often called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It repeats the rite of baptism, but it is also an affirmation from the person who has consciously committed himself to Catholicism.
Marriage or holy orders are both considered sacraments and are a sacred blessing of the church. Marriage unites two people in the eyes of the church and with the blessings of Christ. It is a very serious commitment, destined to last for a lifetime. Divorce in the Catholic Church is difficult when people participate in the sacrament of marriage, as the union is considered holy.
Holy orders are vows to serve the church as a priest or deacon. These are serious grades again. Both marriage and holy orders are considered sacraments of vocations. They are a statement of how a person is called to serve the church. Some are called by marriage to serve the church as good husbands and wives. Others are called to serve the church more directly as ministers to the people.
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