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The Sacraments

Click on an item the left to read about the seven Sacraments

Sacraments are visible signs, instituted by Christ, by which we enter into the mystery of God’s saving plan for us.
Christ himself is God’s own sacrament. Everything he said and did on earth was a visible sign of God’s love. When he went to heaven, he left the Church to be his body, the sign of his rule on earth, his sacrament.
The Council of Trent defined that Christ instituted seven sacraments; that is, Baptism, Confirmation, The Eucharist, Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Holy Orders.
Not all the sacramants are of equal value. Supreme is the Eucharist, the source and the summit of the whole of the Church’s life.
Central to every sacrament is the ’sign’, for example, water in baptism. Ordinary things of this earth are taken and, joined to a word, for example "I baptise you..." become means of grace.
The sacraments are not magic. Essentially, they are prayers of the Church through Christ to the Father, But, as instituted by Christ, they have the authority of his Word. This effectiveness of the sacrament does not depend upon the worthiness of the minister involved, but achieves it’s effect ’by the work worked’ (ex opere operator): that is, by the power of God.
Each sacrament also must have a minister who represents the action of Christ. Generally, this minister is ordained, either priest, bishop, or deacon. Ordination, itself a sacrament, confers the authority of God upon the ordained person to represent Christ in the sacrament. But two sacraments, marriage and baptism, do not require an ordained minister. The sacrament of marriage is truly the ’lay sacrament’, because the ministers of the sacramental union are the man and the woman themselves. Husband and wife, together ’make’ the sacrament.
Baptism, in the normal way, is conferred solemnly in Church by an ordained minister. But, in the case of danger of death, any person can baptise, even one who is not a Christian.
For the sacrament to be effective, there must be faith and commitment on the part of the person receiving it. Even a validly conferred sacrament can be fruitless, if the person receiving it is insincere. St. Paul reminds the Corinthian Christians ’anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be behaving unworthily towards the body and blood of the Lord’ (1 Cor 11:27).
On the other hand, we are all human, and none of us is completely worthy to receive any sacrament. We say before receiving Holy Communion, "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed". The Holy Spirit helps us to receive worthily.