What is a Sacrament?
The Sacrament is the gesture or symbol to express the saving activity of God. The Sacraments are the core of our life as a Catholic, reflecting Christ’s mission for us – the Church.
This gift that God freely gives us is called GRACE. Through the Sacraments we more perfectly become the image of Our Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit to bear witness to the world of His love.
These Sacraments unify the Church so we can walk in our Lords footsteps and to love and serve Him.
All Sacraments take place in the church with the parish as witness. Witness to our faith. We cannot live life alone. We need our community of faith to help us.
There are 7 Sacraments:
Baptism ‑‑ the Sacrament that makes us children of God and members of the Church. The priest uses water and says, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
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Sacrament of Reconciliation --the Sacrament in which our sins are forgiven by God through the blessing (absolution) of the priest. Christ communicates to the priest His forgiveness. Only God can forgive but thru His priest we can be forgiven. We need God’s forgiveness to be free of the very heavy burden sin puts on our shoulders. We need His grace in the Sacrament for strength to live a more perfect life free from sin. Although it may seem impossible, with God’s grace we can try.
Holy Communion‑‑ the Sacrament in which bread and wine, blessed by the priest at Mass become the Body and Blood of Jesus. The first people to receive Holy Communion were the apostles at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday; now we can receive Communion every time we come to
Confirmation‑‑the Sacrament in which we receive the Holy Spirit to strengthen us as adult Catholics. The bishop signs us with holy oil and says, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit."
Holy Matrimony ‑‑Marriage is a bond, a sign of love and commitment between man and woman. It reflects the commitment of faith and Christ love to the world and for the world.
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Holy Orders ‑‑the Sacrament in which Jesus calls men as priests to continue to serve His people.
Anointing of the Sick‑‑the Sacrament in which a sick person is blessed with holy oil, to receive the strength of Jesus. In the Anointing of the Sick, Christ renews our strength of body and soul. We need God’s presence even in our weakness. We measure our worth by what we do each day. We don’t accept the fact we are ill and we don’t take the time to heal. We need this Sacrament so we can receive God’s grace to relax, heal and have confidence in our Lord’s healing gift of grace.The laying of hands the priest asks the Holy Spirit to bring strength and healing. This touch symbolizes the Touch of God.
We must receive Baptism before we can receive any other Sacrament. The Sacrament we should receive most often is Holy Communion, which we should receive each time we come to
