In the early church the Greek word “mystery” was translated into Latin by use of the word “sacramentum,” and meant a sacred obligation. The word sacramentum reflected all of the mysterious elements of this new, catholic religion which Christ founded. Christ instituted all of the sacraments, but He did not give all of them to the Church fully constituted. The sacraments or mysteries defined, demarcated and outlined the early church. These sacramental obligations formed the basis of the church’s existence. Thus the sacraments are the church. A church cannot exist without sacraments. The goal of the early church, as it still is today, was the conversion and salvation of souls. And a church cannot accomplish these goals without the sacraments. The word sacrament may be defined as an external sign of something sacred. In every sacrament three things are necessary: an outward sign, an inward grace, and Divine institution. The outward sign stands for and represents a circumstance or condition brought about through a ritual or celebration. But this external sign represents something else like smoke represents fire or a dark sky represents rain. The outward signs are ceremonial. These outward rituals of the sacraments do not confer grace, though. These outward signs of the sacraments become sacred only when God through the Holy Spirit produces the mysterious effects of internal grace. Grace, the unmerited favor of God, is conferred by God through the Holy Spirit by these sacred rituals. God mysteriously confers grace by the power of the Holy Spirit through the faith of Christ. Preaching the word of Christ to a randomly gathered group of individuals will never confer grace and the gathering will never become a church of Christ. The mysteries of the sacraments are required for conversion, salvation and church formation. Grace can never be obtained through faith alone but must come from the sacraments. And this reception of grace must be continual from birth to death.
Early Christians did not speak of “two” or “seven” Sacraments as we do today. The seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. So where did the sacraments come from and how did they develop? The early church fathers who spoke Greek and Latin initially applied the word sacramentum to Baptism and the Eucharist. John the Baptist instituted the sacrament of baptism and Christ made it sacred when He received the Holy Spirit (confirmation). The Eucharist was instituted by Christ at the last supper. Communion is the actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The other five sacraments developed over time but it was Christ who instituted these mysteries of faith as well. Confirmation is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit is conferred to those already baptized. The rite in the West is performed around the age 14 or 15 but is becoming more common to perform the rite at the same time as baptism. The sacrament can only be administered by a bishop and is accomplished by the imposition of hands and anointing with holy oil. After the Samaritan converts had been baptized by Philip the deacon, the Apostles "sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for he was not yet come upon any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost". Acts 8:14-17. St. Paul "came to Ephesus. He met some disciples there and asked them, Was the Holy Spirit given to you, when you learned to believe? Why, they said, nobody even mentioned to us the existence of a Holy Spirit. What baptism, then, did you receive? Paul asked; and they said, John’s baptism. So Paul told them, John baptized to bring men to repentance; but he bade the people have faith in one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus. On hearing this, they received baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus; and when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied." Acts 19:1-6. Penance (reconciliation) began in the late 300s A.D. when those who renounced their faith because of the Roman persecution were allowed back into the church. The repentant apostate was admitted again to communion after a period of public confession and penance. This discipline corresponded closely with the discipline imposed on the catechumens who were being prepared for baptism. But it was Christ and John the Baptist who announced the need to repent, for the Kingdom of God was near. Public penance became rare at the end of the eleventh century as it caused more scandal then true contrition. Penance presupposes sin and supports and completes the effects of baptism and confirmation. Penance is probably the greatest of the sacraments but the one least used. Was not forgiveness of sin the main reason God appeared on this earth in the form of Jesus Christ?
Christ instituted holy orders when he ordained the apostles. The apostles, the spokesmen for Christ, instituted the order of deacons and the order of presbyters (priests), both of whom became delegates of the apostles. The episkopos, a name derived from the Greek word meaning overseer, was originally the title of the presbyter, but eventually became the title for a bishop, the highest order of priests. The first Pope, Peter, was an apostle, presbyter and the chief episkopos. God himself instituted the sacrament of marriage at creation. The teaching of our Lord and His apostles raised marriage to a level entirely different from that which the rite occupied among the Jews and the pagans of the Roman Empire. Some Jews married more than one wife, and many divorced their wives for the most trivial of matters. The Church proclaimed that marriage between male and female Christians is indissoluble, and is of a sacred character which mimics the union between Christ and His Church. Anointing of the sick (extreme unction) by the presbyters of the Church is prescribed in James 5:14-16. “Is one of you sick? Let him send for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name. Prayer offered in faith will restore the sick man, and the Lord will give him relief; if he is guilty of sins, they will be pardoned. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, for the healing of your souls.” The author of this prescription was the Apostle James, son of Alphaeus, also known as James the Less, the first Bishop of Jerusalem. There can be no doubt that this ritual ceremony had origins from Christ. Who can cure a sick man or forgive his sins but Christ through the Holy Spirit? This sacrament is often administered near the hour of death. The anointing with holy oil in the Lord’s name will cure the soul of the sick. Extreme Unction completes the work of Penance and prepares the soul for heaven.
God alone can change an external, material rite into the power to confer grace on men. The sacraments do not naturally confer grace. They do so because they were chosen by God to achieve mysterious effects. But the faith of Christ and the belief in the power and capacity of the Holy Spirit are required. The Council of Trent declared: "If anyone say that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify, or that they do not confer grace on those who place no obstacle to the same, let him be anathema" (Sess. viii, can.vi). "If anyone say that grace is not conferred by the sacraments ex opere operato but that faith in God's promises is alone sufficient for obtaining grace, let him be anathema." {Ex opere operato is a Latin phrase meaning "from the work worked" referring to the efficacy of the Sacraments deriving from the action of the Sacrament as opposed to the merits or holiness of the priest or participant.} Catholics believe that the sacramental rites are only the instrumental, not the principal, causes of grace. The recipient of the sacraments must be in a correct disposition to receive the mysteries of Christ. The recipient must not have any obstacle to grace or be in grievous sin. The grace unleashed by the Holy Spirit can never reside in the unworthy, thus the reason for penance before the Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The Eucharist cannot be received by those in mortal sin. Extreme unction prepares the sinful soul for its trip to heaven. Only two sacraments can be received more than once, penance and communion and possibly Extreme Unction.
The order of the sacraments are not coincidental. Baptism and confirmation at birth are always first in necessity. They bring the soul into the body of Christ. The Eucharist keeps the Holy Spirit present within the soul and provides the basis for the unification (communion) of the Church. Penance and extreme unction ratifies the existence of defects and depravity (sin). Penance allows the repair of the soul throughout the journey through the Church. Extreme Unction completes the work of Penance and prepares the soul at bodily death for heaven. The two optional sacraments are Matrimony and Holy Orders. They are optional in the fact that participation is a respond to a call. God’s will determines man’s fate. He is either called to be a groom to the church or a groom to a wife. Some fortunate few can participate in both sacraments. A married man can become a deacon and thus complete his life by receiving all of the seven sacraments of the church Christ established.
Early Christians did not speak of “two” or “seven” Sacraments as we do today. The seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. So where did the sacraments come from and how did they develop? The early church fathers who spoke Greek and Latin initially applied the word sacramentum to Baptism and the Eucharist. John the Baptist instituted the sacrament of baptism and Christ made it sacred when He received the Holy Spirit (confirmation). The Eucharist was instituted by Christ at the last supper. Communion is the actual reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The other five sacraments developed over time but it was Christ who instituted these mysteries of faith as well. Confirmation is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit is conferred to those already baptized. The rite in the West is performed around the age 14 or 15 but is becoming more common to perform the rite at the same time as baptism. The sacrament can only be administered by a bishop and is accomplished by the imposition of hands and anointing with holy oil. After the Samaritan converts had been baptized by Philip the deacon, the Apostles "sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for he was not yet come upon any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost". Acts 8:14-17. St. Paul "came to Ephesus. He met some disciples there and asked them, Was the Holy Spirit given to you, when you learned to believe? Why, they said, nobody even mentioned to us the existence of a Holy Spirit. What baptism, then, did you receive? Paul asked; and they said, John’s baptism. So Paul told them, John baptized to bring men to repentance; but he bade the people have faith in one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus. On hearing this, they received baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus; and when Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied." Acts 19:1-6. Penance (reconciliation) began in the late 300s A.D. when those who renounced their faith because of the Roman persecution were allowed back into the church. The repentant apostate was admitted again to communion after a period of public confession and penance. This discipline corresponded closely with the discipline imposed on the catechumens who were being prepared for baptism. But it was Christ and John the Baptist who announced the need to repent, for the Kingdom of God was near. Public penance became rare at the end of the eleventh century as it caused more scandal then true contrition. Penance presupposes sin and supports and completes the effects of baptism and confirmation. Penance is probably the greatest of the sacraments but the one least used. Was not forgiveness of sin the main reason God appeared on this earth in the form of Jesus Christ?
Christ instituted holy orders when he ordained the apostles. The apostles, the spokesmen for Christ, instituted the order of deacons and the order of presbyters (priests), both of whom became delegates of the apostles. The episkopos, a name derived from the Greek word meaning overseer, was originally the title of the presbyter, but eventually became the title for a bishop, the highest order of priests. The first Pope, Peter, was an apostle, presbyter and the chief episkopos. God himself instituted the sacrament of marriage at creation. The teaching of our Lord and His apostles raised marriage to a level entirely different from that which the rite occupied among the Jews and the pagans of the Roman Empire. Some Jews married more than one wife, and many divorced their wives for the most trivial of matters. The Church proclaimed that marriage between male and female Christians is indissoluble, and is of a sacred character which mimics the union between Christ and His Church. Anointing of the sick (extreme unction) by the presbyters of the Church is prescribed in James 5:14-16. “Is one of you sick? Let him send for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name. Prayer offered in faith will restore the sick man, and the Lord will give him relief; if he is guilty of sins, they will be pardoned. Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, for the healing of your souls.” The author of this prescription was the Apostle James, son of Alphaeus, also known as James the Less, the first Bishop of Jerusalem. There can be no doubt that this ritual ceremony had origins from Christ. Who can cure a sick man or forgive his sins but Christ through the Holy Spirit? This sacrament is often administered near the hour of death. The anointing with holy oil in the Lord’s name will cure the soul of the sick. Extreme Unction completes the work of Penance and prepares the soul for heaven.
God alone can change an external, material rite into the power to confer grace on men. The sacraments do not naturally confer grace. They do so because they were chosen by God to achieve mysterious effects. But the faith of Christ and the belief in the power and capacity of the Holy Spirit are required. The Council of Trent declared: "If anyone say that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify, or that they do not confer grace on those who place no obstacle to the same, let him be anathema" (Sess. viii, can.vi). "If anyone say that grace is not conferred by the sacraments ex opere operato but that faith in God's promises is alone sufficient for obtaining grace, let him be anathema." {Ex opere operato is a Latin phrase meaning "from the work worked" referring to the efficacy of the Sacraments deriving from the action of the Sacrament as opposed to the merits or holiness of the priest or participant.} Catholics believe that the sacramental rites are only the instrumental, not the principal, causes of grace. The recipient of the sacraments must be in a correct disposition to receive the mysteries of Christ. The recipient must not have any obstacle to grace or be in grievous sin. The grace unleashed by the Holy Spirit can never reside in the unworthy, thus the reason for penance before the Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The Eucharist cannot be received by those in mortal sin. Extreme unction prepares the sinful soul for its trip to heaven. Only two sacraments can be received more than once, penance and communion and possibly Extreme Unction.
The order of the sacraments are not coincidental. Baptism and confirmation at birth are always first in necessity. They bring the soul into the body of Christ. The Eucharist keeps the Holy Spirit present within the soul and provides the basis for the unification (communion) of the Church. Penance and extreme unction ratifies the existence of defects and depravity (sin). Penance allows the repair of the soul throughout the journey through the Church. Extreme Unction completes the work of Penance and prepares the soul at bodily death for heaven. The two optional sacraments are Matrimony and Holy Orders. They are optional in the fact that participation is a respond to a call. God’s will determines man’s fate. He is either called to be a groom to the church or a groom to a wife. Some fortunate few can participate in both sacraments. A married man can become a deacon and thus complete his life by receiving all of the seven sacraments of the church Christ established.
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