Sacraments

Refer to our Sunday Experience pages to find different prayers to pray as a family sometime during the week as well as setting up a prayer space and other activities as a family.

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Relates to Jesus: Jesus desires us to be close to Him. Therefore He establishes ways in which we can receive His life, through the sacraments.

Relates to my Faith: We are both spiritual and have bodies, so Jesus has given us a way to know both with our body and our spirit that He wants to be close to us and love us.

Sample Script:

The Catholic Church is truly a very special place. Put together by Jesus Christ and maintained through the presence of the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church is where we go to meet God, where we come to learn about His love and care for us, and where we give Him thanks and worship for the life and many gifts that He has given to us. One of the most special qualities of the Catholic Church is the gifts of the Sacraments.

There are seven Sacraments in the Catholic Church. Jesus Christ instituted or gave these gifts to the Church so that we might experience God in a very real way and grow in our relationship with Him. These Sacraments give the gift of God’s grace and blessing and allow those who receive a sacrament to participate in the life of God; which is to say to participate in a life of love and truth. When we receive a Sacrament with love, we are very close to God and our relationship with Him grows and strengthens.

The seven Sacraments of the Church are categorized and explained in the following way:

1.  Three Sacraments of Initiation – These three Sacraments are foundational to our life of grace by forming and supporting our relationship with God and strengthen us to carry out the work of being holy and telling others about the love of God. The first Sacrament is Baptism, which seals us as children of God by freeing us from Original Sin. Baptism is called the door to the other Sacraments, as it leads us to other encounters of grace throughout our spiritual journey. The Sacrament of Confirmation gives a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that allows us access to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthens us in our faith by confirming our connection to Jesus and His Church. The Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, gives us the very presence of Jesus and allows Him to be intimately part of our life. Put another way, this grace of the Eucharist allows us to walk each day with Jesus right by our side.

2.  Two Sacraments of Healing – These two Sacraments restore our relationship with Jesus lost because of sin and gives us strength to walk the spiritual journey of faith in our life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation allows us to say sorry to God for our bad choices and receive His forgiveness so that we can be close to God again. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick offers a person who might be close to death to be given strength to continue to choose God in difficult and painful moments, providing them comfort and offers the spiritual healing of being free from one’s sins.

3.  Two Sacraments of Service – These two Sacraments give grace to the recipient to live one’s vocation well and to do so faithfully. The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the grace given to a man to lay down his life for Jesus and the Church in service as a priest. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the grace given to a woman and a man to give their lives to each other and to form a family centered in God and in love.

These seven Sacraments are given by Jesus Christ in the Church through the grace of the Holy Spirit so that our life might be surrounded by God and that we might have the necessary grace and blessing from God to live our lives well as His children.

Questions:
1. Give three reasons why it is important and necessary to receive the Sacraments?

2. What are the three sacraments of initiation?

3. What are the two sacraments of healing?

4. What are the two sacraments of service?

Activities:
1. Draw a picture that shows John the Baptist baptizing Jesus.

2. Draw a picture of a priest saying Mass.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus desires to be with us so much he established a way for us to continue to receive His grace. He wants us to be brought into His family as brothers and sisters through the sacraments of initiation and be with us physically and spiritually our entire lives.

Relates to my Faith: The are both body and spirit. God established a way to unite our bodies and spirit together to receive grace. The sacraments are ways in which we encounter the very life of God and grow in holiness.

Sample Script:

Sacraments are gifts from the Holy Spirit that allow us to personally encounter and experience Jesus Christ. Jesus gave us the gift of the Sacraments so that we might know of His presence that is available to us in the life of the Church. It is through the Church that we find and develop our relationship with God and the sacramental life provides intentional moments that support and strengthen us on this spiritual journey.

The Sacraments, officially, are outward signs that speak to an inward reality. What does this mean? Each Sacrament uses physical materials, things that we can touch and feel (outward signs), to tell the meaning of what is happening at the spiritual level (the inward reality). Jesus Christ, in setting up the Sacraments, knows that humans are physical beings who most readily experience the world around them through the material. By using the material world, or matter, Jesus wants us to feel and smell and use our senses of the created world around us to help us realize the spiritual reality of the grace of God working in nature. Further, Jesus uses words to form the prayer that gives the grace of each Sacrament, using our speech and sense of hearing to show how God encounters you and me in every aspect of our humanity.

So, each Sacrament offers us a participation in the divine life. This is to say that the grace given by the sacraments help us to experience the love God has for us and invites us deeper into the relationship that God desires to have with you and me. Let’s look at the three Sacraments of Initiation of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist to help us understand how the visible signs point to the grace given.

In the Sacrament of Baptism, the visible signs used are water, oil, and fire. The water symbolizes cleansing, washing us clean of Original Sin. The oil symbolizes anointing, marking us as daughters and sons of God. The fire symbolizes the light of Christ, which is now alive within us and burns to keep us ever focused on Jesus.

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the visible signs used are oil. The oil symbolizes being sealed with the Holy Spirit, being strengthened to live the life of faith, and receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to live life well.

In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the visible signs used are bread and wine. The bread symbolizes the substance and fullness that Jesus Christ offers in life with Him. The wine is similar, symbolizing the fruitfulness of life with Jesus that gives joy and brings life.

The Sacraments always point us to Jesus Christ, because the Sacraments are His signs for us that remind us of His loving presence. It is important to remember that Sacraments are more than just signs or symbols. They are the actual encounters with the grace of God who walks beside us in our journey to be in loving relationship.

Questions:
What is a sacrament?

What are the visible signs in the Sacrament of the Eucharist?

What do the visible signs of the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion point to?

What are the Sacraments of Initiation?

Why do you think they are considered the Sacraments of Initiation?

Activities:
What are you most excited about in receiving your First Communion (or if you already have received your First Communion, what were you most excited about)? Write down what you are excited about and share with your family.

With your family, discuss the Sacraments of Initiation as described above. What about these Sacraments helps your understanding about Jesus Christ? How do these Sacraments bring you closer to Jesus?

Relates to Jesus: Jesus' presence among humanity is intentional, as He desires to be with us all. The Sacraments are the best way in which we experience and encounter Jesus Christ.

Relates to my Faith: The Catholic Church has without fail offered the Sacraments and supported the use of sacramentals so that we each can live the divine life of God through His grace.

Sample Script:

In Jesus’ salvific mission to save us from our sins and reunite us with God the Father, He fulfilled a part of God’s plan to be ever-present to His people. Through Jesus’ life of teaching and healing, leading to His passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, He saved us from eternal death by opening for you and me the countless graces that God desires to dispose upon His people. With His ascension into Heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to remain with us in the Church to sanctify us through the Sacraments in the divine life of grace that allows us to live the Gospel message and to share this message with all of His people.

This divine life of Christ that is given you and me through the Sacraments is none other than the gift of grace which unites us to God and draws us into relationship with Him. Here we find one of the many reasons why we are called to frequent the Sacraments as these keep us closely connected to God. Our closeness to God makes it harder for us to fall into sin and keeps us on the narrow path that leads to happiness and peace in this life.

While all of the Sacraments confer or give grace, the Sacraments of baptism, penance, and anointing of the sick give what is called Sanctifying Grace. This grace is saving grace that washes away any imperfections or stains from sin and reunites us to God as His daughter or son. Sanctifying Grace destroys Original Sin within us at baptism, takes away all personal sin in Reconciliation, and prepares us for our heavenly homeland in the anointing of the sick.

The seven Sacraments again give us grace in living out the life Jesus wants for us; namely life with Him. We find fullness and purpose in our life with God for we know that God creates you and me in His image and likeness to live a life that is holy, just as God is holy. The Sacraments allow us to strive towards and live a holy life with divine assistance that aid you and I in becoming the saints that we are called to be. Sainthood or living a holy life is modeling ourselves after that of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the grace given us through the Sacraments.

A good question that we need to consider when discussing the Sacraments is, “there are only seven Sacraments, and most of these you can only receive once…how are we supposed to expect to live a holy life without more opportunities for grace?” While Eucharist and Reconciliation are a powerful combination of Sacraments that we should frequent as much as possible, the Church also has a great number of sacramentals available for the faithful to use. Sacramentals point us to Jesus Christ and keep us connected to His Church and nurture our faith life, offering momentary grace to think of the things of God. Some examples of sacramentals are holy water, which reminds us of our baptism; holy cards, which remind us of the lives of the saints and call us to pray for others and ourselves; Rosaries, which remind us of Mary and to seek her intercession in imitating her humbleness and purity. Sacramentals support the Sacraments and keep us all the more connected to God, who is present at each moment.

Questions:
How is Jesus present to us today?

What do we receive from the Sacraments?

Specifically, what kind of grace do we receive in baptism, anointing of the sick, and reconciliation?

Name some of the things that the Sacraments help us to do in life?

What is a sacramental? Can you name three?

Activities:
Interview your catechist at the parish about the Sacraments. Which one is their favorite? What do they like about this particular Sacrament? How has Jesus spoken to him or her through this Sacrament? How do they see God's grace working through this Sacrament?

Talk to your mom and dad about what their favorite sacramental is. Spend some time together daily/weekly praying with this sacramental.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus desires that we all be one and gives us the Sacraments of Initiation to be united with all of humanity, past/present/future.

Relates to my Faith: The Catholic Church exists for you and me to be in relationship with God and to spread the love and joy of this relationship to all those that we encounter.

Sample Script:

Any membership to anything comes with some nice perks. If you are a member at the zoo, you get to enter without paying and get to skip the line. If you are a member at the local coffee shop, your twelfth purchase is free. If you are a member at the gym, you get free towels and access to the hot tub. Being a member of the Catholic Church, you receive the gift or grace of divine life with God and a chance at eternal life!

Now, being a member of the Catholic Church means so much more than the zoo, coffee shop, or gym. In the Catholic Church, you are in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who died for our sins and won for us the chance of life eternal. With the Sacraments of Initiation, which consist of baptism which you probably received as a baby, the Eucharist which you received most likely as a second grade student and hopefully get a chance to receive every Sunday, and the Sacrament of Confirmation which you’ll receive around 8^th grade, you become a full member of the Catholic Church. Baptism seals you with what is called an indelible mark on your soul, meaning that no matter what, your soul is marked as being a child of God. Your baptism in the Catholic Church is not a membership you can cancel; you are a child of God called to be in a relationship of love with the Lord of the universe!

Confirmation provides the person with a special gift of grace from the Holy Spirit, who gives the power of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit for the person to be strengthened and more committed to living life as an active member of the Catholic Church. This commitment is graced by God and while the struggles of life will still undoubtedly come, the presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life will provide faith and endurance to get through and overcome.

With the Eucharist, we receive the source and summit of our faith which consists of no mere symbol or sign of our faith; rather we receive the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Eucharist offers us the weekly grace of receiving Jesus into our minds and hearts, saying that He is Lord of our life and that we want to follow Him. The Eucharist gives us actual grace to choose and follow Jesus in our daily life and brings us along in our life as “members” of the Catholic Church.

One of the very neat things about belonging to the Catholic Church is that through the Sacraments of Initiation we are united to every Catholic past, present, and future as brothers and sisters in the Lord. This oneness found in the Church is referred to as the three States of the Church. We are the Church Militant, fighting the spiritual fight of staying faithful to Jesus and His Church by choosing a moral life in relationship with God. There is the Church Suffering, the holy souls in Purgatory who died in the friendship of God but are still in need of purification before entering their eternal rest in Heaven. We need to pray for these souls that their time here might be quick. There is the Church Triumphant which consists of the souls who are resting peacefully in their heavenly glory, which consists of both saints and angels. It is amazing to think about that the saints and the souls that have lived and that will live will be baptized in the same Baptism, receive the same Eucharist, as you and me!

Questions:
What makes us a member of the Catholic Church?

Name the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as received at Confirmation.

What does it mean that the Eucharist is the "Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity" of Jesus Christ?

What are the Three States of the Church?

How is the Church Suffering different from the Church Triumphant?

Activities:
Interview someone you know who lives outside your house who is Catholic. What does being Catholic mean to them? What is something that is truly special to them about the Church? Have them tell you a bit about their relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and is the greatest of the Sacraments. Ask your family to find a time together to go to an Adoration chapel or to spend some time after Mass praying before the Tabernacle. In this time of prayer, quietly listen for God's voice and offer Him any intentions and prayers to life up to His divine love and mercy.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus' gift of the Sacraments are formal, intentional, and prescribed ways that we have real contact with the Son of God.

Relates to my Faith: The Catholic Church upholds the right practice and teaching of the Sacraments so the faithful can be assured that they are meeting Jesus Christ through these gifts.

Sample Script:

Sacraments are defined as efficacious, outward signs that point to an inward reality. These outward signs consist of natural elements (i.e. water, oil, fire, etc.) and gestures (i.e. exchange of words, laying on of hands, etc.) that show the presence of the inward gift of grace being given to the other. All seven Sacraments are instituted by Jesus Christ, meeting you and me where we are at, communicating to us the reality of God in our time of need through the use of various elements around us. These Sacraments are safeguarded by the Church through the Holy Spirit and are given to the faithful to support us on our spiritual journey and build us up in living the divine life of grace as children of God.

Now, it is important to note that we are all children of God by being created human, born in God’s image and likeness. However, in a most special way through the Sacraments of Initiation, we are marked and brought closer into relationship with God as His children. This does not mean that God loves the Initiated more than the rest of humanity, but rather that those who are initiated through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are brought into a deeper spiritual life with the Trinity and are offered intentional grace to live the life of the Church. For in Baptism, the soul is washed clean of the stain of Original Sin and is given that foundational grace to receive God in a more direct way through one’s life. In Confirmation, the soul is conformed more fully to God and the life of holiness and vocation that he or she is called to. Receiving the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the soul is able to choose God and live a life for Him with strength and confidence. In Eucharist, the soul is allowed to encounter Jesus Christ most intimately within his very person, taking on Jesus so that our lives might be a reflection of Him to all that we encounter in thought, word, and deed. We are true children of God in the Eucharist, uniting with His Son in carrying out the work of proclaiming the Gospel message of love and truth with our lives.

While the Sacraments of Initiation are the foundation for our life of grace with God, truly all of the Sacraments support this life of grace and journey with us throughout our life in encountering the living God. Each Sacrament is set-up with a certain spoken form as well as using specific matter or material to confer or give the Sacrament to the soul on journey to encounter God the particular moment of their life. Let us consider generally what each of these Sacraments look like:

Baptism: Matter = Water
Form = “Name, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”

Confirmation: Matter = Holy Oil (Chrism)
  Form = While the Bishop anoints with the holy oil, he says, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”

Eucharist: Matter = Bread made from wheat and Wine
Form = The Words of Institution, spoken by the priest over the bread, “Take this, all of you and eat of it: for this is my body which will be
  given up for you." After, with regards to the precious blood, "Take this, all of you, and drink from it: for this is the chalice of my blood,
  the blood of the new and eternal covenant; which will be poured out for you and many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of
  me."

Reconciliation: Matter = The penitent’s contrition and confession of their sins
  Form = The Words of Absolution, spoken by the priest; ““God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son,
has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins. Through the ministry of the
  Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and the
  Holy Spirit."
 
Anointing of the Sick: Matter = Holy Oil and the laying on of hands
  Form = Prayer of Anointing; “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you with the grace of the
Holy Spirit. May the Lord who frees you from sin save you and raise you up."

Holy Orders: Matter = The man properly prepared to be ordained
  Form = Laying on of hands by the bishop with the prayer for the particular level of orders (either deacon, priest, or bishop).

Matrimony: Matter = The woman and the man
  Form = Consent or vows professed to one another

Questions:
Why are the Sacraments of Initiation so important?

What is the matter and form of the Holy Eucharist?

Who is the one who is really absolving you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

What is the matter and form for Holy Orders?

Which Sacrament was most surprising to you? What did you learn about this particular Sacrament?

Activities:
Think of your relationship with your best friend. Why are you such good friends? Now, think about your relationship with Jesus. Would you say that you are close friends? What about your relationship with Jesus is strong? What isn't strong and what can you do to make your relationship with Him stronger?

Write out the Sacraments with their appropriate matter and form. Study these and consider what is being said about Jesus Christ.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus is always active and His saving grace is available in a variety of ways. The Church's use of sacramentals points us towards the main encounters with grace that are found in the Sacraments.

Relates to my Faith:  Sacramentals, such as the Rosary, help you and I to stay connected to our Catholic faith by reminding us to pray, to consider Mary and the Saints, and to stay in communication with God.

Sample Script:

The Sacraments of the Church are intentional points of grace that show us God’s presence in our life and invite you and I to explore with greater depth the love which God has for us. The Sacraments often occur during the “big” moments of our life. The Church, fully alive and guided by the Holy Spirit, wants us to have the necessary grace and strength to live these “big” moments in the best way that we can. When we are baptized as infants, we are given the grace to begin our earthly life journeying with the Lord. When we get confirmed, we are strengthened with grace and given the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to intentionally choose God as we make decisions about our life, relationships, and vocation or calling on how to live. When we enter into matrimony, you and your spouse are joined as one to love and support each other through all that life brings. When we receive the anointing of the sick, we are given assurance of God’s presence with us as we prepare to make our final journey to our heavenly homeland.

While a majority of the Sacraments are received just once (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders (in most cases), and Matrimony (in most cases)) or situationally (Anointing of the Sick), the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation are Sacraments that should be received as frequently as possible as these keep us in the presence of God (Eucharist) while also restores us to God’s presence if we leave the path and fall into sin (Reconciliation). However, even with the Eucharist, which we could receive daily if we go to daily Mass, there are still moments in our life in which the Sacraments are not immediately before us.

The Church has approved sacramentals, which are “sacred signs which bear a certain resemblance to the sacraments, and by means of which spiritual effects are signified and obtained through the prayers of the Church''. Sacramentals include things such as holy cards, Rosaries, and holy water, which like the Sacraments, point to a spiritual reality that when used opens you and I up to grace. Sacramentals help us to keep God present in our minds and hearts during the daily moments of our life. These keep us focused on God and assure us of His love for us while keeping us ready to receive the most powerful graces that come to us through the Sacraments. While sacramentals remind us of God and of His presence, they also help us to prayerfully reach out for ourselves and for others.

Some examples as to how we use sacramentals and how they help us to pray for ourselves and others include finding holy cards of our favorite saints and praying for their intercession to help us be holy as they were or asking their help in praying for a family member or friend. When we pray the Rosary, and seek the most powerful intercession of our mother Mary, we learn about the life of Jesus and how His life and words are speaking to you and I today to be the holy daughters and sons we are called to be. When we bless ourselves with holy water, we remember our baptism and that we are children of God and called to be His by turning from sin and choosing Him. These and others show forth the grace that is available to us through the use of sacramental in our life. By participating and using sacramentals to keep our connection to God and the life of the Church, we open ourselves to more fully participate in the Sacraments of the Church and avail ourselves to best be in relationship with the life and love that God created you and I to be a part of.

Questions:
Name some of the big moments in one's life that God encounters people in the Sacraments.

Which Sacraments are received just once?

Why are some Sacraments meant to be received multiple times?

Discuss what a sacramental is and what a sacramental does.

Does every Catholic receive every Sacrament?

Activities:
Talk with your parents about the importance of receiving the Eucharist and Reconciliation. How have these Sacraments been important in their life? What are some of the struggles (if any) that they have with receiving these Sacraments? Write down their answers and then consider your own answers to these questions.

As a family, plan a period of time (over a couple of weeks or months) to offer to God as a sacrifice in which you go to Mass more than once a week and maintain a regular schedule of going to Reconciliation (twice a month, as an example). Follow these practices faithfully and with intention.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus calls you and I to turn away from anything in our life that would keep us from Him. Being free from obstacles we open ourselves to receive fully what Jesus has for us so that we are free to walk with Him as His disciple.

Relates to my Faith: When we approach a Sacrament, except for Reconciliation and Baptism, we should approach with a clean heart. The grace given in the Sacrament is from the saving action of Jesus on the Cross who died for our sins so it follows that we seek the help to be made like Him as we prepare to encounter Him in the Sacraments.

Sample Script:

The Sacraments are truly a gift from God. It is the will of God to have these Sacraments available in the Church so that each of us, children of God who belong to the Catholic Church, can receive the divine life of grace from these in our own lives. While the Sacraments are available in the Church, there are a certain set of stipulations that need to be followed in order for the Sacrament to be brought forth in its fullness.

When Jesus instituted the Sacraments, and as the Church developed her understanding of these, the words and matter and form for each of these instruments of grace are meant to convey the reality which these point to. For example, the water used in baptism is meant to remind us of how God washed away the sin of the Israelites in the Red Sea, pointing to the cleansing of our souls by the Holy Spirit. The bread used in the Eucharist reminds us of the Last Supper, in which Jesus Christ began His priesthood and offered Himself up for ourselves, pointing to our participation in Him as a priestly people who are called to sacrifice our lives so that Jesus might live through us. The laying on of hands used in the Anointing of the Sick reminds us of the personal touch Jesus shows His people during their times they are most in need and how this comfort is present during sickness and near to death.

So, it is with this understanding of Jesus’ gift of the Sacraments that we see the importance of having strict matter, or materials used to experience the Sacrament, and form, or words and prayers used to speak the truth of the Sacrament. Having a set matter and form for each Sacrament prevents two possible errors from arising. First, the error to think that one could just make a Sacrament happen by themselves or that the minister of the Sacraments could just say “Bam, here’s your forgiveness”. Having form and matter to the Sacrament, apart from following the law of the Lord and His Church, shows a certain intentionality by the minister and truly the Church to give Jesus Christ authentically to those in need.

Second, the error to think that by simply reciting the words over the material elements and doing what the book says will magically create the Sacrament all by itself. The grace of the Sacrament is confected or made by the saving work of Jesus Christ and His love for humanity as God. No amount of holiness or effort or magic on the part of the minister can bring forth a Sacrament; only the work of God as He prescribes in His Church can bring about the heavenly gift of the Sacraments so that we can experience the divine life of grace working in and among us. In fact, even if a minister is in a state of sin and he tries to confer a Sacrament using the correct matter and form, we trust in the grace of God, with Jesus Christ already having done the work of winning these graces for us, that this particular Sacrament is valid and gives the grace of God to the recipient.

Now, from our perspective, you and me as recipients of the Sacraments, it is most important that we take care to make sure we are in the best possible state to receive the heavenly gift we are presenting ourselves to receive. We need to have what is called the proper disposition, or make sure that you and I are in the best possible state to receive the Sacrament, so that we can ensure our Lord Jesus Christ will be landing in the best possible place in our heart and soul. When we prepare and properly dispose ourselves to receive Jesus, we open up for ourselves the opportunity to fruitfully receive all that the Sacrament wishes to grace us with. What does this proper disposition look like? Well, we need to make sure that we are free from mortal sin by going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation first. We need to make sure we are going to weekly Sunday Mass, saying our daily prayers, learning about God by reading the Bible and studying the Catechism, engaging in spiritual reading and learning the lives of the saints, doing works of Mercy, etc.

Questions:
Why is it so important that the Church offers Sacraments to the people?

What is the significance of using water in baptism or bread in the Eucharist?

Why is the Church so strict on having a set matter and form for each Sacrament?

What does it mean to have the proper disposition to receive a Sacrament?

How do we remain close to Jesus Christ when we are not receiving a sacrament?

Activities:
The Sacraments communicate to us the presence of Jesus Christ to the recipient. Reflect on the experiences you have had with the Sacraments. How have you experienced Jesus in and through these experiences? Make an intentional plan, as you go to Mass to receive the Eucharist or as you receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to pay close attention to how you experience Jesus' presence and how you hear His voice speaking in and through your life.

With your friends, who may or may not be Catholic, start a challenge to be the best that you can be. Challenge each other to go out of your way to help one person you normally wouldn't a week, to be helpful to your family in a way that you aren't asked to during the week, and to post a message of postivity and kindness on your social media page at least once during the week. At the end of the week, with your friends, discuss how the presence of Christ was experienced during these activities.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus' gift of the Church as handed on down to the Apostles is intended for us to begin living our heavenly eternity in the here and now.

Relates to my Faith: All that the Church offers in terms of Sacraments and Precepts and faith and morals engages our whole being to form us into the holy sons and daughters that God creates us to be.

Sample Script:

In order to be a full, practicing member of the Catholic Church, there exists a foundation that needs to be attended to in one’s life. First, receiving the Sacraments of Initiation unites one to Christ by being marked as a son or daughter. Beginning with baptism, we each receive the first grace that opens us up to the rest of the Sacraments. Our reception of the Holy Eucharist keeps us in close relationship to God while Confirmation strengthens us to commit to the Catholic faith by gracing us with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This foundation gives us the presence of God intentionally in our lives and thus the necessary spiritual tools to build our relationship with Christ and His Church.

The foundational grace found in the Sacraments of Initiation allows you and me to embrace and live the Precepts of the Church, which give us the basic requirements for living the faith and to be in relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. First, we need to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation to worship God and praise Him for the love He has shown us. Second, we need to confess our sins at least once a year to clean our soul and recommit ourselves to Jesus Christ. Third, we need to receive the Eucharist at least once a year during the Easter season, so as to commemorate the saving action of Jesus for us through His passion, death, and resurrection. Fourth, we are to observe days of fasting and abstinence, which deny us of certain comforts and in our emptiness turns towards God who can truly fill us up with what we need. Fifth, we need to provide for the needs of the Church and consider ways that we can give of our time, talent, and treasure to support the Church and her mission. Sixth, we are to obey the laws of the Church concerning marriage, and support the Divine Law of marriage being between one man and one woman for life for the building up of the spouses and the family aimed at eternal salvation. And finally, seventh, we need to participate in the Church’s mission of evangelization and souls, which spreads the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and the mission of the Church so that all might come to know God’s love and presence.

This grace of the Sacraments, in which the gift of divine life is given to you and me so that we might grow together with God and be a loving witness to Him, allows us to worthily share our faith with others. The Sacraments allow us to give what we have been given by God in sharing His love with the world. The sharing of our faith comes through in many ways and effects for the good our thoughts, words, and deeds. Sacramental grace also allows us with more ease to persevere in faith when it is not easy to have faith and to love our neighbor as ourselves, even when that feels like the last thing we want to do. Knowing that the Sacraments afford such offerings, we need to do the best we can to safeguard this grace by not losing it through our sins and distractions.

 The Sacraments are the way in which God chooses to give salvation and sanctify His people, and we have a part to play in conveying this message to others by our very lives. When we cooperate with God in assisting with His mission, He bestows on us the necessary grace to carry this out. Our relationship with God and His Church grows here and we deepen our connection with the divine, finding fullness and peace in this life. Further, the grace of a life well lived offers hope to our brothers and sisters who we encounter who are most in need of hope, letting them know that their life is valued and that they are loved. This is all to say that you and I need to be sacramental people who participate in the life of the Sacraments and live a life modeled after Jesus Christ so that you and I can be a sacrament to those that we meet. This is the mission of the Church and this is the life that we each are called to lead, for the praise and glory of God and the love and good of our neighbor.

Questions:
What is the key element that makes a sacrament different from a sign or symbol?

What three things are necessary to effect the reality of a sacrament?

What is the gift the grace of the Sacraments give us?

To be a full practicing Catholic what are the 3 foundations?

What is it that we do that has us lose some grace?
 

Activities:
Together, as a family, look over and discuss the Precepts of the Church. Which ones do you think you do well as a family? Which ones are more of a challenge? Make a commitment to continue to do well the ones you do well and choose at least one that is a challenge to work on together as a family.

Have you ever thought about what it took for Jesus to give us salvation? Spend some time in prayer (at least 30 minutes) and meditate and think on Jesus suffering and dying on the Cross for you. What do you notice? What did you think about that you never thought about before? Write down all that comes to your mind and heart.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus instituted the seven sacraments as the primary means of our salvation through life in him, communion with him, growth in his grace and love, and spiritual power. 

Relates to My Faith: Without the grace of the sacraments, I cannot be saved. For it is baptism that begins the life of sanctifying grace within me, and each sacrament produces new graces within me that contribute to my salvation and growth in holiness. 

Catechism References: CCC nos. 1113-1134

Scriptural References: Mt 3:1-17; Jn 1:25-34; Jn 6:30-59; Jn 13: 3-17; Jn 20:21-23;  1 Cor 11:23-34; Eph 5: 21-33; James 5:14-16; Acts 2

Video Resources: 
TheoMatters: Catholic Sacraments Explained (2 min 18 sec): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CU7bEZAmr1I&ab_channel=TheoMatters

Sketchy Catholicism: Sacraments (6 m 34 s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB3dFrZ5THs&ab_channel=SketchyCatholicism

Three Minute Theology 5:5: What is a Sacrament (3 m 39s)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZXMNc4DP-Q&ab_channel=ThreeMinuteTheology

Extra Narrative

What is a sacrament? A sacrament is one of seven efficacious (effective, fruitful) signs instituted by Christ that do not just point to, but actually participate in the reality they represent. They actually produce an increase in sanctifying grace (see topic on Salvation and Grace). Their purpose is to bring us into a share of God’s divine beatitude. This is not merely symbolic, but occurs in reality. Although, we are not likely to physically sense the union with God and the spiritual healing and growth the sacraments bring each time our souls receive a sacrament, when we receive them with prepared souls (proper disposition) that are oriented and open to God’s love, we can be sure we are receiving God’s graces and beatitudes that are preparing us more fully for abundant life both here and in heaven. However, what we can feel, if we are receiving these sacraments with those dispositions, is an interior, abiding joy and contentment that can sustain us through every earthly trial, and we can be certain in the hope of the life in divine joy to come that God has promised his faithful.   

The Elements all Sacraments Have In Common

The sacraments all have certain things in common. While Christ instituted each of the seven sacraments, it is these common elements that help us recognize a sacrament.
 

Instituted by Christ
The first thing all sacraments have in common is that they were instituted by Christ for the purpose of sharing in Christ’s love in a real way. When Jesus told his apostles at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John, “I will not leave you orphans”, he was not only speaking of the gift of the Holy Spirit, but in his real presence in the sacraments, first and foremost in the sacrament of the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, but especially in his real, substantial presence in Holy Communion and in his forgiving and healing presence in Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick, but each in their own way, in the other four sacraments. 

Form and Matter

Secondly, each sacrament has both form and matter. The Form of a sacrament consists of the ritual words that accompany the administration of the sacrament. The Matter of a sacrament is the material element or in some cases, the substance of what the words mean such as the mutual consent to live together in faithful, exclusive, lifelong partnership in the exchange of vows in the case of marriage or the acts of the penitent in the case of the sacrament of penance (i.e., the sins of the penitent, the act of contrition, the doing of the penance, the resolution and effort to avoid future sin). The vows in marriage are not just words, they are the thing which makes a marriage a marriage sine non qua. 

Ordinary Minister

Each sacrament also has a primary or “ordinary” minister. The bishop of a diocese is always the authoritative and primary administrative agent of every sacrament within his own diocese. Every priest or deacon that has faculties (i.e., permission or authority) to administer sacraments, or any lay person that is authorized as an extraordinary minister has that authority from his or her own bishop. Even if a person is installed as a Eucharistic minister at a parish by their pastor, his authority to install comes from the bishop. This is why a Bishop who is installed as the head of a diocese is called, “the Ordinary” of the diocese.

That said, each sacrament has an ordinary minister. The ordinary minister does not need any additional or special permissions from the bishop to administer a specific sacrament, because he already has faculties to do so. Faculties remain until the bishop lifts them, which is usually only for some disciplinary or pastoral reason. For example, the ordinary minister for baptism is a priest of or deacon. Priests or deacons do not need special permission from their bishop to perform a baptism. Their authority to do so is already given in their faculties. In the Latin rite, the ordinary minister for Confirmation, called, Chrismation in the Eastern Catholic Churches, is the bishop. The only other valid minister of confirmation is a priest, never a deacon or lay person, but the priest would need special permission from the bishop, which he is usually given at the Easter Vigil.

For the distribution of Holy Communion, the ordinary minister is a priest. Extraordinary ministers include deacons and lay persons as authorized by the local bishop, and so on for each sacrament. The topic lessons on the specific sacraments will cover the ministers for each.

The Sacraments in Sacred Scripture

Each sacrament can be found in some way, shape or form in the Scriptures. Some of these references are already listed in the Scriptural References found at the beginning of these extra pages. There is also a free handy chart on the Seven Sacraments compiled by Catholic apologist, Steve Ray, that has additional Scripture references and other elements common to all the sacraments that can be found here: Seven Sacraments Chart. Like the terms, Holy Trinity, or Incarnation, or Purgatory, or Holy Communion, or many other theological terms that are part of the Church’s teaching and Tradition, the term “sacrament” to describe these seven signs that produce grace is not found in the Scriptures, but each of these sacraments as efficacious signs instituted by Christ are present. Moreover, their types (prefigurements that precede their fulfillment in the New Testament) are found throughout the Old Testament scriptures. Examples of these are plenty and startling in their obviousness. For instance, baptism is found as early as the second verse of the Bible (Gen 1:2) in the hovering of the Holy Spirit ("the mighty wind") over the dark waters, in the flood story (Gen 6-9), and in the crossing of the Israelites through the Red Sea after 400 years of slavery in Egypt (Ex 14:21ff), and again in their crossing over Jordan River into the Promised Land, Israel (Joshua 3:14-17), and in the healing of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kgs 5:1-19). The OT types of the sacrament of Confirmation and Holy Orders are found in the anointing of the prophets, especially of King David by Samuel. Likewise, the OT type of the Eucharist is found in the Divine provision of daily manna to the wandering Israelites and in the bread and wine offered by the priest-king, Melchizedek in Genesis 14. The OT types of the sacrament of matrimony are found in the giving of Eve to Adam by God, and the love and fidelity of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Boaz and Ruth, Jacob and Rachel, and others. Those of the sacrament of penance (reconciliation) and anointing of the sick include the bronze serpent that God directed Moses mount on a pole as the healing remedy for those bitten by the saraph serpents God sent the Israelities who continued to grumble against God in the desert while journeying to the promised land in Numbers 24:1-9, and so on with every sacrament. Again, the scriptural types and references of the sacraments can be found to a fuller degree in the topic sessions of the specific sacraments.  

The Sacramental Economy

Hunh? The Sacramental Economy is a fancy technical term the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council used to describe the relationship between the most important sacrament--the Holy Eucharist--and the other six sacraments instituted by Christ. At the Last Supper, Jesus directly linked his passion, death, and resurrection to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the sign of the New Covenant. Very simply put, all the other sacraments lead to, are directed towards, and are at the service of the Holy Eucharist. This is called, “the sacramental economy”. 

How does this work practically speaking? Well, let’s start with baptism. Baptism is the gateway to the True Worship of God which is the Holy Eucharist. It is our ticket to the Eucharistic Banquet sine non qua. It is not possible for us, as finite beings, to worship God who is infinite. However, because it is Jesus who does the worshipping in the Holy Eucharist, and because our baptism makes us members of His Body, our worship is not only possible, but it is pleasing to the Father. It is in Christ that we worship at Mass. In the Mass, Christ unites us to himself and offers himself together with us, as His Holy People, to the Father in the Spirit, and that is what makes us able to worship God. So, that mistaken old notion that “I don’t have to go to Mass because I can worship God in my own way” is just another way we fairy dust reality because we don’t want to deal with the hassle of getting up to go to Mass. The only True Worship on earth occurs in the celebration of the Eucharist--the Mass. Baptism is our engraved invitation to that Feast.

Likewise, each of the sacraments serve the Eucharist in their own way. Reconciliation is our shower after we have dirtied ourselves by sin. In this sacrament, we are made clean and are made ready to sit at the Eucharistic table. Confirmation strengthens our bond to the Church and therefore to Christ himself as he offers himself.to the Father in the Eucharist. Fruitful and well-lived matrimony likewise increases not only our bond with Christ, but those who are invited to the table through the children of that marriage. As the love of a husband and wife is a sign of Christ’s loving bond to the Church for whom he died, so is Holy Communion a real share in that bond. Holy Orders is the sacrament which makes the Eucharist possible for it is the priest who stands in the place and person of Christ who is both the offerer and the Victim of that Eucharistic sacrifice--the Lamb of God. Without the priest, there is no Eucharist. Lastly, Anointing of the Sick not only heals our spiritual wounds (and can heal our physical wounds), but to those dying, nourishes the soul one last time before departing this earth in a final Holy Communion, called “Viaticum”.  

To conclude this introduction to the Sacraments,we should note that the word, “Sacrament” is also sometimes applied to other sacred signs that share in spiritual and mystical realities. One such application is the word, “Church”, which also can be seen in a certain sense as a sacrament. What is important, to note, though, is that while the Church certainly fits the precise definition of the term sacrament that the Church uses--because it is an efficacious sign instituted by Christ that produces grace and shares in the reality to which it points, i.e., in her case, the Kingdom of God--it is not one of the seven the Church distinguishes in its list because it is not administered to a recipient like the other seven are and does not have metaphysical matter and form in the same way the other seven do. So, while it may fit the formulaic definition, it does not have the elements, i.e., matter, form, and minister, to make it a Sacrament.