Celebrating Sacraments

The Seven Sacraments

 Baptism
Sacrament of Initiation
• Celebrating: welcome and rebirth
• Incorporates a person into the Body of Christ,
the church
• It makes a son or daughter of God
• It is permanent: we can not get ‘unbaptized’
even if we fall away from God
 Symbols
• Water: Cleansing and Life-Giving
-central symbol in Baptism
-Natural Symbol: drink it, swim in it, ski on it, walk near it, listen to it
-Scriptural Meanings: special meaning for the Christian community,
in the book of Genesis, God breathes on the waters to bring order
to Creation.
-Taking the Plunge: in the early years, Baptisms were performed in
rivers or streams
• Oil: Healing, Strengthening, and Being Chosen
• A White Garment: Becoming a New Creation
• A Lighted Candle: Sharing in the Light of Christ
 Confirmation
Sacrament of Initiation

• Celebrating growth in the spirit

• Celebrates the full outpouring of the Holy
Spirit on a baptized person, completing and
strengthening the grace given by the Spirit in
Baptism
• Comes at a later age, he/she is able to make
moral judgments
 Seven Gifts from the Holy Spirit
• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Right judgment
• Courage
• Knowledge
• Reverence
• Wonder and awe in God’s presence
 Symbols
• The laying on of hands: A powerful connector
-hands are a symbol of power
• Anointing with Chrism: A commissioning to
service
-a sign of the cross
 Wisdom
• Am I a seeker of wisdom?
• Do I thoughtfully explore the wisdom of Jesus
and of other great teachers of the past?
• Do I step back to see the whole truth hidden
behind the obvious facts at hand?
• Do I attempt to look at life from many
different perspectives besides my own?
 Understanding
• Do I try to understand what I have learned?
• Do I look closely at underlying causes and not
just at results?
• Am I understanding toward others-especially
those who rub me the wrong way?
• Can I admit my faults?
 Right Judgment
• Am I developing my conscience?
• Do I consult the teachings of the church in
trying to make judgments?
• Do I seek guidance from informed and
conscientious people?
 Courage
• Can I freely act on my decisions, remaining
faithful to my conscience?
• Do I act rightly and justly even risking ridicule
or going against the crowd?
 Knowledge
• Am I challenged but not overwhelmed by the
vast amount of information that I can still
learn?
• Am I trying to keep informed about life and its
workings?
• Do I follow the debates on important current
issues so that I can make intelligent decisions?
 Reverence
• Do I treat myself and the people and things of
the world with reverence?
• Do I recognize fellow human beings and other
creatures of the Earth as my brothers and
sisters?
• Is compassion for others an important
measuring stick for my choices?
Wonder and awe in God’s presence
• Do I take time to pray and worship so that I
can more deeply appreciate God’s presence in
my life?
• Do I reject boredom as a condition of life and
instead seek to live with the joy and
enthusiasm of a child of God?
 Eucharist
Sacrament of Initiation
• Two main parts of the Mass:
1. Liturgy of the word- that is the proclaiming of
the word of God in the Scriptures
2. Liturgy of the Eucharist- that is the
outpouring of thanks to God that includes
the consecration and sharing of the bread
and wine in which Christ is present
• Also known as First Communion
 “Breaking of the Bread”
The Symbolism of Bread
• Bread was the most basic and essential food
of the people in Jesus’ culture
• Bread often represented life
• Eating the bread implies gaining life from it
• Bread becomes Christ offered up, broken, and
given to his people
 The Symbolism of Wine
• Wine is a natural gift from God and the work
of human hands
• Blood of Christ
• A sign of celebration
 Reconciliation
Sacrament of Healing
• Celebrating forgiveness
• Celebrates the unfailing forgiveness that God
extends to us
• “Your sins are forgiven” Jesus communicated God’s
forgiveness
• Members of the Catholic church receive God’s
mercy and forgiveness for their sins and are
reconciled with God, with themselves, and with the
church-the whole community that is wounded by
their sins.
• Provides a way for us to heal our spirit by
telling the story of our own brokenness and
failings in confession to a priest, who
represents God and the church community
Three forms of the rite of Reconciliation
• 1. celebration for individual penitent
• 2. communal celebration for several penitents
with individual confession and absolution
• 3. communal celebration for several penitents
with general confession and absolution
 Anointing the Sick
Sacrament of Healing

• “Spiritual antidote” to the damaging effects of

illness
 Five Symbols
• Penitential Rite
• Liturgy of Word
• Liturgy of Anointing Forehead
• Liturgy of Anointing Hands
• Liturgy of Communion
 5 Primary Symbols
• Penitential Rite
• Liturgy of Word
• Liturgy of Anointing Forehead
• Liturgy of Anointing Hands
• Liturgy of Communion
 Holy Orders
Sacrament of Service
• Celebrate the ministry and work of Jesus
 6 Tasks carried out by Bishops, Priests and
Deacons in the Catholic Church
1. To serve as living reminders of Jesus within
the church by their priestly, prophetic and
leading actions
2. To gather the community together, calling
upon it to remain true to its task
3. To give public witness to Christ’s vision of
justice and peace for the world
4. To represent the Catholic church as a public
institution
5. To coordinate moral, spiritual and structural
life of the faith community
6. To preside at official sacramental celebrations
 5 Symbols of Holy Orders
• Presentation of Candidates
• Laying on of Hands
• Recurring of Vestments
• Book of Gospels
• Anointing of hands with oil, presentation of
Gifts
 Marriage
Sacrament of Service

• Represents an encounter with God

• Celebrates a couple’s commitment
to share the whole of their life together and to
reveal God’s love to themselves and others
through their marriage relationship
How sacrament of marriage differs from the
wedding ceremony
• Not just on wedding day-one time event
• Sacrament encompasses a lifetime
• -communion of the whole of life
3 possible rites for marriage during Catholic
Church
• The rite for celebrating marriage during mass
• The rite for celebrating marriage outside mass
• The rite for celebrating marriage between
Catholic and unbaptized person
 3 things a couple can do to personalize
their own wedding
• Select their own scriptural readings
• Compose petitions for prayers of the faithful
• Write their own vows
 Symbols
• Consent
• Blessing and exchange of rings
• Liturgy of the word
• Communion meditation
• Nuptial blessing