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THE SEVEN Sacraments

- The Sacrament of Baptism
- The Sacrament of Reconciliation
- The Sacrament of The Eucharist
- The Sacrament of Confirmation
- The Sacrament of Matrimony
- The Sacrament of Holy Orders
- Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick
- Faith Formation at Shepherd of the Valley Catholic Church
- The Catholic Faith is “incarnational.” In other words, it is “sacramental.”
  
  Through the seven sacraments—those sacred signs, given by Christ, that convey the grace that they signify—the Church sanctifies its members by making us share in the divine life. The sacraments are not merely “spiritual”; they express the mysteries of faith through physical realities, such as water, oil, bread, wine, as well as words and gestures. Joining the “matter” (its physical sign) of each sacrament with its “form” (the words), the Church bestows the gift of divine life granted us through Christ, who became flesh so that we might receive such saving grace.
  
  Through all the ages from Christ’s ascension until the last day when he comes in glory, these sacred signs, instituted by Jesus and entrusted to the Church, are the means for the communication of this grace, flowing from Christ’s side (see John 19:34 and 1 John 5:6–8). The sacraments are the gems around which the liturgy is woven. Through them, the whole of our lives is made holy.
  
  Through baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, we are “initiated” into the mysteries of salvation and sustained in this life by the body and blood of Christ. Through reconciliation, we are forgiven the sins that we confess and renewed in our life as children of God. In the anointing of the sick, we are strengthened in our physical suffering, so that that we might offer a spiritual sacrifice (see 1 Peter 2:5) in union with Christ, who himself “suffered in the flesh” (1 Peter 4:1). Through the sacrament of matrimony, Christ sanctifies the lives of married couples and builds up the Church. In holy orders, the sacred ministry of Christ continues through all generations.
  
  This is the meaning of the definition of the seven sacraments given in the Catechism:
  “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” ~ CCC 1131
  They are actions of Christ, working in and through his Church, to apply the fruits of salvation to all generations. Through them, the mystery of salvation is really and truly alive today in a unique way proper to each sacrament.
  
  While the sacraments are the ordinary means God uses to convey his grace, he is not prevented from acting through other means. That said, every grace comes from Christ and leads back to him, mystically present in his Church. Therefore, the sacraments are necessary for salvation, precisely because life in Christ as part of the Church is necessary for salvation. Elements of truth exist in other Christian communities, as well as in other religions, but these are “forces impelling toward Catholic unity.”
  
  As Catholics, though, we should rejoice that Jesus wishes to touch our lives personally through the sacraments he has given us in his Church. These conduits of grace are the continual source of spiritual renewal in the Christian life, which will be the subject of the entire remainder of the Catechism.
  {excerpt taken from Ascencion Press "Journey thru the Catechism"}
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