Meaning & Significance

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The Seven Sacraments

A sacrament is a ceremony through which Catholics believe they receive God’s grace.

The seven

Catholics believe there are seven sacraments: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage and the Anointing of the Sick.
- Some of these ceremonies mark important moments in a person’s life, such as when they are born, when they become adults, when they marry, when they are sick and perhaps near death.
- Other sacraments mark times when Catholics set out on a certain mission, perhaps to be a Christian family or to take holy orders.

Quotes about sacraments

‘Christ instituted the sacraments of the new law. … They give birth and increase, healing and mission to the Christian's life of faith. There is thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the stages of the spiritual life’ [CCC 1210].
‘The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life’ [CCC 1212].

Meaning and Significance of the Sacraments

A sacrament is a ceremony through which Catholics believe they receive God’s grace.

Inward grace

A sacrament is often called an outward sign of inward grace, a sign that God is within them and helping them.
This grace is the grace of the Holy Spirit helping people to remain faithful to Christ.
Catholics do not consider sacraments as just symbols; each one changes the person who receives it because of God’s power.

Beliefs about sacraments

By taking part in the sacraments, Catholics believe they are brought closer to God.
The Catholic Church also teaches that all reality is sacramental, meaning that God is present and active in every aspect of creation.
They also believe that the Church is a sacrament of salvation, meaning that the salvation (deliverance from sin) brought by the death of Jesus comes to people through the Church, particularly through the seven sacraments.

Disbelievers

Not all Christians believe in the seven sacraments. Most Protestant Churches accept only two: Baptism and the Eucharist.
Some Christians (e.g. Quakers) do not practice any sacraments, believing they are unnecessary symbols and that God’s grace is available to everyone who asks for it.

1Buddhism

2Christianity

2.1Key Beliefs

2.1.1The Nature of God

2.1.2The Problem of Evil

2.1.3Monotheism

2.1.4Creation

2.1.5Bible Accounts of Creation

2.1.6The Trinity and Creation

2.1.7Afterlife

2.1.8Heaven and Hell

2.1.9The Influence of Afterlife on Life

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Christianity Key Beliefs

2.1.11Exam-Style Questions - Christian Beliefs

2.2Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.2.1The Incarnation

2.2.2Jesus - Divine & Human

2.2.3The Crucifixion

2.2.4Jesus' Betrayal

2.2.5Resurrection & Ascension

2.2.6Sin

2.2.7Original Sin

2.2.8Punishment

2.2.9The Means of Salvation

2.2.10Achieving Salvation

2.2.11Disagreements About Salvation

2.2.12The Role of Christ in Salvation

2.2.13Theories of Salvation

2.2.14End of Topic Test - Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.3Worship & Festivals

2.3.1Different Forms of Worship

2.3.2Prayer

2.3.3Sacrament

2.3.4Baptism

2.3.5Other Sacraments

2.3.6Eucharist

2.3.7Pilgrimage & Celebrations

2.3.8Christmas & Easter

2.3.9End of Topic Test - Worship and Festivals

2.4Community

2.4.1Local Community

2.4.2Mission, Evangelism & Church Growth

2.4.3Worldwide Church

2.4.4Reconciliation

2.4.5Persecution

2.4.6Caring for Those in Need

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Community

2.4.8Exam-Style Questions - Christian Practices

3Catholicism (Christianity)

4Islam

5Judaism

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