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| The priest follows the Son of God, Jesus Christ |
THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS
Jesus instituted the
sacraments of the new law. There are seven; Baptism, Confirmation [or
Chrismation], the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders
and Matrimony.
The seven sacraments touch all the stages and important moments
of Christian life: they give new life and growth, healing and mission to the
Christian’s life of faith.
There is a certain resemblance between the stages of
natural life and the stages of the spiritual life.
The sacraments contain both visible and
invisible reality, a reality open to all the human senses but grasped in its
God-given depths with the eyes of faith.
When a parent smiles at a child, the
visible reality we see is the tender smile.
The invisible reality the smile
conveys is love. We cannot ‘see’ the love the smile expresses, though sometimes
we can see its nurturing effect on the child.
In the same way, when a priest conducts a
baptism by means of pouring of water and pronouncing words, the visible sign of
the sacrament is the water and the words.
The invisible sign and reality are
the grace of God which washes away the mark of original sin from the baptized,
fills the baptized with God’s life and initiates the person into new
relationship with Him.
This is done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
There are three sacraments of Christian
initiation, two sacraments of healing and two sacraments of service of
communion.
The three sacraments of Christian initiation are Baptism,
Confirmation and the Eucharist, also known as Communion or the Lord’s Supper.
The
two sacraments of healing are Confession or Reconciliation, and the Anointing
of the Sick.
The two sacraments of service of communion are Holy Orders and
Matrimony.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
The sacrament of Baptism is
the gateway to life in the Spirit and the door which gives access to the other
sacraments.
Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons and
daughters of God; we become members of Christ and are incorporated into the
Church and made sharers in the mission of the church.
The sacrament of baptism is so called after
the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize [Greek baptizein] means to ‘immerse’: the
immersion into the water symbolizes the catechumen’s burial into Christ’s
death, from which the baptized rises up by resurrection with Him, as a new
person.
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
The sacrament of Confirmation
confers the gift of the Holy Spirit of God upon the confirmand in a special
way. Jesus promised this unique outpouring of the Holy Spirit on several
occasions. The Saviour fulfilled this promise at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit
came down upon the praying disciples in the form of spiritual flame and the
sound of a mighty wind.
Those who received the Holy Spirit began to speak
fluently about God, and were understood by all despite language difference.
From the time of Pentecost on, the apostles
imparted to baptized members of the church by the laying on of hands the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
The imposition of hands is recognized as the origin of the
sacrament of Confirmation, which carries on the grace of Pentecost in the
church. From early church times, the better to signify the Holy Spirit, an
anointing with perfumed oil [chrism]
was added to the laying on of hands.
This anointing highlights the name
‘Christian’, which means ‘anointed’ and derives from that of Christ Himself
whom God ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit.’
The Eastern churches call this
sacrament ‘Chrismation’, anointing with chrism.
The anointing of another is rich in biblical
and ancient symbolism: oil is a sign of abundance and joy. Oil cleanses, is a
sign of healing and soothes bruises, and makes radiant with beauty, health and
strength.
Anointing with oil has all these meanings in the sacramental life.
In
Confirmation, the anointed share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ
and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with Whom He is filled. By the anointing
during Confirmation, the confirmand receives the ‘mark’, the seal of the Holy
Spirit.
This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our
enrolment in His service forever, as well as the promise of Divine protection.
Confirmation is imparted by a specially
mandated priest of the church, usually a bishop. The Bishop extends his hands
over the confirmandi.
Since the time of the apostles this gesture has signified
the gift of the Spirit.
The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in
prayer.
Thereafter the sacrament of Confirmati is conferred through the
anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the
hand, and through the words, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” The
confirmand is thus granted full outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The sacrament of
Confirmation brings about an increase and deepening of baptismal grace. Confirmation gives us special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and witness
to Jesus Christ.
SACRAMENT OF EUCHARIST
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is also known as the Lord’s Supper; the
Mass; Divine Liturgy or Holy Communion.
In this sacrament Jesus makes
Himself present bodily in the act in which a group of people share food and
drink – bread and wine – together in His memory.
It is the holy privilege of the
priest to celebrate the Eucharist as ordained by Jesus Christ with the words
”Do this in remembrance of Me”. [Luke 22:19]
There are practical points for
the priest to remember during the celebration of the Eucharist. Some people are
either allergic to wheat or are wheat intolerant.
These medical conditions are
called coeliac and wheat intolerance.
This means that partaking of bread made
of wheat causes them to become very ill, at times necessitating medical care.
Many forms of Communion bread or
Hosts are constituted of wheaten flour, and
thus causes difficulties for those with this particular allergy.
Gluten-free bread or gluten-free
Hosts [bread made of other flour such as rice flour, potato flour instead of
wheat flour] are usually made available by the priest so that sufferers from
the condition may be able to receive the sacrament.
This ensures that every person
receives Communion safely.
Gluten-free bread is obtainable in certain food or
pharmaceutical stores.
This product is marked as gluten free-bread which is
suitable for coeliacs.
Some people are recovering from
alcohol dependency, and therefore the drinking of wine in taking the Sacred Cup
presents a difficulty for them.
In this case, dark red grape juice
is a good substitute. For the priest, it is best practice to ensure that the
sacramental bread and wine are offered quietly without others becoming unduly
aware of the communicant’s special requirement.
Priests need to have the
sensitivity of Jesus towards the suffering or weakness of others.
In Christian tradition, Jesus
our Saviour used a standing cup vessel – since called the ‘Holy Chalice’ to
hold the wine during the Last Supper.
Priests following the example of
Jesus use chalices during the sacrament of the Eucharist.
A dish holds the sacramental
bread; in Christian priestly usage this is known as a “paten”.
A chalice and
paten are symbols of the priest’s ministry.
This vessel and paten are
treated with respect and reverence as holders of the sacred mystery of the
transformation of bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
The priest is privileged to celebrate the
sacrament of the Eucharist.
The Lord Jesus, having loved the disciples, loved
them to the end of His earthly Life.
Knowing that the hour had come for Him to
leave this world and return to the Father, in the course of a meal He washed
their feet and gave them the commandment of love.
In order to leave the
disciples a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from His own and to
make them sharers in His Passover, Jesus instituted the Eucharist as the
memorial of His Death and Resurrection, and commanded His disciples to
celebrate it until His return.
Thereby Jesus imparted the first ordination to
priesthood.
At the heart of the Eucharistic Celebration –
or Communion – are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the
invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ’s Body and Blood. ‘The Lord Jesus,
on the night He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He
broke it, and said: “This is My Body, Which is for you; do this in remembrance
of me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the
new covenant of My Blood; do this, whenever you drink It, in remembrance of
Me.” ‘ [1 Corinthians 11:23-25]
The priest celebrates the sacrament of the Holy
Eucharist regularly, with devotion and joy at the privilege of bringing Christ
to others.
The congregation receive the gift of the bread and wine made the
Body and Blood of Christ with devotion and reverence, praying to the Son of God
Who redeemed us.
The priest, after consecration of the bread and wine, gives
the Host or Consecrated Bread and a sip of the precious Blood from the chalice
to those who come to the altar rail for Communion.
A sign of devotion and
respect for the Son of God is for both priest and congregation to dress
respectfully and appropriately for the Holy Mass. A further sign of loving
reverence is for the congreganists to kneel in order to receive holy communion.
As the priest gives the consecrated Host, the
words “The Body of Christ” is spoken.
The person receiving the Host replies
“Amen”, before reverently consuming the host.
Thereafter the priest offers the chalice
holding the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, with the words “The Blood of
Christ”.
The person receiving the gift of communion answers “Amen”, and sips
from the chalice.
The rim of the chalice is thereafter carefully wiped with a
clean white linen cloth held by the priest, and the chalice rim is shifted
before the next communicant receives from the chalice. Another option is to
have manifold small glasses into each of which a sip of wine has been poured. The priest thereafter consecrates the bread and wine: each communicant kneels.
After receiving and consuming the consecrated Host, the communicant receives a
small glass with the precious Blood, and reverently drinks.
SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION
Jesus calls to conversion.
This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom. “The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the
gospel.” [Gospel of St Mark 1:15]
Christ’s call to conversion continues to
resound in the lives of Christians.
The church has been instituted by Christ
first and foremost for the benefit of sinners, to help them on the road to
inward purification and to follow the path to renewal.
Those who have been touched by the words and
Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ experience a contrite heart for
past actions of commission or omission, thoughts and words which were unworthy.
Jesus’ call to conversion and restitution does not aim first at outward works.
Rather, the Saviour desires the conversion of the heart.
Interior conversion
[or change] of heart inspires expression of visible signs, gestures and works
of restitution for wrong done.
Interior conversion is a radical
reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our
heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with rejection of evil actions.
At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life,
with hope in the mercy of God and trust in the help of His grace. This
conversion of heart is accompanied by sorrow for past wrongs done, and
repentance of heart.
The sacrament of confession is more than
repentance; it is the lifting of a burden: the burden of sin and past painful
memories.
The sacrament of confession is the sacrament of God’s forgiveness.
The
person who wishes to confess does so primarily to Almighty God.
It is to God,
and God alone, that the repentant person addresses the Confession.
However,
many times the priest is privileged to walk with the penitent along the path
leading from recognition of past unworthy actions to a new and renewed life in
Jesus Christ.
Sharing a problem often lifts a heavy burden of guilt and sorrow
from the shoulders and heart of the person who wishes to confess.
Further, the sacrament of Confession – a time
of talking together between priest and penitent – is a time when total privacy
is assured, and complete confidentiality.
Each ordained priest is bound by the
secrecy of the confessional, a total confidentiality which cannot be broken
even within a court of human law.
In Confession the priest may hear stories of
past unworthy conduct, as the penitent strives to renew personal life and pray
to the God of mercy and compassion for forgiveness.
To the priest falls the
task of standing in the Person of Christ for the person seeking forgiveness;
and to grant absolution by means of the power that Jesus Christ gave priests
for the eternally binding forgiveness both of sin, and the weight of eternal
restitution that sin might otherwise have wrought.
The priest, after giving prudent counselling
and words of comfort to the one who has sought mercy from God, gives the
absolution through words and blessing.
Thereafter the person continues on with
life. Often, a means of restitution is counselled by the priest; such as prayer
for the person whose life was affected by wrongs done.
Another example is to
counsel one who struggles with honesty, in future to be completely honest in
all dealings.
Three things are necessary for a good Confession; contrition,
confession and a firm purpose of amendment.
During the Confession time, the priest should
prudently ensure that there are no opportunities for any other either to listen
in to, or record on technological media, the sacred moment of Confession
between the penitent and God.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
Christ’s compassion toward the
sick and His many healings of every kind of infirmity are a resplendent sign
that “God has visited His people.” [Gospel of St Luke 7:16; cf.
Gospel of St Matthew 4:24] and that the
Kingdom of God is close at hand.
Jesus has the power not only to heal, but also
to forgive sins.
Jesus has come to heal the whole person, soul and body; He is
the Physician the sick have need of. [Gospel of St Mark 2:17]
The
compassion of Christ goes so far that He identified Himself with them: “I was
sick and you visited me.” [Gospel of St Matthew 25:36]
The deep love of Jesus
for the sick has not ceased through the centuries to draw the special attention
of Christians towards all those who suffer in body and soul.
It is the source
of Christ’s tireless efforts to comfort them.
Moved by so much suffering Jesus not only
allowed Himself to be touched by the sick, but He makes their miseries His own:
“He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” [Gospel of St Matthew 8:17; cf
Isaiah 53:4]
However, Jesus did not heal all the sick. His healings were signs
of the coming of the Kingdom of God.
They announced a more radical healing: the
victory over sin and death through His Passover. Upon the cross Jesus took upon
Himself the whole weight of evil and took away the sin of the world, of which
illness is only a consequence.
By His Life, Death and Resurrection Jesus has
given a new meaning to suffering: it can unite us with His redemptive Passion.
The Saviour invites his disciples to follow
Him by taking up their own personal cross in their turn. By following Jesus
Christ they acquire a new outlook on the sick and illness.
Jesus calls
disciples to associate with His own Life of poverty and service.
He calls them
to share in His ministry of compassion and healing. The risen Lord renews this
mission, “In My Name . . . they will lay their hands on the sick and they will
recover” [Gospel of St Mark 16:17-18] and confirms it through the signs that
the church performs by invoking His Name.
One such sign is the sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick.
Saint James commended, “Is any among you
sick? Let him call for the elders [presbyters] of the Church and let them pray
over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord; and the prayer of
faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has
committed sins, he will be forgiven.” [Gospel of St James 5:14-15]
The
sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given to those who are ill by anointing
them on the forehead and hands with blessed oil – usually olive oil – saying
the word: “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.”
Priests are the usual ministers of the
Anointing of the Sick.
This sacrament strengthens the sufferer, imparts peace
and courage to overcome the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the
frailty of old age. This grace is a gift of the Holy Spirit, Who renews trust
and faith in God and strengthens against the evil one.
In addition to the
Anointing of the Sick, the church offers those who are seriously ill the
Eucharist.
Communion in the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ given shortly before
the last journey from earth to Heaven is known as the Viaticum, the Last
Sacrament of the Christian.
SACRAMENTS AT THE
SERVICE OF COMMUNION
The sacraments of Christian
Initiation – namely Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist – ground the common
call of all Christ’s disciples and priests, a call to holiness and to the
mission of evangelization of the whole world.
These sacraments confer the grace
needed for the life according to the Holy Spirit.
The two sacraments of Holy Orders and
Matrimony [or Marriage], are directed towards the salvation of others.
These
sacraments contribute as well to personal salvation through service to others.
SACRAMENT OF HOLY ORDERS
Holy Orders is the sacrament
through which the mission entrusted by Jesus to His disciples continues in His
Holy Church.
This sacrament is Ordination to the Priesthood. Jesus Christ is
the High Priest and unique Mediator.
He has called many to the ordained
ministry. This Priesthood is ministerial, and is lived out in service.
The
sacrament of Holy Orders or the priesthood communicates a sacred power which is
that of the Saviour.
The dedicated priest – ordained through the Sacrament of
Holy Orders – has the task of representing Christ, the Head of the Church,
before the congregation.
The priest further acts in the name of the whole
church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church congreganists, and when
celebrating the holy Eucharist.
Christ Himself chose the disciples and gave
them a share in His mission and authority.
Raised to the Right Hand of the
Father, He has not deserted his flock but keeps us under His constant
protection through the Priesthood.
The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred by
the laying on of hands.
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY
Priests are called on to solemnise the journey together of two people in
a lifelong commitment, to love, support and cherish each other.
Children born from the marriage
will be brought up in stability to learn lessons of love and family caring from
their parents and each other.
The third partner in each
marriage is God the Creator, Who blesses the love and union of the man and
woman.
The engaged couple perform the marriage rite
because their pledge for a lifelong committed relationship forms the marriage
contract itself.
The priest or person performing
the rite is the witness to this marriage contract.
The priest is the
representative of the blessing of God’s Grace on the union.
Matrimony is a holy rite,
officiated in Christian churches by a priest, of uniting two people for life.
There is a legal aspect to the
public marriage rite. The priest needs to find out what the rulings for an
officiant or celebrant of a wedding is in the area, and fulfil the criteria.
The priest may require training
to receive legal right to officiate at weddings in the local area.
Christ chose to be born and grow up in the
family of Joseph and Mary.
Thus the family unit is a holy ordinance instituted
by God.
Marriage, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a
partnership for the whole of life, is by its nature a mutual support for the
couple, and for the procreation and education of children.
This sacred covenant
has been blessed by God as a sacrament.
The consent by which the couple
mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God Himself.
In His preaching, Jesus taught the original
meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from the
beginning: permission given by Moses to divorce one’s wife was a concession to
the hardness of hearts. [Gospel of St Matthew 19:8]
The marriage union of man
and woman is indissoluble: God Himself has determined it: “What therefore God
has joined together, let no man put asunder.” [Matthew 19:6]
The celebration of marriage usually takes
place during the Holy Mass, thus inviting the blessing of God on the union of
man and woman.
The man and woman – as ministers of Christ’s grace – mutually
confer upon each other the sacrament of Matrimony by expressing their consent
before the church.
The priest conducts the Marriage Ceremony. From a valid marriage arises a bond between the new
husband and wife which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; the
couple are strengthened and consecrated for the duties and dignity of marriage
by the special sacrament of Matrimony.
The priest helps the couple to be married to
realise that the whole household they will found should become a strength of
Christian belief in a world which often struggles with disbelief.
The father of
the family, the mother, children [who should all be welcomed into the family]
and all members of the family are blessed by the reception of the sacrament,
prayer and thanksgiving, the witness of a holy life, temperance and active
charity.
The home founded by the married couple is the first school of
Christian life and is a school for human enrichment.
Within the family,
endurance and the joy of work, love, generosity, forgiveness and divine worship
in prayer is learned.
The Christian home is the place where children receive
the first proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For this reason the
family home is called ‘the domestic church’, a community of grace and prayer.
For those people who remain single, it must
be remembered they are never alone.
No one is without a family in this world;
the church – with the priests as pastors of the flock – is a home and family
for everyone: especially those who carry heavy burdens.
Rev Catherine
Disclaimer: this information is not meant to replace your Priest, Theologian, Doctor or Health Professional Care
