Sacraments: What are They ?

[TheCatholic]

I wanted to post something about the Sacrament of Confession and the Sacrament of Baptism, but first I figured I'd better post about Sacraments in general in order to explain our POV on them. Here is the general idea behind a sacrament:

God has always worked through men and things: Always. Men were prophets who God spoke through, and men wrote the scriptures, with God working through them.

Here is a good example of the sacramental principle. When Moses raised his staff over the waters and split the Red Sea, who really parted the waters, God or Moses? It was God of course. BUT: The visible sign that the people could see was Moses raising his staff. God provided the people with a visible sign. Basically, that is the sacramental principle: A visible sign which God works through..

So today it is the same. Take Baptism: The visible sign we see is the water being poured over the person, and what we do not see is the miracle of God washing away that person's sins. This is the sacramental principle.

Now take confession. The visible sign we see is the priest holding his hands over us a speaking the words "I absolve you of your sin IN THE NAME OF the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." What we do NOT see is Christ working through the sacrament to effect what the sacrament signifies.

An interesting example of this principle is Jesus rubbing mud in the blind man's eyes. What was it that cured the man's blindness, the mud, or Jesus? Jesus did of course. So why did he bother with the mud? Because God always works through men and things.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

1116 Sacraments are "powers that comes forth" from the Body of Christ, which is ever-living and life-giving. They are actions of the Holy Spirit at work in his Body, the Church. They are "the masterworks of God" in the new and everlasting covenant.

1123 "The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of Christ and, finally, to give worship to God. Because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are called 'sacraments of faith.'"

1131 The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions.

source: http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p2s1c1a2.htm

Christ 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 all the important moments of Christian life: 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.

I will discuss them individually in the furure, but I wanted to throw them out the for now to here THOUGHTFUL comments.

(NOTE: The Seven Sacraments are also believed and practiced by the Eastern Orthodox, the "Traditional" Anglicans, Coptics, and others. So let us avoid charges of Catholic "inventions" or other derogatory posts. Thank you.)

[kevlar]

who performs these sacraments?

[TheCatholic]

(03-10-2010 09:03 AM)kevlar Wrote:  who performs these sacraments?

It depends.

Baptism and Marriage is normatively performed by either the deacon, priest, or bishop. (A layperson can do baptism under extraordinary circumstances.)

Holy Orders and Confirmation can only be done by a bishop.

The Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, and Confession can be done by a priest or bishop, but not a deacon.

Details on all of these are available here: http://www.catholic.com/library/sacraments.asp

[kevlar]

WeeeOOOOre
wrong answer

The sacrement of MARRIAGE is performed by the couple getting married, with the priest as Gods witness.
Go straight to confession do not pass the pulpit do not pickup the plate.

[TheCatholic]

(03-10-2010 09:43 AM)kevlar Wrote:  ....The sacrement of MARRIAGE is performed by the couple getting married, with the priest as Gods witness.....

Actually, that part of your post is correct: I was in error. I should have said that marriage is "presided over" by a deacon, priest, or bishop. But, yes, that is the only sacrament that is normatively admistered by the people themselves

[kevlar]

What do you mean "that part of your post"
That was my post
So long and thanks for all the fish

[julio]

The very truth about sacrament is their COMMERCIAL value.
It also created an elite of priests living a parasitic & lazy life at the expense of their victims.
Nobody needs any sacraments.
It is religious relics of the Dark Ages, and jargon to deceive the naive.
Take baptism.
Thousands of innocent people were martyred and killed for debating whether it was by sprinkling or immersion.
THOUSANDS were persecuted for opposing the pope's system [because he had political power and WEAPONS].
Why all that criminality for one stupid sacrament?
Because the holy spirit forgot to add the little word sprinkled when John Baptist "sprinkled" Jesus!
So much trouble for one simple word.
Had the text added "Jesus was baptized by immersion" no Anabaptist had been killed for so little a sacrament!
...
Religion is eventually criminal.