SEVEN SACRAMENTS EXPLAINED

The origin and foundation of Christian Baptism is Jesus.  Before starting his public ministry, Jesus submitted himself to the baptism given by John the Baptist.  The waters did not purify him; he cleansed the waters.  . . .  Jesus did not need to be baptized because he was totally faithful to the will of his Father and free from sin.  However, he wanted to show his solidarity with human beings in order to reconcile them to the Father. By commanding his disciples to baptize all nations, he established the means by which people would die to sin – Original and actual – and begin to live a new life with God.

In Baptism, the Holy Spirit moves us to answer Christ's call to holiness. In Baptism, we are asked to walk by the light of Christ and to trust in his wisdom. We are invited to submit our hearts to Christ with ever-deeper love. 

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The prophets in the Old Testament predicted that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to support his mission. This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. During Jesus' baptism by John, the Holy Spirit descended upon him. Throughout his entire mission, Jesus was in communion with the Spirit. Before his death, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church. After his death, he was raised by the Father with the power of the Spirit. Through Confirmation, we can deepen our baptismal life and become missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world. We receive the message of faith in a more profound and intensive manner, with a strong emphasis on the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus asked the Father to grant the Holy Spirit to the Church to build up the community in loving service.

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The Sacrament of Penance not only liberates us from our sins, but it also challenges us to show compassion and forgiveness towards those who wrong us. Through this sacrament, we obtain new insights into the meaning of the Prayer of St. Francis, which emphasizes the importance of forgiveness.

Jesus entrusted the Church with the ministry of reconciliation, and the Sacrament of Penance is a gift from God to forgive any sins committed after Baptism. Confession presents an opportunity to repent and regain our friendship with God. During this holy moment, we are honest with ourselves and acknowledge our sins, particularly mortal sins, in the presence of God. With absolution, we are reconciled with God and the Church, helping us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without Him. 

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In the Church's Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, through the ministry of the priest, it is Jesus who touches the sick to heal them from sin – and sometimes even from physical ailment. His cures were signs of the arrival of the Kingdom of God. The core message of his healing tells us of his plan to conquer sin and death by his dying and rising.

The Rite of Anointing tells us there is no need to wait until a person is at the point of death to receive the Sacrament. A careful judgment about the serious nature of the illness is sufficient.

When the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is given, the hoped-for effect is that, if it is God's will, the person be physically healed of illness. But even if there is no physical healing, the primary effect of the Sacrament is a spiritual healing by which the sick person receives the Holy Spirit's gift of peace and courage to deal with the difficulties that accompany serious illness or the frailty of old age.

For Anointing:

Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and ends with "the wedding feast of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7, 9). Scripture often refers to marriage, its origin and purpose, the meaning God gave to it, and its renewal in the covenant made by Jesus with his Church.  Man and woman were created for each other.

By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ's spousal love for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, "Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church." 

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. A covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy.

From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest. As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way. 

"Here I am, send me." (Is 6:8)

Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest.  Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).  This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.