Baptism is the gateway to the other sacraments. It is a sacrament of initiation, as are confirmation and holy communion. To be a Christian you must be baptized. By being baptized you bear the name of Christ. You have a new identity, you become a member of the Christian community, and part of the Body of Christ.
The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the second sacrament of initiation in the Catholic Church, and it is the one sacrament of initiation that we can receive more than once. In this sacrament, we receive the Body and Blood of Christ under the forms of bread and wine. Through this sacrament, God gives us His grace, and forms us more closely into the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.
Through our baptism we were first initiated into the Church, becoming a member of God’s family and heirs to heaven. The Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—came to dwell within us. Baptism, however, is only the first of what we call the three “sacraments of initiation†:baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from the power of sin, and sins consequences, death. The purpose of his ministry was our reconciliation with the Father. In a special way, his death on the cross brought about the possibility of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation.
When a Catholic is sick, the Church anoints the person with oil in a special ritual of healing called Anointing of the Sick. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is administered to the dying, to those who are gravely ill or are about to undergo a serious operation, or for the recovery of their health and for spiritual strength.
The sacrament of Holy Orders is conferred upon those who would serve the People of God by teaching, preaching and celebrating the sacred mysteries of the sacraments of the Church. There are three levels of
ministerial Orders, each with their own charisma: …
Why do we call marriage a sacrament of vocation? Because it celebrates and witnesses the covenant of love between two people and symbolizes in that union Christ’s covenant of love for the Church.
The marriage vocation begins with creation. The story of the human race is a love story.
