Sacramental Preparation

This sacrament is the first of two sacraments of healing.  Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions in the following order and capitalization different names of the sacrament, calling it the sacrament of conversion, Penance, confession, forgiveness, and Reconciliation.  It is the sacrament of spiritual healing of a baptized person from the distancing from God resulting from sins committed. When people sin after baptism, they cannot have baptism as a remedy; Baptism, which is a spiritual regeneration, cannot be given a second time.

The sacrament involves four elements (1) Contrition (sincere remorse for wrongdoing or sin without which the rite has no effect); (2) Confession to a priest who has the faculty to hear confessions.  Only a priest has the power to administer the sacrament; (3) Absolution by the priest; (4) Satisfaction of the penance as prescribed by the priest which typically involves prayer and sometimes acts of service. The priest is bound by the “seal of confession” which is never to be broken.  First Reconciliation is vital to the catechesis of all Catholics and is a defining moment in the life of a child in the Church.

The Eucharist, which is also called the Blessed Sacrament, completes Christian initiation.  Catholics partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and participate in His one sacrifice.   The Eucharist is seen as the source and summit of Christian living.  It is the high point of God’s sanctifying action on the faithful and of their worship of God, the point of contact between them, and the liturgy of heaven this sacrament feeds our souls. Catholics believe in the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This sacrament is meant to offer physical, mental, or emotional healing through Christ.  The miracle of transubstantiation (The teaching that the bread and wine in the communion supper become the body and blood of the Lord Jesus at the Consecration during the Mass) is one of the most defining beliefs that separates Catholics from our Christian brothers and sisters.

Confirmation completes the Christian initiation begun in Baptism.  This makes us spiritually adults by means of a permanent “seal” upon our souls.  In this sacrament, the Holy Spirit also gives us seven gifts that enable us to see and act well spiritually.  These gifts empower us to publicly proclaim the Gospel and to defend the Faith against opposition.  The minister of this sacrament is usually a bishop unless he has granted a Pastor permission to perform the sacrament in his name.  It is an anointing with holy Myron or chrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop).  It is done by laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to the rite.  Those words refer to a gift of the Holy Spirit that marks the recipient as with a seal.  The faith of the recipient is strengthened and deepened. Children receiving the sacrament of Confirmation typically do so between the ages of seven to sixteen.  The expected age varies from diocese to diocese.  The sacrament of confirmation is often held on Pentecost Sunday when Christians celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. Adults commonly receive the sacrament during the Easter Vigil mass as the conclusion of the RCIA process.

This sacrament, seen as a sign of love uniting Christ and the Church, establishes between a woman and a man a permanent and exclusive bond, sealed by God. A marriage between baptized people, validly entered into and consummated, cannot be dissolved.  The sacrament confers on them the grace they need for attaining holiness in their married life and for responsible acceptance and upbringing of their children.  As a condition for validity, the sacrament is celebrated in the presence of the local Ordinary or Parish Priest or of a cleric delegated by them.  For a valid marriage, a man and a woman must express their conscious and free consent to a definitive self-giving of themselves to the other.

This sacrament is one in which a man is made a deacon, priest, or bishop and thus dedicated to be an image of Christ.  A baptized man receives the authority and ability to share in the particular mission that Christ entrusted to His apostles through this sacrament.  A bishop is the minister of this sacrament.  There are three orders of this Sacrament: diaconate (deacon),  presbyterate (priest), and episcopate (bishop). Ordination as a deacon configures the deacon to Christ the Servant of All, placing him at the service of the bishop, especially in the Church’s exercising of Christian charity towards the poor and preaching of the Word of God.  Ordination as a priest configures the priest to Christ the Head of the Church and the one essential High Priest, and conferring on him the power, as the bishops’ assistant, to celebrate the sacrament and other liturgical acts, especially the Eucharist.  Ordination as a bishop confers the fullness of the sacrament, making the bishop a member of the body of successors of the Apostles, and giving him the mission to teach, sanctify, and govern, along with the entrustment of care for all the Churches. 

This sacrament is the second sacrament of healing.  In this sacrament, a priest anoints the sick with oil blessed specifically for that purpose. It can be administered to any member of the faithful who, having reached the age of reason at seven years old, begins to be in danger because of illness or old age.  A new illness or a worsening of health enables a person to receive the sacrament a further time.  It used to be called “Extreme Unction” or “Final Anointing” and administered as one of the Last Rites.  It’s forgiveness of sins, spiritual strength, and healing.