Sacraments and the Church
A traditional Roman Catholic definition of a sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ that conveys grace and these are seven in number:
Holy Baptism (John 3:1-5)
Holy Chrismation (Acts 8:14-17)
Holy Communion (John 6:48-60; Matthew 26:26-28)
Holy Matrimony (Matthew 19:4-6)
Holy Orders (Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:1-4)
Holy Confession (John 20:19-23)
Holy Anointing (James 5:14-15)
The Orthodox Church affirms these seven but actually views any acts (i.e. blessings of priests, etc.) as sacraments (also called mysteries) that combine an outward physical action with the receipt of inward, spiritual grace.
The pattern of a physical action that has impact in the physical and spiritual realms is established in the Old Testament (Elijah restoring the widow's son to life [1 Kings 17:19-22]; the healing and conversion of Naaman [2 Kings 5:10-14]) and which are present in most of the miracles of Jesus (Luke 7:11-16; John 9:5-7, etc.). This continues in the Sacraments of the Church beginning with baptism wherein the physical action of bodily washing is accompanied by the 'washing' of the soul from all sin.
The sacrament that forms the cornerstore of the others is Holy Orders through which men are ordained to dispense the other Mysteries to the Church.
Additional Reference
**Please see the complete texts of the catechisms for information on each individual sacrament.
A traditional Roman Catholic definition of a sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ that conveys grace and these are seven in number:
Holy Baptism (John 3:1-5)
Holy Chrismation (Acts 8:14-17)
Holy Communion (John 6:48-60; Matthew 26:26-28)
Holy Matrimony (Matthew 19:4-6)
Holy Orders (Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:1-4)
Holy Confession (John 20:19-23)
Holy Anointing (James 5:14-15)
The Orthodox Church affirms these seven but actually views any acts (i.e. blessings of priests, etc.) as sacraments (also called mysteries) that combine an outward physical action with the receipt of inward, spiritual grace.
The pattern of a physical action that has impact in the physical and spiritual realms is established in the Old Testament (Elijah restoring the widow's son to life [1 Kings 17:19-22]; the healing and conversion of Naaman [2 Kings 5:10-14]) and which are present in most of the miracles of Jesus (Luke 7:11-16; John 9:5-7, etc.). This continues in the Sacraments of the Church beginning with baptism wherein the physical action of bodily washing is accompanied by the 'washing' of the soul from all sin.
The sacrament that forms the cornerstore of the others is Holy Orders through which men are ordained to dispense the other Mysteries to the Church.
Additional Reference
**Please see the complete texts of the catechisms for information on each individual sacrament.
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The Sacraments of the Church |
