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SACRAMENTS
""His divine power has given us everything we need for
life and devotion... Through these, he has bestowed on us his
very great and precious promises, so that through them you may come
to share in the divine nature..." 2 Peter 1:3a, 4a |
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. There is
thus a certain resemblance between the stages of natural life and the
stages of the spiritual life.
The sacraments of
Christian initiation--Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist--lay the
foundations of every Christian life. The faithful are born anew by
Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the
Eucharist the food of eternal life.
Penance or Reconciliation and Anointing of
the Sick are sacraments of healing. Jesus forgave sin and healed the
sick; in his name, the Church continues those ministries to its people and
the world.
Lastly, Holy Orders and Matrimony are
sacraments of vocation and focus upon the life experiences of marriage as
a natural outflow of love from God and Holy Orders as an image of God in
service to his people.
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