Sacrament

What it is

A Sacrament is an efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church. There are seven: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. They confer what they signify. The Eucharist is not a symbol of Christ's Body—it is His Body under the appearances of bread and wine.

The Sacraments are the ordinary means by which Christ continues His saving work. They belong to public revelation and the deposit of faith. No private devotion replaces them.

What it is not

A Sacrament is not a "meaningful ritual" invented by the community. It is not interchangeable with a sacramentalGlossaryA sacred sign instituted by the Church—holy water, medals, scapulars, blessings—that disposes the soul for grace; not one of the seven Sacraments. (holy water, medals, etc.). It is not optional decoration around an interior spirituality. The Church does not invent Sacraments; she receives them from the Lord.

How a Catholic encounters it

You encounter the Sacraments at the font, the altar, the confessional, the marriage rite, and the laying on of hands. Live from them. Return to Confession. Receive the Eucharist worthily. Everything else in Catholic life—chapletsGlossaryA set of prayers counted on beads, distinct from the full Rosary—e.g. the Divine Mercy Chaplet or chaplets to particular saints., scapularsGlossaryA sacramental of two small cloth panels worn over the shoulders, signifying consecration and enrollment in a religious family or devotion., novenasGlossaryA nine-day pattern of prayer for a particular intention, modeled on the apostles' prayer between Ascension and Pentecost.—orbits these seven.