Sacrament

For other uses, see Sacrament (disambiguation).

A sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy mystery.

In the Western tradition, it is often defined as an outward, visible sign that conveys an inward, spiritual grace.

The root meaning of the Latin word sacramentum is "making sacred". One example of its use was as the term for the oath of dedication taken by Roman soldiers; but the ecclesiastical use of the word is derived from the root meaning of the word and not from that particular example.

Among many Protestants, the word mediates or conveys would mean only that it is a visible symbol or reminder of invisible grace.

The Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian Christians, members of the Anglican, United Methodist, and Old Catholic traditions, the Independent Catholic Churches and Lutherans hold that sacraments are not mere symbols, but rather, "signs or symbols which effect what they signify", that is, the sacraments in and of themselves, rightly administered, are used by God as a means to communicate grace to faithful recipients.

Generally, there are seven sacramental rites, though not all of them are accepted as such by all groups. These are: Baptism, Chrismation (or Confirmation), the Eucharist (Communion), The Sacrament of Order (Ordination), Reconciliation of a Penitent (confession), Anointing of the Sick, and Matrimony. Most of these were used since apostolic times in the Church, but marriage, for example, only became recognized as a sacrament during the Middle Ages. Some groups do not consider any of these to be sacraments. Some groups, such as Anglicans and Old-Catholics, consider the two dominical sacraments of the Gospel, Baptism and the Eucharist, to be the "precepted, primary, and principal sacraments ordained for our salvation," and consider the other five sacramental rites to be "lesser sacraments" that are derivative of these two. Occasionally, Christians who do not believe in sacramental theology will nevertheless refer to, for example, marriage as a "sacrament" in an effort to underscore their belief in the sanctity of the institution.

Clearly, Christian churches, denominations, and sects are divided regarding the number and operation of the sacraments, but they are generally held to have been instituted by Jesus. Those who do not believe in sacramental theology refer to these rites -- or, at least, those rites which they use --primarily baptism and communion, as "ordinances." The sacraments are usually administered by the clergy to a recipient or recipients, and are generally understood to involve visible and invisible components. The invisible component (manifested inwardly) is understood to be brought about by the action of the Holy Spirit, God's grace working in the sacrament's participants, while the visible (or outward) component entails the use of such things as water, oil, and bread and wine that is blessed or consecrated; the laying-on-of-hands; or a particularly significant covenant that is marked by a public benediction (such as with marriage and absolution).

Enumeration

The Seven Sacraments by Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1448.

The seven sacraments are (see also Sacraments (Catholic Church); Anglican sacraments; Sacred Mysteries and Holy Sacraments):

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• Holy Eucharist (or Holy Communion)

These three sacraments comprise the sacraments of initiation.

• Matrimony (or sacramental marriage)
• Holy Orders
• Reconciliation (or Penance, Confession)
• Anointing of the Sick (or Extreme Unction, Last Rites)

Other names are used by other Christian bodies for the sacraments which they recognize, notably Chrismation is the name for the reception of the seal of the Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Church.

In addition to these seven, some Christian groups (Anabaptist and Brethren groups, in particular) consider foot washing to be a sacrament (see Gospel of John 13:14), and a few Christian groups (such as the Polish National Catholic Church of America) have argued that the hearing of the Gospel should be considered a sacrament. The numeration, naming, and understanding of sacraments and the adoption of the remaining sacraments vary according to denomination.

Some Protestants consider the "evangelical," or "dominical," mysteries — Baptism and Communion — to be the only sacraments, understanding these to be the only such practices directly instituted by Jesus, as reported in the Gospels. They hold that the other five rites are not made sacraments by the New Testament. So while almost all Protestant churches have marriage ceremonies, and many have ordained clergy and a ceremony conferring ordination, these particular groups consider these rites to be ordinances rather than sacraments.

As is often the case, views within the churches of the Anglican Communion vary (see Anglican sacraments). The Thirty-nine Articles from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer declares that Baptism and Communion are the two dominical sacraments recognized in the English Church, and that the other five practices are "commonly called sacraments." Anglo-Catholics have always counted the sacraments at seven. The catechism of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, in the completely revised version of 1979, states: "God does not limit himself to these rites; they are patterns of countless ways by which God uses material things to reach out to us."

Various churches of the Catholic tradition also have sacramentals, acts of worship that differ from sacraments proper, but which are also means of grace. Items such as the rosary or the various scapulars and holy medals issued by some groups are counted among these sacramentals.

The seven sacraments accepted by Roman Catholicism are generally also accepted by Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy and by many in the Anglican Communion, as well, but the latter traditions do not limit the number of sacraments to seven, holding that anything the Church does as Church is in some sense sacramental. To be more accurate, for the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christian the term “Sacrament” is a Westernism that seeks to classify something that may be impossible to classify. Preferably the term “Mystery” is used, the reason being that the “How it is possible” is unanswerable to human understanding. God touches us through material means such as water, wine, bread, oil, incense, candles, altars, icons, etc. How God does this is a Mystery. On a broad level, the Mysteries are an affirmation of the goodness of created matter, and are an emphatic declaration of what that matter was originally created to be. On a specific level, while not systematically limiting the mysteries to seven, the most profound Mystery is, without a doubt, the Eucharist, in which the partakers, by participation in the liturgy and receiving the consecrated bread and wine, understood to have become the body and blood of Christ itself, direct communion with God occurs. This perceived vagueness is considered by the Orthodox to be piety and respect for something profound and incomprehensible. Orthodox do not like to try to classify things to any great degree as this is seen to be a fruitless and unnecessary waste of time.

This approach is characteristic of Orthodox theology in general, and is often called "apophatic," meaning that any and all positive statements about God and other theological matters must be balanced by negative statements. For example, while it is correct and appropriate to say that God exists, or even that God is the only Being which truly exists, such statements must be understood to also convey the idea that God transcends what is usually meant by the term "to exist."

Orthodox divines do write, however, about there being seven "principal" mysteries.

The Salvation Army does not practice formal sacraments for a variety of reasons, including a belief that it is better to concentrate on the reality behind the symbols; however, it does not forbid its members from receiving sacraments in other denominations [1].

Quakers do not practice formal sacraments, believing that all activities should be considered holy.

See also

• Eucharistic theologies contrasted
• Means of Grace
• Sacrament (Mormonism)
• Manna
• Entheogen
• Mystery
• Real Presence
• Charisma

References

Ecumenical

• Stookey, Laurence Hull. Baptism: Christ's Act in the Church. Nashville, Abingdon Press, 1982. ISBN 0-687-02364-5
• Stookey, Laurence Hull. Eucharist: Christ's Feast With the Church. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993. ISBN 0-687-12017-9
• World Council of Churches. Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. Faith and Order paper. Geneva: World Council of Churches,1982. ISBN 2-8254-0709-7

Orthodox

• Coniaris, Anthony. These Are the Sacraments: The Life-Giving Mysteries of the Orthodox Church Minneapolis: Light & Life Publishing, 1981. ISBN 0-937032-22-0

Roman Catholic

• Martos, Joseph. Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church. Revised Ed. Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-7648-0718-8
• Power, David Noel. Sacrament: The Language of God's Giving. New York: Herder & Herder, 1999. ISBN 0-8245-1798-9

Anglican

• MacQuarrie, John A Guide to the Sacraments'.' London: Continuum International Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-8264-1027-8

Protestant

• Neal, Gregory S. Grace Upon Grace Koinonia Press, 2000. ISBN 0-9679074-0-3
• Stamm, Mark W. Sacraments & Discipleship: Understanding the Sacraments in a United Methodist Context. Discipleship Resources, 2001. ISBN 0-88177-285-2
• White, James F. The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999. ISBN 0-687-03402-7

External links

• Baptism, Eucharist, & Ministry (an ecumenical statement by the World Council of Churches)
• The Sacraments as Means of Grace from Grace upon Grace: Sacramental Theology in the Christian Life. By Gregory S. Neal