Chapter 5: Where Is the Lord in the Sacraments of the Church?

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Matt. 28:18-20

A.)Personal Understanding
a.1.) My Understanding of Sacraments

Men typically gain information in one of three ways: Empiricism is the means that appeals to man's senses, rationalism is the means that appeals to his logic, and faith involves the trusting in the information provided by another.

In matters of the sacrament, my knowledge about it is something that is beyond empiricism or even rationalism. Most of the time, I understand sacrament in faith. Sacraments of the Church are manifestations of Jesus continuous presence in our world. He instituted the sacraments as sign of God’s loving presence in us. That presence of God means something great in faith. And in my faith, I am assured of God’s guidance and protection and I know that this journey of mine is not just a lone journey but a pilgrimage with Him.

The presence of the Sacraments gives me the assurance that our call to holiness and sanctification are indeed present because the sacraments help us to strengthen our faith and to make sure that Jesus is here. The main purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify people, build the Body of Christ, and to give worship to God (CCC 1123). For me, there is no other purpose of the sacraments, it is but gearing towards the fullness of my life to God.

a.2.) The Sacraments and Their Value in my Life


The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God's saving presence. That's what theologians mean when they say that sacraments are at the same time signs and instruments of God's

What is the relevance of these sacraments in our life's journey? The sacraments are there to accompany us as we travel in this world, remember that the first sacrament is Baptism and the last sacrament is the anointing of the sick. Baptism is the start of our Christian life and the Anointing of the Sick is the end. Majority of those who are being anointed are old and are near to the next life. But strictly speaking the Anointing of the sick is not only given when somebody is old and dying. Anybody regardless of age who is gravely sick or set to undergo a major operation is eligible to this sacrament.

The sacraments are important for me because as a believer that is the visible proof of God’s loving presence. Every time I go to mass, it’s just that I cannot explain a different feeling of relief from burden. Even before I entered the seminary, I had always this feeling. And now that I am a seminarian and someone who studies theology in preparation for the priesthood, it has a different impact to me. I now understand, if not fully, about what is going on in the celebration of that Eucharistic mystery. Now I can sense that those different feelings I felt before were exactly effects of being with God. I know in faith that every time am participating in any sacramental celebration, God is there. The Sacraments are mystery in its truest sense; however, they can be felt and experienced, visible and real.


B.)Doctrinal Exposition
b.1.) New Covenant

In my previous theological studies, I was taught that the word “sacrament” is used almost universally among Christians to describe the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s supper. The term, which is not found in our English Bible, comes from the Latin word sacramentum. The post apostolic church employed the term to signify any sacred rite or mysterious doctrine. “Hence everywhere in the Church fathers you will find the sacrament of the Trinity, of the incarnation, and of faith, and in the general whole Christian religion comes under this name.” In the Latin Vulgate the word is used to translate the word “mystery” (Gk. mysterion) in a number of passages (e.g., Eph. 1:9; 3:9; 5:32; Col. 1:27; 1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 1:20; 17:7) even though the word mystery is never used to describe baptism or the Lord’s supper. This research was taken from my previous notes on the course sacraments.

Perhaps the best New Testament definition of a sacrament is found in Romans 4:11 where Paul describes the Old Covenant sacrament of circumcision. He writes: “And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised.” Contemporary theology affirms that “sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his Church, to signify, seal, and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace, the benefits of his mediation; to strengthen and increase their faith, and all other graces; to oblige them to obedience; to testify and cherish their love and communion one with another; and to distinguish them from those that are without….The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ's own appointment; the other an inward and spiritual grace thereby signified” (A. 162 and 163). Moreover, Berkhof’s brief definition is helpful. He writes: “A sacrament is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ, in which by sensible signs the grace of God in Christ, and the benefits of the covenant of grace, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers, and these in turn, give expression to their faith and allegiance to God.”

b.2.) The Seven Sacraments

b.2.1) Baptism - this sacrament is the door of the Church of Christ and the entrance into a new life. Baptism is where we are clothed back and declared to be Sons and Daughters of God once again. In our family, when one member is set to be married, the courting party must first undergo a series of process of evaluations and assessments before that party could get the approval of the rest members of the clan and be married to one from our own. For me that processes in the context of Christian belief is what we called baptism.

In baptism, we are reborn from the state of slaves of sin into the freedom of the Sons of God. Baptism incorporates us with “Christ's mystical body and makes us partakers of all the privileges flowing from the redemptive act of the Church's Divine Founder.” Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration by water in the word (per aquam in verbo). St. Thomas Aquinas (III:66:1) gives this definition: "Baptism is the external ablution of the body, performed with the prescribed form of words."
b.2.2.) Confirmation – We read in the Acts of the Apostles (8:14-17) that after the Samaritan converts had been baptized by Philip the deacon, the Apostles "sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for he was not yet come upon any of them, but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost".

It is the sacrament in which the Holy Ghost is given to those already baptized in order to make them strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. It is in this sacrament that we are sealed through the presence of the Holy Spirit that we are truly part of the Christian family. Our baptism makes us a citizen of God, or a member of our certain clan or family, but in the sacrament of confirmation, one is being confirmed as citizen of God or as member of a certain clan/family. In confirmation, one is considered a registered voter in the perspective of civil citizenship.

b.2.3.) Penance - is a sacrament of “the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest's absolution to those who with true sorrow confess their sins and promise to satisfy for the same.” It is called a "sacrament" not simply a function or ceremony, because it is an outward sign instituted by Christ to impart grace to the soul. As an outward sign it comprises the actions of the penitent in presenting himself to the priest and accusing himself of his sins, and the actions of the priest in pronouncing absolution and imposing satisfaction.

This sacrament in the Church, is for me, provides an opportunity to members of the faithful to constantly mindful of the forgiving love of God. Human as we are, we have the capability to commit sin. But of course our being human should not be always an excuse in committing sinfulness. But this vulnerability of human person leads many of us to sin and through the ministry of the Church, and because God wants all of us to be always in communion with Him, this sacrament of penance is the offering of reconciliation that binds us back whole and entire to God.

b.2.4.) The Eucharist - since Christ is present under the appearances of bread and wine in a sacramental way, “the Blessed Eucharist is unquestionably a sacrament of the Church.” Indeed, in the Eucharist the definition of a Christian sacrament as "an outward sign of an inward grace instituted by Christ" is verified. The first and principal effect of the Holy Eucharist is union with Christ by love which union as such does not consist in the sacramental reception of the Host, but in the spiritual and mystical union with Jesus by the theological virtue of love. Christ Himself designated the idea of Communion as a union love: "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh blood, abideth in me, and I in him" (John 6:57).
The immediate result of this union with Christ by love is the bond of charity existing between the faithful themselves as St. Paul says: "For we being many, are one bread, one body, all that partake of one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17). And so the Communion of Saints is not merely an ideal union by faith and grace, but an eminently real union, mysteriously constituted, maintained, and guaranteed by partaking in common of one and the same Christ.

b.2.5.) Marriage – it is the sacrament of love relation between the spouses. God made a covenant with his people in like manner. In the Old Testament, the relationship between God and his people is symbolized in the image of marriage wherein what is asked between two parties is their faithfulness. God is a true example of faithfulness although His chosen people often break the covenant. The sacrament of marriage begins when a man and a woman stand before God accepting each other. That is why in every marriage ceremony the consent of each other is important. It is presumed that whenever they enter into sacramental marriage, their love with each other does not start only during that time but they have been in love with each other for quite sometime already.

“The intimate union in marriage, as mutual giving of two persons, and the good of the children demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable unity between them (GS 48).” This, therefore, picture the relationship of Christ to His Church through their love and generosity. Each family then is called to be evangelizer to other family than there own. Thus, they manifest to all the abiding presence of Christ in the world.
b.2.6.) Holy Orders - The Sacrament of Holy Orders is the continuation of Christ's priesthood, which He bestowed upon His Apostles; thus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to the Sacrament of Holy Orders as "the sacrament of apostolic ministry."


The priesthood was established by God among the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. God chose the tribe of Levi as priests for the nation. Their primary duties were the offering of sacrifice and prayer for the people.
Christ, in offering Himself up for the sins of all mankind, fulfilled the duties of the Old Testament priesthood once and for all. But just as the Eucharist makes that sacrifice present to us today, so the New Testament priesthood is a sharing in the eternal priesthood of Christ. While all believers are, in some sense, priests, some are set aside to serve the Church as Christ Himself did.

b.2.7.) Anointing of the Sick - Traditionally referred to as Extreme Unction or Last Rites, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick was previously most commonly administered to the dying, for the remission of sins and the provision of spiritual strength and health. In modern times, however, its use has been expanded to all who are gravely ill or are about to undergo a serious operation, and the Church stresses a secondary effect of the sacrament: to help a person recover his health. Like Confession and Holy Communion, to which it is closely linked, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick can be repeated as often as is necessary.

Received in faith and in a state of grace, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick provides the recipient with a number of graces, including the fortitude to resist temptation in the face of death, when he is weakest; a union with the Passion of Christ, which makes his suffering holy; and the grace to prepare for death, so that he may meet God in hope rather than in fear. If the recipient was not able to receive the Sacrament of Confession, Anointing also provides forgiveness of sins. And, if it will aid in the salvation of his soul, Anointing may restore the recipient's health.