The Seven Sacraments:
An Introduction and Overview

by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

Introduction and Definitions:

The English word "sacrament" comes from Latin sacramentum, which means "mystery" or "rite" in classical Latin (although it also came to mean an "obligation" or "oath" in Medieval Latin).
It is related to the Latin adjective sacra ("holy") and verb sacrare ("to devote, consecrate, make holy"). The Latin Vulgate Bible uses sacramentum 16 times (8x OT; 8x NT) to translate Greek mystērion.

On the other hand, the Greek word μυστήριον (mystērion, something "secret" or "hidden"; used 28 times in the NT) is translated by several different words in the Latin Vulgate Bible:

• mysterium (19 times in the Vulgate NT: Matt 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; Rom 11:25; 16:25; 1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Eph 3:4; 6:19; Col 1:26; 2:2; 4:3; 2 Thess 2:7; 1 Tim 3:9; Rev 10:7; 17:5)
• sacramentum (8 times: Eph 1:9; 3:3, 9; 5:32; Col 1:27; 1 Tim 3:16; Rev 1:20; 17:7)
• testimonium (only once: 1 Cor 2:1)
• All three of these Latin words could be translated "mystery," but mysterium more often connotes the invisible or hidden dimensions, while sacramentum more often refers to the visible or symbolic aspects of a spiritual or divine mystery.

In a sense, Jesus Christ himself can be called "the mystery of salvation" or "the sacrament of God," since he, through his incarnation, made visible to us the mystery of the invisible God.
Similarly, the Church as a whole is sometimes called "the sacrament of salvation," since it is "the sign and the instrument of the communion of God and men" (CCC §780; cf. §§774-776).

The word "sacrament" most commonly refers to seven particular rites or rituals performed in and by the Church.

• Many older Catholics will still remember the very brief definition from the Baltimore Catechism (1941): "A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace." (§304).
• The current official Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994; 2nd edition 1997), gives a more extended definition:
  • "The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions." (CCC §1131; see also "Sacrament" in the CCC's Glossary).
• These sacraments are considered "Sacraments of Christ," "Sacraments of the Church," "Sacraments of Faith," "Sacraments of Salvation," and "Sacraments of Eternal Life" (CCC §§1113-1134).
• The seven sacraments can be subdivided into three sub-groups:
  • three "Sacraments of Christian Initiation" (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist);
  • two "Sacraments of Healing" (Penance/Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick);
  • two "Sacraments of Vocation" (Holy Orders/Ordination and Matrimony/Marriage; also referred to as "Sacraments at the Service of Communion").

The adjective "sacramental" might refer to something related to the seven official rites: "sacramental preparation," "sacramental action," etc. Yet it can also be used more broadly: for example, the "sacramental imagination" or "sacramental principle" refers to the Catholic Christian conviction in general that invisible spiritual realities can be disclosed or made visible in and through created realities that function as symbols (see Rausch, Catholicism in the Third Millennium, p. 85). These can be considered "real symbols," in that they truly manifest and convey the divine graces that they symbolize, rather than "mere symbols," which simply point to divine realities outside themselves. Religious symbols are not merely intellectual, but also speak to us affectively and intuitively; they can "raise our minds and hearts to God" (ibid.).

The noun "sacramental" is used more rarely and should not be confused with the adjective. The noun "sacramental" can refer to a simple ritual action, religious symbol, devotional object, or short blessing or prayer (for example, making the sign of the cross, sprinkling something with holy water, receiving ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday, lighting candles, going on a religious pilgrimage, wearing religious clothing, using a statue or icon or other artwork for devotional purposes, etc.). Such "sacramentals" can make us aware of divine realities (or, vice-versa, make divine realities present to us), although they can also be abused or become superstitious.

The related noun "sacramentality" is the overall concept, the idea or conviction that God can be encountered in symbolic/sacramental ways (see CCC §§1667-1679).
(Compare other words ending in "-ty", such as "reality" or "sexuality," which are overall concepts for anything having to do with the "real" or "sexual" dimensions of life, respectively).
 

Analysis and Explanations:

While many Protestant Churches regard only Baptism/Initiation and Eucharist/Communion as the two core Sacraments (directly instituted by Christ), the Roman Catholic Church (and most Eastern Orthodox Churches) officially recognizes the following seven sacraments (CCC §§1113, 1210-1666), listed below with brief comments about their biblical backgrounds, the words and actions involved, their effects, and who can administer each of them:

New Testament Texts Using Mystērion:

• Matt 13:11 – He answered, "To you it has been given to know the secrets (mysteria) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."
• Mark 4:11 – And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret (mysterium) of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables;"
• Luke 8:10 – He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets (mysterium) of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that 'looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.'"
   
• Rom 11:25 – So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery (mysterium): a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
• Rom 16:25 – Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery (mysterii) that was kept secret for long ages...
• 1 Cor 2:1 – When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery (testimonium) of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.
• 1 Cor 2:7 – But we speak God's wisdom, secret (mysteriuo) and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
• 1 Cor 4:1 – Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and stewards of God's mysteries (mysteriorum).
• 1 Cor 13:2 – And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries (mysteria) and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
• 1 Cor 14:2 – For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries (mysteria) in the Spirit.
• 1 Cor 15:51 – Listen, I will tell you a mystery (mysterium)! We will not all die, but we will all be changed,
   
• Eph 1:8b-9-10 – With all wisdom and insight / he [God] has made known to us the mystery (sacramentum) of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, /
  as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
• Eph 3:2-3-4 – for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, /
  and how the mystery (sacramentum) was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, /
  a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery (mysterio) of Christ.
• Eph 3:8-9-10 – Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, /
  and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery (sacramenti) hidden for ages in God who created all things; /
  so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
• Eph 5:32 – This is a great mystery (sacramentum), and I am applying it to Christ and the church.
• Eph 6:19 – Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery (mysterium) of the gospel,
• Col 1:25-26-27 – I became its servant according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, /
  the mystery (mysterium) that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. /
  To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery (sacramenti), which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
• Col 2:2-3 – I want their hearts to be encouraged and united in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God's mystery (mysterii), that is, Christ himself, / in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
• Col 4:3-4 – At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery (mysterium) of Christ, for which I am in prison, / so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
   
• 2 Thess 2:7 – For the mystery (mysterium) of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.
• 1 Tim 3:9 – [Deacons:] they must hold fast to the mystery (mysterium) of the faith with a clear conscience.
• 1 Tim 3:16 – Without any doubt, the mystery (sacramentum) of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
   
• Rev 1:20 – As for the mystery (sacramentum) of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
• Rev 10:6e-7 – "There will be no more delay, / but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery (mysterium) of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets."
• Rev 17:3-4-5-6-7 – So he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. /
  The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; /
  and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery (mysterium): "Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations." /
  And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly amazed. /
  But the angel said to me, "Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery (sacramentum) of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her."
   

Resources:

• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) - from the Vatican.va website
   
• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) - from the USCCB website
   
• United States Catholic Catechism for Adults - from the USCCB website, esp. Part II, Chaps. 14-22. - can be read online
   
• Thomas Rausch, SJ. Catholicism in the Third Millennium. 2nd edition. Liturgical Press, 2003.
   
• Joseph Martos. Doors to the Sacred: A Historical Introduction to Sacraments in the Catholic Church. Vatican II Golden Anniversary Edition. Liguori, 2014 (prior editions 1981, 1991, 2001).