The sacraments of the Catholic Church are part of Christian doctrine.
Sacramento is a concept that comes from the Latin sacramentum . In the field of the Christian religion , certain rituals that allow divine action in human beings are called sacraments. A sacrament, in this sense, is a sensible sign of God's grace .
The sacraments are administered by bishops or presbyters. The first sacrament that a person receives is baptism , which allows them to free themselves from original sin and be a daughter of God the Father.
The Christian sacraments
The sacrament of baptism is the rite of Christian initiation, which is why it appears in first place in chronological sense. Then, throughout life, the faithful can receive other sacraments:
- Baptism : gives the human being the possibility of being born into the life of God, makes him an heir of heaven, adopted son of Jesus Christ, and grants him forgiveness for all the sins he commits (beginning, of course, with original sin , which is considered inherent to our species and we inherited from Adam and Eve ), in addition to incorporating it into the Catholic Church and opening the doors to the priesthood of Christ.
- Confirmation : This sacrament serves to strengthen the divine life and to convert the followers of Christ into his soldiers. It is a way of elevating baptismal grace through an accentuation of union with God , a more committed approach to Christ. Spiritual confirmation adjusts the bond between Christians and the Church, making them essential components of its mission. Furthermore, it helps them bear witness to their faith through the actions that accompany the word.
- Eucharist : this is the most common and frequent sacrament among believers, since it is part of the liturgy of the mass. Known as communion, its main purpose is to remind Christians of the sacrifice that Jesus made for them, to save them from living in sin. Through the transubstantiation of wine and bread into his blood and body, Jesus is present every day to increase the union with his faithful, forgive them every venial sin, protect them from serious ones and strengthen the unity of the Church as an institution. through the bonds of charity that exist between Him and the communicants.
- Reconciliation : It is also known as penance and is the sacrament that restores divine life to those who have lost it due to having committed a sin . To achieve it, it is necessary to confess individually with a priest, putting aside pride and acting with sincerity and trust. The sacrament of reconciliation offers Christians the possibility of recovering divine grace, forgives them from eternal punishment, consoles them and gives them inner peace, in addition to strengthening their spirits to become better people, less susceptible to sin.
- Anointing of the sick : through this sacrament it is possible to unite the sick with the Passion of Christ to help them overcome their moments of greatest suffering , console them and give them the peace to bear them, forgive them for their sins if they have not had the opportunity to confess and prepare them for the passage to eternal life.
- Priestly or sacred order : allows a man to become a priest. This is also a Christian sacrament, although limited to men. Women, therefore, cannot receive the sacrament of orders.
Sacraments can be understood as sacred rituals or a symbol of faith. In Christianity, they are part of the creed and are taught, like dogma, practices and the remains of Christian beliefs, through catechesis.
It should be noted that there are sacraments that have a civil correlation. That is the case of marriage : those who marry through the Church can also do so through a state procedure. It is important to keep in mind that both unions have different scopes. While the sacrament cannot be dissolved, a civil marriage can be broken by divorce.
Sacramental theology reflects on the sacraments.
The term in Argentina
In Argentina , a sacrament is called a bill (bun) whose dough has butter and is usually covered with sugar.
It should be noted that the sacraments are usually opened in the middle to make ham and cheese sandwiches. Thus, the sacrament accentuates its bittersweet character since the sweet flavor of the sugar present in the dough is combined with the salt provided by the ham and cheese. This food, in some regions, is typical of certain celebrations (such as birthday celebrations).
The sacrament of confession is also known as reconciliation or penance.
Sacramento, name of administrative divisions and regions
Sacramento is also the name of various regions and administrative divisions, such as the American city of Sacramento (capital of California ) and the Uruguayan town of Colonia del Sacramento .
Because it is based in Sacramento ( California ), there are several sports teams that bear this name in their name: Sacramento Kings ( NBA team), Sacramento Mountain Lions ( American football ) and others.