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Sacrament of Initiation |
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The three of the seven sacraments that lead the faithful into the “fullness” of the Catholic life – Baptism, Confirmation, and the most Holy Eucharist – are referred to as the sacraments of Christian initiation because they “lay the foundations of every Christian life” (CCC 1212). The seven sacraments, instituted by Jesus Christ, are often divided into three categories: the three sacraments of Christian initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist); the two sacraments of healing (Penance, Anointing of the Sick); and the two sacraments at the service of Communion and the mission of the faithful (Holy Orders, Matrimony). The Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting Pope Paul VI in Divinae Consortium Naturae, presents a brief summary of the nature and purpose of the sacraments of initiation, both collectively and individually. “The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity” (CCC 1212). Hence, one is enabled through these three sacraments to fulfill the Church’s (and the individual’s) mission, commanded by Christ himself, to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Mt 28:19). Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist • Baptism, through the washing with water and the pronouncing of the Trinitarian formula, effects the remission of original sin (and, in the cases of children who have attained the age of reason and of adults, actual sin) and incorporation into the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. This sacrament “is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments” (CCC 1213). Confirmation, by the anointing with sacred chrism on the forehead of the recipient and the verbalizing of the approved formula by the bishop or by a priest who has been delegated the requisite faculty to confirm, fortifies one to become an adult Catholic, ready and willing to proclaim the name of Christ and his holy Gospel far and wide. It “is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace” and assists the baptized to be “more perfectly bound to the Church.” Those confirmed “are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit,” are “true witnesses of Christ,” and are “more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (CCC 1285). The most Holy Eucharist, which is both sacrifice and sacrament, is the completion of Christian initiation. By the enunciation of the correct words by a duly ordained priest or bishop over the valid matter of bread and wine approved by the Church, the real, true, and substantial Body, Blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ become present. “Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord’s own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist” (CCC 1322). Jesus left us “the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood . . . in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us’ [SC 47]” (CCC 1323). The sacraments of initiation are administered and received according to the normative liturgical books approved by the Apostolic See. There exist various rites for the celebration of these sacraments, whether they are celebrated all at once (in the case, for example, of adults who are catechumens preparing for Baptism and reception into the Catholic Church, usually at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday) or in stages (as in the case of infants who are baptized shortly after birth but who do not receive the Holy Eucharist and are not confirmed until later). In 1972, during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults – prescribed by the Second Vatican Council – was approved. A second editio typica was published in 1985 by the authority of Pope John Paul II. The Rite “includes not only the celebration of the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist, but also all the rites belonging to the catechumenate” (Congregation for Divine Worship, decree Christian Initiation of Adults, 2). The Second Vatican Council, in response to many requests, mandated the restoration and revision of the Church’s centuries-old catechumenate and directed that it be adapted to local traditions. The phrase “sacraments of initiation” was first used in the nineteenth century and is readily accepted today by theologians, canonists, and pastoral associates. Church law clearly accepts this understanding by asserting, “The sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist are so interrelated that they are required for full Christian initiation” (Canon 842.2). See: Baptism; Catechumen; Confirmation; Eucharist; Sacrament.
Suggested Readings: CCC 1210-1419. A. Bouley, O.S.B., ed., Catholic Rites Today: Abridged Texts for Students. The Rites of the Catholic Church. Charles M. Mangan |
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