Sacraments: intimate encounter with Christ

Read the Catechism in a Year

Catechism in a Year: Day 169

Part Two: How We Celebrate the Christian Mysteries
- Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church

Question 193: Is there some inner logic that unites the sacraments with each other?

All sacraments are an encounter with Christ, who is himself the original sacrament. There are sacraments of initiation, which introduce the recipient into the faith: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. There are sacraments of healing: Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. And there are sacraments of communion and mission: Matrimony and Holy Orders.

Baptism joins us with Christ. Confirmation gives us his Spirit. The Eucharist unites us with him. Confession reconciles us with Christ. Through the Anointing of the Sick, Christ heals, strengthens, and consoles. In the sacrament of Matrimony, Christ promises his love in our love and his fidelity in our fidelity. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, priests have the privilege of forgiving sins and celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Dig Deeper: Corresponding CCC section (1210-1211) and other references here.
Recommended Reading: Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed