THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS

1. BAPTISM
2. CONFIRMATION
3. PENANCE/CONFESSION/RECONCILIATION
4. HOLY COMMUNION
5. MATRIMONY
6. HOLY ORDERS
7. ANOINTING OF THE SICK

1. BABTISM

In Baptism we are drawn into the community of faith.
We become part of the pilgrim People of God.
Baptism, itself is only a beginning; a point of departure, for it is wholly directed towards the fullness of life in Christ.

Baptism is the foundation of the unity that all Christians have in Christ: a unity we must seek to perfect.

2. CONFIRMATION

We receive the Holy Spirit from our God; strengthen us in the faith, hope and love.

Christ's gift of the Holy Spirit is going to be poured out upon you in a particular way.

The Holy Spirit confirms your faith, to seal you in his love, to strengthen you for his service.

You will then take your place among fellow-Christians throughout the world, full citizens now of the People of God. We are one body, one people, one Church of Christ.

3. PENANCE/CONFESSION/RECONCILIATION

Forgive of the sins.
Make our body and the soul become Holy.
There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, if we approach the throne of mercy with humble and contrite hearts. No evil is more powerful than the infinite mercy of God. By the victory of his Cross, Jesus Christ won for us the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation with God.

Christ himself gives forgiveness, strength and mercy. Through this highly personal sacrament, Christ continues to meet the men and women of our time. He restores wholeness where there was division, he communicates light where darkness reigned, and he gives a hope and joy which the world could never give. Through this sacrament the Church proclaims to the world the infinite riches of God's mercy, that mercy which has broken down barriers which divided us from God and from one another.

4. HOLY COMMUNION

I would like to speak to these little ones who are about to receive Holy Communion for the first time. Dear children: Jesus is coming to you in a new way today, in a special way. He wants to live in you. He wants to speak to you in your heart. He wants to be with you all through your day.

Jesus comes to you in the Eucharist so that you will live for ever.

Holy Communion is not ordinary food. It is the bread of eternal life. It is something more precious than gold or silver. It is worth more than anything you can imagine. For this sacred bread is the body and blood of Jesus. And Jesus promises that if you eat his flesh and drink his blood, you will have life in you and you will live for ever.

You come to the altar today with faith and prayer. Promise God that you will try to stay close to Jesus always, and never turn your back on him.

As you grow older, go on learning about Jesus by listening to his word and by talking to him in prayer. If you stay close to him, you will always be happy.

5. MATRIMONY

In a marriage a man and a woman pledge themselves to one another in an unbreakable alliance of total mutual self-giving. Total the union of love.

6. HOLY ORDERS

For those who are become catholic priest.

At this important moment of your lives I say to you young men: Realize how deeply Jesus desires you to be consecrated as he himself is consecrated. Realize how closely the bond of priesthood joins you to Christ. Be worthy of the privilege you are going to receive of bringing God's gifts of love to his people and offering to God the people's prayerful response.

7. ANOINTING OF THE SICK

Anointing of the Sick is for the benefit of the whole person.

We find this point demonstrated in the liturgical texts of the sacramental celebration: "Make this oil a remedy for all who are anointed with it; heal them in body, in soul and in spirit, and deliver them from every affliction."

The anointing is therefore a source of strength for both the soul and the body. The prayer of the Church asks that sin and the remnants of sin be taken away (cf. DS 1969). It also implores a restoration of health, but always in order that bodily healing may bring greater union with God through the increase of grace.

This sacrament should be approached in a spirit of great confidence, like the leper in the Gospel that has just been proclaimed. Even the desperateness of the man's condition did not stop him from approaching Jesus with trust.

We too must believe in Christ's healing love and reaffirm that nothing will separate us from that love. Surely Jesus wishes to say: "I will; be clean" (Mt. 8,3); be healed; be strong; be saved.

Let us keep the sick and the handicapped at the center of our lives. Let us treasure them and recognize with gratitude the debt we owe them. We begin by imagining that we are giving to them; we end by realizing that they have enriched us.