Liturgy, Sacraments, Sacramentals: An Introduction

This is the introduction to a series of articles on the Seven Sacraments.

By:  Rosemarie Celis

The word “liturgy” originally meant a “public work” or a “service in the name of/on behalf of the people.” In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in “the work of God.” (CCC 1069)

The liturgy is the celebration of the mystery of Christ and in particular his paschal mystery. Through the exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ, the liturgy manifests in signs and brings about the sanctification of humankind. The public worship which is due to God is offered by the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, by its head and members. (CCC 1066-1070)

The liturgy as the sacred action par excellence is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed and it is likewise the font from which all her power flows. Through the liturgy Christ continues the work of our redemption in, with and through his Church. (CCC 1071-1075)

Meanwhile, the sacraments, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, are efficacious signs of grace perceptible to the senses. Through them divine life is bestowed upon us. There are seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. (CCC 1113-1131)

The mysteries of Christ’s life are the foundations of what he would henceforth dispense in the sacraments, through the ministers of his Church, for “what was visible in our Savior has passed over into his mysteries” (St. Leo the Great).  (CCC 1115)

On the other hand, sacramentals are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, obtained through the intercession of the Church, disposing men to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and rendering holy various occasions in life. (CCC 1667)

Sacramentals always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism). (CCC 1668)

Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. (CCC 1670)

Sources:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Sacrosanctum Concilium