Sacraments In Christianity: Baptism And Eucharist

Rituals and ceremonies are the practical aspects of Christianity, which involve customary acts of special, deliberate and repeatable patterns of behaviour through the use of words, actions and symbols (Coleman, 2006). Rituals and ceremonies solidify the relationship between Christians and God as they present a practical, symbolic and comprehensible expression of their underlying beliefs (Morrissey, 2010). Baptism is the ritual of initiation into Christianity, which in essence, is initiation into a life of positive living modelled on Christ. Baptism is held within a congregation of the body of Christ where they vow to spiritually nurture the child or adult being baptised (RCA, 2012). The symbology of the water in baptism encompasses the cleansing of an individual, and it is a practical element of the ritual, which underpins a broader idea of initiating a living adherent into the religion. Another ritual present in all Christian denominations is prayer, which the baptised

Baptism was/is the first sacrament needed to become a Catholic, it relieves a person from any sins that were committed in a former life; this creates a

Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the

The first three Sacraments listed are the Sacraments of Initiation. “The Sacraments of Christian Initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist—lay the foundations of every Christian life…By means of these Sacraments of Christian Initiation, [we] thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.” (CCC Chapter 1, Article 2:1212) These sacraments represent our birth into the Church, the seal of our birth into the Church, and the reception of Jesus’ body. In the words of the Catholic Church, “The Christian is born anew by Baptism, strengthened by Confirmation, and receives in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.” (CCC Chapter 1, Article 2:1212)

There the minister and person who is being baptized both get into a kind of a pool and the minister fully immerses the person in the water. This kind of baptizing is just like the baptizing that you can read in the New Testament as carried out by John the Baptist. The Baptists have holy sacraments, but not all of them. The Baptists like to use the term ‘ordinances’ rather than sacraments.

Important to realize, that there are common grounds that allows an interfaith understanding to take place between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. To emphasize, one doctrine that both the Eastern and Roman Christians agree is on the seven Sacraments in order to obtain union with God; the seven Sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist or Communion, Holy Orders, Marriage, penance, and Holy Unction. Given that, Dr. James P. Eckman explained that "Baptism, however, is the primary sacrament for everything in the church flows out of the waters of baptism: the remission of sin and life eternal."[4] For both the East and the West churches baptism is necessary for the salvation of the adults and childs. Another similarity of interfaith

This is the equivalent of confirmation in the Catholic church, however, this occurs immediately after the baptism. In Catholicism, confirmation occurs sometime during early adolescence. Although there is a difference in age and degree of understanding, the method is the same for both branches (Fisher 338). The priest anoints the child with Holy Oil on numerous parts of the body and says “The seal of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.” This practice conveys the idea that the members of the church are blessed by the Holy Spirit, and is a reminder that the body is a part of the progress in salvation (Fitzgerald).

Baptism represents an end to the person's old life of sin and a new beginning with God. In the early church, Baptism was reserved for adults. It wasn't until the third century that children were baptised. Today baptism is still based on Jesus' baptism and can occur when the person is an infant or adult.

Justification by faith is shown to be at the core of Christian expression; this is conveyed through the practice of baptism. Baptism is defined as “the practice of sprinkling water onto a person’s forehead or of immersing them in water symbolising purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church” by the Oxford dictionary. However Janet Morrissey says that “Baptism is not only a practice but also a sacrament”, this quote helps to emphasise the importance of baptism to the Christian adherents. Baptism is usually done at infancy by the parents, however, there are also people who receive the sacrament of baptism when they are fully grown adults helping them to make this decision very personal. St Pauls helps to show the importance of baptism through the quote “Union with Christ is Baptism, involving the reception of the Spirit of Christ and The Spirit of God” . This quote helps to represent the ways that baptism is able to express the beliefs of Christianity, as it

The Christian ritual of sprinkling water on to a an individual's forehead or of immersing them in water, symbolizing their admission to the Christian Church is called baptism.

One of the most important sacraments of the Catholic Church is the Eucharist, also known as Holy Communion. The Eucharist is not merely the consumption of bread and wine, but a sacrifice and meal full of symbols, rituals, meaning and community involvement. To gain an understanding of the Eucharist, it is important to first to look at the symbols, how they were started, then to see how the Christian community enter into the mystery of the sacrament and what they believe.

Baptism Has become exceedingly divergent in many christian communities. It is a fundamental part of facilitating the transmission of values and beliefs also being a core element of the Christian experience. Prior to John the Baptist, baptism heavily existed in Jewish culture. They practiced the idea of purification and initiation into the community long before the messiah arrived. Interestingly enough the word 'baptise' in the original Hebrew and Greek form means to immerse in water.

The followers of the Roman Catholic religion participate in seven sacraments of the church that bring them closer to God’s love and kingdom. The blessed sacraments are experienced throughout different stages of life from birth to death. The sacraments start with baptism; the rebirth through holy water. The next sacrament is first communion, the spiritual nourishing as a result of eating and drinking Christ’s body and blood. Then, to clear the presence of sin, followers are given their first confession or reconciliation; God’s way of forgiving sinners. After reconciliation the next sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church is confirmation, the confirming of baptismal gifts under the followers

As mentioned before there are two types of baptism mentioned in the book of Acts. ”In Christianity baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted to membership of the Christian Church and as a member of the particular Christian tradition in which the baptism is administered.” Baptism was commanded by Jesus, in the Great Commission in the book of

In the Catholic Church, it’s customary for infants to be baptized in order to ensure their passage to heaven. Baptisms usually take place on Sundays during Mass. Typically, Children are baptized with Holy water and oils on the head and not fully submerged. Those being baptized traditionally wear white clothing to symbolize their faith and the renewing power of the ceremony itself. Godparents are also a tradition that the Catholic Church upholds. The baptized child or person will have a godparent of each gender, often times members of the extended family or close friends of the parents. The original role of the godparent was to take care of the child if it was orphaned, but now the role is primarily to set a good Christian role model for the new member.