The Sacraments – Matrimony

Matrimony, or marriage, is a covenant between a man and a woman by which they establish between themselves a partnership for the whole of life. For a valid marriage, a man and a woman must express their conscious and free consent to a definitive self-giving to each other. It is ordinarily celebrated in a nuptial Mass. For much of the Church’s history, no specific ritual was prescribed for celebrating a marriage: Marriage vows did not have to be exchanged in a church, nor was a priest’s presence required. A couple could exchange consent anywhere, anytime.

Matrimony was raised by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament when he discussed the issue of divorce with some Pharisees. Jesus said to them,
“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
[ Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6 ]

The Catholic Church also has requirements before Catholics can be considered validly married in the eyes of the Church. A valid Catholic marriage results from four elements: (1) the spouses are free to marry; (2) they freely exchange their consent; (3) in consenting to marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to children; and (4) their consent is given in the canonical form, i.e., in the presence of two witnesses and before a properly authorised church minister. Exceptions to the last requirement must be approved by church authority.

The Church has always recognised the states of virginity and celibacy as superior to the married state. This appears to have stemmed from Saint Paul who recommended celibacy but recognised that not all have the ability to live such a life: “Now as a concession, not a command, I say this: I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” [ 1 Corinthians 7:6–9 ]

On the right is another detail from the Seven Sacraments painting. Can you find the detail in the full picture?

Below is a romanticised depiction of the marriage in 1170 between Aoife MacMurrough and Strongbow in the ruins of Waterford, painted in 1854 by Daniel Maclise. Nowadays, marriages are usually quieter affairs, with fewer dead bodies. Click the picture to see a bigger copy.

The Sacraments – Anointing of the Sick

From the early middle ages until after the Second Vatican Council this sacrament was known as extreme unction (final anointing). It was administered only when death was near and bodily recovery of the sick person was not ordinarily looked for. The emphasis was on preparing the sick person for entry into the next life – forgiveness of sins and Holy Communion were an important part of the rite.

The anointing was done with holy oil, usually on the forehead and hands. The picture shows three jars of holy oil: the Oil of the Infirm (“Oleum Infirmorum”) for the anointing of the sick; the Oil of Catechumens (“Oleum Catechumenorum” or “Oleum Sanctorum”) for baptism; and holy chrism (“Sacrum Chrisma”) for baptism, confirmation, and holy orders.

Since 1972, when the name anointing of the sick was adopted, the emphasis has been on the sick person rather than the dying person. The basis for the sacrament lies, principally, in the letter of James, the Brother of the Lord, but also in the gospel of Mark:

“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
[ James 5:14-15 ].

“So they [ the twelve apostles ] went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them”.
[ Mark 6:12-13 ].

The picture shows a detail from the Seven Sacraments painting. In the foreground a man is being ordained (see The Sacrament of Holy Orders). In the background a sick man lies in bed. He’s not in great shape and a good feed would do him no harm. Can you find this detail in the full picture?

The Sacraments – Reconciliation

This sacrament is also known as the sacrament of penance or confession. It is the method by which individual men and women may confess sins committed after baptism and have them absolved by a priest. A new approach to confession was introduced at the Second Vatican Council, providing other options besides the traditional way of telling sins to a priest in the confessional (see picture opposite of the confessional in Fenor church) and advising us that confession was more about becoming reconciled with God.

Catholics believe that all of the sacraments were instituted by Jesus Christ himself. In the case of reconciliation, that institution occurred on Easter Sunday, when Jesus first appeared to the apostles after his resurrection. Breathing on them he said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.’ [ John 20:22-23 ].

Also, St. James, the Brother of the Lord, urged us to ‘Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.’ [ James 5:16 ]

Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive the sacrament worthily:
He/she must be contrite — in other words, sorry for his/her sins.
He/she must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
He/she must be willing to do penance and make amends for the sins.

Reconciliation services are held in Advent (before Christmas) and Lent (before Easter) when several priests are available to facilitate individual confession for large numbers. These services bring out the community dimension of sin and reconciliation. In some churches individual reconciliation is available on a daily basis.

Stories abound concerning the confessional box but it’s hard to beat “First Confession” by Frank O’Connor. But that was then!

The Sacraments – Confirmation

Confirmation is the second sacrament of Christian initiation. It is conferred by the anointing with sacred chrism (oil mixed with balsam), which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister. The sacrament is normally administered by a bishop who blesses the chrism during Easter week on Holy Thursday. Through this sacrament the grace given in baptism is strengthened and deepened. Like baptism, confirmation may be received only once. The effect of the sacrament of confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The apostles all received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and a group of Samaritans (the people who lived in Samaria) also received the Holy Spirit through the apostles Peter and John:

“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
[ Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17 ]

The sacrament gives us a special strength to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross. This effect has been described as making the confirmed person “a soldier of Christ”. It is a great occasion in the parish when the bishop arrives to confirm the boys and girls who have been prepared to receive the sacrament by their parents and schoolteachers.