Sacraments Section Menu

What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of Life, for the life was made visible; we have seen it and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was made visible to us; what we have seen and heard we proclaim now to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; for our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing this so that our joy may be complete.

Sacraments

The Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders.

When Jesus was fulfilling His earthly ministry, He worked especially through His words and actions, teaching with parables that we could understand, healing through the power of His word and often incorporating earthy materials. He allowed His grace to flow through things we could sense because He had become one of us and knew how important it was for us to be able to see and to feel and to touch. Jesus left us the sacraments to continue to present the faith and the life of grace to us in a perceivable way.

The sacraments work in such a way that they are and do what they signify. The grace of each sacrament, which we can not see, is presented to us through the earthy element of each sacrament, which we can see. The grace of Baptism, being washed from sin and reborn in grace, is revealed through the water of Baptism, which is so necessary for cleaning and so common in birth. The grace of the Eucharist, Jesus Christ truly present as our spiritual nourishment, is revealed through the humble appearance of bread and wine.

When we receive the sacraments faithfully, they become inexhaustible gifts of grace to build us up and to build up the kingdom of God. Please use these pages to learn more about the sacraments and their celebration at St. Jude.