Title: What is a Sacrament in Catholicism?
Headings: What Is a Sacrament?
What Is a Sacrament?
A Lesson Inspired by the Baltimore Catechism
Why Does a Sacrament Need an 'Outward Sign?'
Seven Sacraments
How Does a Sacrament Give Grace?
The Evolution of the Sacraments: Mystery Religions
How the Sacraments Were Developed
Sources:

Content: Why Does a Sacrament Need an 'Outward Sign?' The current Catechism of the Catholic Church notes ( para. 1084 ), "'Seated at the right hand of the Father and pouring out the Holy Spirit on his Body which is the Church, Christ now acts through the sacraments he instituted to communicate his grace." While human beings are creatures of both body and soul, they rely primarily on the senses to understand the world. Grace as a spiritual gift rather than a physical one is something that the recipient cannot see: The Catholic Catechism includes actions, words, and artifacts to make the grace a physical reality. The words and actions of each sacrament, along with the physical artifacts used (such as bread and wine, holy water, or anointed oil), are representations of the underlying spiritual reality of the sacrament and "make present… the grace that they signify." These outward signs help parishioners understand what is happening when they receive the sacraments. Seven Sacraments
There are seven sacraments which are practiced in the Catholic church. Three are about initiation into the church (baptism, confirmation, and communion), two are about healing (confession and anointing of the sick), and two are sacraments of service (marriage and holy orders).