Title: What are the 3 Types of Sacraments of the Catholic Church? - The Catechism Guy
Headings: What are the 3 Types of Sacraments of the Catholic Church?
What are the 3 Types of Sacraments of the Catholic Church?
The 7 Sacraments of the Catholic Church:
Instituted by Christ
Sacraments of Christian Initiation
Sacraments of Healing
Sacraments at the Service of Communion (& the Mission of the Faithful)
My Favorite Books on the Sacraments of the Catholic Church
Sacraments in Scripture by Tim Gray
Three to Get Married by Fulton J. Sheen
Have you read any of these books? Which was your favorite?
Taylor Engel

Content: Many wonder why this sacrament is even necessary if Baptism already washes away the sins of the individual. The Church states that it is because Baptism “has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life” ( CCC 1426 ). In other words, the Church recognizes that Baptism doesn’t remove the tendency of the faithful to commit sin and that only with the help of God’s grace can one eventually overcome sin. Since overcoming sin doesn’t happen overnight, the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation both forgives the person when they fall and strengthens them to not fall again. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is the sacrament in which “the whole Church commends those who are ill to the suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them” ( CCC 1499 ). This sacrament has many effects ( CCC 1520-1523 ), including: (1) giving a special gift of the Holy Spirit which provides strength, peace, and courage to the Christian,
(2) creating a special union with the passion of Christ,
(3) granting an ecclesial grace uniting the Christian more deeply to the Church, and
(4) providing the grace needed to prepare the Christian for their final journey to the Father’s House. Often, the Anointing of the Sick is given to persons nearing the end of their life in the context of what the Church calls Viaticum (meaning, “provision for a journey”), which is when the Christian receives the Sacraments of Penance/Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, and Eucharist all at the same time. Sacraments at the Service of Communion (& the Mission of the Faithful)
The Sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders are unique in that they’re not primarily directed at the salvation of the one receiving the sacrament, but instead are directed at the salvation of others. Meaning, these sacraments are for the good of the Church and for building up the Body of Christ.