The Church is a Sacrament of Christ's action, it is an outward sign of Christ's inward sacrificial love for us. The Sacraments are for and by the Church. They make the Church because they are a manifestation of the communication of God and man.

Sacramentals differ from Sacraments in that they do not produce the sanctifying grace which Sacraments do, this is why the Church and Christ are more than just Sacramentals, they are Sacraments in their own right.

Because a Sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace the first Sacrament is Christ. By becoming God incarnate, uniting his divinity to our humanity, he is is an outward sign of God's love for us, which is our inward grace. Through Jesus' saving work humanity is sanctified, his death on the cross is his participation in the Sacrament making Jesus Christ is the Sacrament of Salvation. The Sacraments are signs which reflect our salvation and redemption made possible by Christ. Because Christ is the only Saviour of humanity, only He has the power to institute the Sacraments.

The Sacraments are prefigured in the Old Testament and perfected by Christ in the New Testament.

The Mass is a Sacrament because it is an outward sign of the Paschal feast of Christ. It's structure of Scripture and Paschal Mystery is reflected in the Gospels, particularly on the road to Emmaus. Inward graces are received through participation when the Holy Spirit prepares the Church to receive the Lord He manifests Christ to the faithful.

There are seven Sacraments and they can be grouped in to three categories:

The Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation

The Sacraments of Healing: Confession and Healing of the Sick

The Sacraments of Vocation: Holy Orders and Marriage

The Sacraments of initiation conform and direct the soul to God. These Sacraments bring us into and unite us to the family of the Church which is the body of Christ with Christ at the head. There are three Sacraments of initiation, Baptism which is often chosen by parents. This Sacrament removes the Original Sin which we are born with from our first parents fall, this re-establishes our relationship with God. The Sacrament of Holy Communion is next, we receive God into ourselves to nurture us and guide us to Him. We are fed by the everlasting bread of life, which is Christ, this nourishes us and gives us the graces we need to live out our lives fully. Finally the Sacrament of Confirmation, the opportunity for the participant to claim the faith for themselves, uniting themselves more firmly to Christ. Through receiving gifts from the Holy Spirit, they take responsibility for their own growth in the faith and duties as a member of the Church. Though a person may join the Church as an adult the Sacrament of Baptism is still required before that of Confirmation because it is through Baptism that Original Sin is removed, the relation between Baptism and Confirmation can be likened to that of Easter and Pentecost.

There are two Sacraments of healing, the first is Confession. Through Baptism Original Sin has been wiped away but in our fallen human nature we still sin and these sins also need to be forgiven that we may live pure and Holy lives in Christ, through the Sacrament of Confession we are absolved of these sins overcoming the division between man and God which is why it is good to try to go to Confession regularly. The Sacrament of the Sick also heals but is reserved for those who are dying or going into a dangerous operation it may not bring a physical recovery back to health but prepares the participant for a new eternal life with God in heaven.

There are two vocational Sacraments and they are often used by Jesus in his teaching ministry because they reflect the relationship between Christ and His Church. The first is Holy Orders, this vocation conforms the soul to Christ, the priest is the person of Christ during the mass. Christ is able to work through the priest making it possible for sins to be forgiven and Sacraments to be bestowed. He guides the people of his flock as Christ did. The second is Marriage which can also lead to family life. Though this Sacrament does not conform the soul (it is binding only until death) the unity of the two people in Christ is a symbol of Christ's Marriage to the Church. This is why the family is also known as the domestic Church. By witnessing these two vocations we can grow in understanding of the mysteries of Christ and His Church.

Sacraments act by being performed (ex opere operato). Just as the sun reflects equally off a dirty puddle or a crystal clear lake, the grace of the Sacrament is bestowed regardless of how worthy the participant or celebrant is because it is an unconditional gift from God. St Augustine states “Peter may baptize, but still it is Christ who baptizes; Judas may baptize, but it is still Christ who baptizes”. By living a Sacramental life one gains fruits of a personal and ecclesial nature, these should be used for the benefit of the whole community.

The Sacraments of the New Covenant in Christ are necessary for salvation St Thomas writes “Therefore a Sacrament is a sign that commemorates what precedes it – Christ's passion; demonstrates what is accomplished in us through Christ's passion – grace; and prefigures what that Passion pledges to us – future glory”.

A Sacrament is an outward sign of inward grace, the actions, signs and symbols we see when participating in a Sacrament reflects the inner grace that we receive from God by taking part in the Sacrament.

The purpose of the Sacraments is to sanctify man, to build up the body of Christ and to give worship to God. They are the love of the Father made present by Christ through the Holy spirit, revealing the mystery of the Holy Trinity. It is through the Sacraments that God becomes accessible to human nature. Pope Saint Leo the Great wrote “What was visible in our Saviour has passed over into his mysteries”.