The liturgical life of the Catholic Church revolves around the Eucharistic sacrifice and the sacraments. There are seven sacraments in the Church. There are three classifications of these Sacraments, each which tells us something about our journey in relationship to God:

Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. These Sacraments celebrate the designation of one’s life, identity, and direction, toward God. They also help one to understand the importance of the help of others who believe the same things about this relationship and help us maintain our relationship with God, and who also collaborate in responding to Christ’s call to build a merciful and just world.

Sacraments of Healing: Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. These Sacraments remind us that we are frail and in need of God’s love to restore us to our fullest selves. They are Sacraments of hope that God’s love will help us through our weakness and that our failures and shortcomings are not what defines us in God’s eyes. Ultimately, our healing brings us through a life-long journey of transformation toward the person we hope to become, and will help us to enjoy eternal closeness and peace with God.

Sacraments of Vocation and Service: Marriage and Holy Orders. These sacraments declare our commitment to bring God’s work into the world through relationship and service to others. They are designated as vocation because they specify the ways in which we will live our lives in response to our baptismal call. They allow us to find our fullest selves in relationship as a giving of the best of ourselves, of giving God’s goodness and love through the gift of our lives.

The purpose of the sacraments is to make people holy, to build up the body of Christ, and finally, to give worship to God; but being signs, they also have a teaching function. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and object, they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called “sacraments of faith.” The sacraments impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them disposes the faithful most effectively to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God rightly, and to practice charity.

Worship is integral to our lives as Christians. When we engage in the prayer and ritual of the Church, we are formed as Church. Our sacramental rites are of primary importance while we are gathered.