Sacraments

"Holy Mysteries" vs. "Sacraments"

While it is common to list seven sacraments (Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, Marriage, Ordination, and Holy Unction), the Orthodox Church traditionally calls them "Holy Mysteries."

  • A Western Adoption: The practice of counting exactly seven was adopted from the Roman Catholic Church.

  • The Ancient View: Historically, the Orthodox do not limit "sacraments" to just these seven rites. Instead, everything in the Church is considered sacramental. Because the Church is the "new life in Christ," every aspect of it—prayer, blessings, good works—participates in the mystery of the Kingdom of God.

The Cycle of Divine Life

Following sacraments are necessary for sustaining this "new life," paralleling our natural biological life:

  • Birth (Baptism): Just as we must be born physically, Baptism is our birth into the eternal life of God.

  • Breath & Power (Chrismation): Birth is not enough; we need the energy to live. Chrismation provides the gift of the Holy Spirit, the power to live the Christian life.

  • Nourishment (Eucharist): Natural food sustains us only temporarily (unto death). The Eucharist is the "mystical supper" that nourishes us for eternal life.

  • Love & Family (Marriage): Natural love ends at death ("until death do us part"). Christian marriage transforms human love and childbearing into realities that are eternal and unbroken by death.

  • Healing of Soul (Confession): This is the remedy for spiritual sickness (sin), allowing us to return to communion with God.

  • Healing of Body (Holy Unction): This is the remedy for physical suffering. Even if physical cure doesn't happen, it unites our wounds to the Cross, ensuring we do not suffer "unto death" but unto salvation.

  • Care & Order (Ordinations): The clergy exist to ensure this divine life is made manifest, present, and accessible to all people in the world.

Conclusion

The purpose of Christ's coming was that we "might have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Therefore, the entire Church is a sacrament—a mystical reality where everything we do participates in the life that has no end.