Holy Orders is the vocation into the life of ministry. It is a calling for many but not all. All are called to be witnesses of the faith, but not all are called to be pastors, priests, teachers, and nuns. We know this is so because the Holy Spirit appoints us overseers (Acts 20:28) and those overseers are ordained by the laying on of hands for those already appointed (Acts 6:6, 13:3). To further understand laying of hands, please read articles Confirmation and Apostolic Succession.
Sacrament “A sign and instrument of grace. Sacrament are liturgical rites instituted by Jesus Christ as channels of his salvation to the world” by Dr. Scott Hahn in his Catholic Bible Dictionary. Sacraments, as seen in the Old Testament, were physical forms that represent spiritual bonding. There are also Sacramentals.
There are seven sacraments:
The Holy Spirit, originally known as Paraclete, is the laminin of Christianity. Equal in divinity to God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son, He, the Holy Spirit, seems to be not get much publicity in the Christian world. The First Person (God), the Second Person (Jesus), and the Third Person (Paraclete). See article Trinity. The Holy Spirit is called the Third Person because He proceeds from God and Jesus, having been sent by them both to do works. We see in scripture that God the Father is never sent, but does the sending; therefore He is considered the First Person. Jesus was sent, as we know, by God the Father. But Jesus also sent us the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus is called the Second Person, because He was sent but also does the sending. But the Holy Spirit is sent, proceeding from the love generated between the Father and Son. The following Biblical passages are to convey a truth in which we will understand that the Holy Spirit is a real person, not an entity or mere life force.
It is interesting to see that baptism is the new circumcision (Colossians 2:11-12). With this in mind, remember that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Now, back to baptisms and circumcisions. Since we know that baptism proceeded from circumcision, let’s see what circumcision was. Circumcision was instated by God and to be used when the child was eight days old (Genesis 17:12). If baptism is the new circumcision, than baptism is to be administered at the earliest of eight days old.
“Did he not obtain the grace which he desired? Did he not obtain what he asked for? Certainly he obtained it because he asked for it” St. Ambrose, 300th c..
When unable to undergo the baptismal sacrament of water, we are baptized by desire. This is demonstrated in Christ’s Passion, in which the good thief asks Jesus for His grace, “Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:43). The good thief was not able to acquire baptism via water and spirit (John 3:5). But Jesus sanctified him by his desire for cleanliness. This is called a perfect act of contrition.
