Introduction
The sacraments of the Church are not human inventions; they were all established by the Lord Himself, and they all have their foundation in the Holy Scripture. However, the history of the origin of each sacrament is a vast and complex topic. They offer a new way to interact with God during life’s ups and downs and enable people to worship and honor him. One of the features of the sacraments is their intersection with the stages and situations of a person’s life.
The Sacraments’ Parallels
The first sacrament of Christian discipleship is baptism, which cleanses a person of sinfulness and converts them into Christ’s followers, opening the door to a spiritually brand-new life. Baptism is the basis of all church work and life, which parallels human birth. Regarding confirmation, the baptized person, through the anointing with holy oil, is given strength to overcome sin and live according to the commandments. This process can be compared to the first feeding of an infant when the mother feeds him breast milk for the first time. The essence of the Eucharist lies in the remembrance of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross through partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ under the guise of bread and wine. The Eucharist is similar to the stage in a person’s life when he first tastes ordinary food instead of breast milk.
The sacrament of reconciliation is a process of repentance for one’s sins. In this case, a person’s trial is the closest parallel to life. The function is performed for the sick person to receive grace, which either contributes to their recovery or sanctifies their transition to another life. The function is associated with taking painkillers by a sick person. The penultimate sacrament is marriage, which signifies a part of human life. In the sacrament of ordination, a Christian who has been ordained a deacon, priest, or bishop is elevated by the grace of God to the appropriate degree of priesthood and ordained for a particular church service.
Conclusion
As it is seen, the sacraments do, in many ways, intersect with human life and are considered an integral part of it in a religious society. Sacraments and events in a person’s life are similar and make their existence brighter. This is especially visible if one looks at their significance in the life of a person who lived years ago because they were, in fact, the only holidays.