Sacraments Of Initiation Essay

The Sacraments of Initiation can be described as climbing a mountain. To climb, a person needs to be properly prepared, starting by being hydrated. Then, the person must climb, step by step, until he or she reaches the summit to enjoy the view. The hydration of the Sacraments of Initiation is Baptism; it’s the entrance into the Christian path. The gift of the Holy Spirit received during the Sacrament of Confirmation gives the strength needed to slowly, but surely make the journey. The summit that is then reached after the climb is the Sacrament of the Eucharist. As it is said in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Holy Eucharist completes Christian Initiation.” However, throughout the history of the Church, one issue that has pervaded and concerned the Church for many years is the issue of how to order of the Sacraments of Initiation.
By the 4th century, because of the growth in the number of Christians, bishops could not always be present to administer the sacraments; therefore, priests in the church started to baptize and preside over the sacrament of the Eucharist. The Sacrament of Confirmation, however, was reserved solely for bishops. The order of the sacraments by that time had already changed by that time due to the diminishing number of available bishops that could preside over Baptism. This, in turn, led to a time of separation between Baptism and Confirmation. The sacraments were initially separated by a week or a month, however, it prolongated into years. By the 4th century in Western Rite, the order of the Sacraments of Initiation had changed from Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist to Baptism, Eucharist and