Etiqueta: Early Church
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Holy Orders: Servants at the Altar
From the earliest days of the Church, the apostles laid hands on those called to serve and lead. Through the sacrament of Holy Orders, this mission continues as bishops, priests, and deacons carry forward the work entrusted by Christ.
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Confirmation: Strengthened by the Holy Spirit
In the earliest centuries of the Church, Baptism was immediately followed by the laying on of hands and the anointing with oil. Through this act the apostles invoked the Holy Spirit upon the newly baptized. The sacrament we now call Confirmation continues that same moment of strengthening in the life of the Church.
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Confession and Lent: The Sacrament of Return
Lent has always been a season of return. In the early Church, penitents walked through Lent preparing for reconciliation just as catechumens prepared for Baptism. This reflection explores how the sacrament of Confession developed, why it belongs especially to Lent, and how it restores the life first given in Baptism.
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Lenten Sacraments, Week One: Baptism
Lent began as preparation for Baptism at the Easter Vigil. From the earliest centuries of the Church, catechumens fasted, prayed, and prepared to enter the waters that united them to Christ’s death and resurrection. Today, Lent remains a season not of rebaptism, but of remembrance—calling the faithful to return to the identity first given through…