Sacraments of the Armenian Church
The word sacrament comes from the Latin sacrare which means "to dedicate" or "to make sacred or holy". Thus, a sacrament is a rite or event which not only is a signifies some specific grace, but which produces that grace in the souls of the person to whom it is administered.
The Armenian word for sacrament is khorhoort or "mystery." This implies that the fruits of the sacraments (such as being born to a spiritual life in baptism) are received mysteriously. Each sacrament has an inward and outward expression. The outward, for example, in baptism, is the water. This symbolizes the rebirth and cleansing of the soul of the child, which is inward. Although everything which is in and of the Church is sacramental, there are many formal sacraments of the Armenian Church which correspond to the different states and situations of a person's life.
It is at the time of a sacrament when heaven and earth are united and become one. It is when all the saints and our loved ones who have fallen asleep in Christ are witness to the act that is taking place. It is also a time when the faithful are no longer sitting in church pews, but are transported to a place and time outside of space and time (for God is outside space and time) and are find themselves in the presence of the Almighty.
The Armenian word for sacrament is khorhoort or "mystery." This implies that the fruits of the sacraments (such as being born to a spiritual life in baptism) are received mysteriously. Each sacrament has an inward and outward expression. The outward, for example, in baptism, is the water. This symbolizes the rebirth and cleansing of the soul of the child, which is inward. Although everything which is in and of the Church is sacramental, there are many formal sacraments of the Armenian Church which correspond to the different states and situations of a person's life.
It is at the time of a sacrament when heaven and earth are united and become one. It is when all the saints and our loved ones who have fallen asleep in Christ are witness to the act that is taking place. It is also a time when the faithful are no longer sitting in church pews, but are transported to a place and time outside of space and time (for God is outside space and time) and are find themselves in the presence of the Almighty.
