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The picture featured above is by Rogier van der Weyden, created in the 15th century and titled the “Seven Sacraments”. It was commissioned to sit above an altar. Painted altarpieces were especially popular between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries and were commonly commissioned by churches and cathedrals, especially in northern Europe.
This particular altarpiece depicts the interior of a church in which parishioners are receiving all seven of the sacraments. The left panel portrays baptism, confession, and confirmation, while the right panel depicts holy orders, marriage, and the anointing of the sick. The central panel includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion; however, this panel is primarily dominated by the image of the crucified Christ; at the foot of the cross, three women—probably the three Marys present at the crucifixion—weep.
Although this scene is undoubtedly the most eye-catching element of the altarpiece, it is only part of the larger iconographic program of the piece. The presence of Christ in this painting symbolizes the overarching influence of God in the lives of Christians. However, it is the seven sacraments that form the narrative backbone of the painting. Van der Weyden orders the sacraments from baptism to anointing of the sick, symbolically moving from birth to death in the lifecycle of a Christian.
In fact, the lives of everyday people are at the crux of this altarpiece. Van der Weyden centres ordinary Christians as the beating heart of the Catholic Church, focusing on their lived experience as believers.
Watch: The Sacraments
Why does the Church have sacraments? Christ came down to our level through the Incarnation. He continues to do so through his sacraments—visible signs instituted by Christ to give grace. Allowing the Church to participate in God’s saving work, the sacraments offer us concrete experiences of God’s presence and action in our lives.
After the session: Spend some time with Psalm 23. It is one of the most popular psalms.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil; for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.