Episode 154 The Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church with Father Mario Arroyo

Father Mario Arroyo and David Capes have cohosted a radio show in Houston for 15 years.  It is called A Show of Faith on AM 1070 The Answer. 

Father Mario stopped by the Lanier Theological Library and Learning Center to talk with David Capes about the sacraments of the Catholic Church.

Who is Mario Arroyo?

Father Mario Arroyo has been the pastor of St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church in Houston, TX.  He was born in Havanna, Cuba, and immigrated when he was boy to the USA during the Cuban revolution. 

This life-long Catholic grew up in Denver and had a dramatic, life-changing “conversion” at the age of 21. Since then, he has served God in the priesthood.

What are the sacraments?

Father Mario describes a sacrament as an encounter with the real presence of God.  He emphasizes the notion of “common-union” with Christ.  He describes all the sacraments as God-initiated.

Every church has sacred practices they do.  Many Protestant churches recognize two: the Lord’s Supper (Communion or the Eucharist) and baptism.

Because some want to avoid the word “sacrament,” they use other words like “ordinances.” That’s because Jesus “ordered” his disciples to do these practices. 

So here are the seven sacraments with a one-line description. 

1. Eucharist—an entering into a common-union with the Lord Jesus; the real presence of Christ is encountered in the bread and wine
2. Baptism—not our choice of God, but God’s choice of us
3. Reconciliation—Christ absolves people from their sins
4. Confirmation—God firming up and fulfilling his children through the gift of the Spirit
5. Anointing of the Sick—God’s power to carry people through difficult illnesses
6. Holy Orders—God ordering certain people into his service as bishops, priests, and deacons
7. Marriage—the couple gives this sacrament to each other, acting as a priest to the other, while the priest simply superintends the ceremony.

There are a lot of great bits of information in this podcast. Be sure to listen to the end and hear Father Mario’s nugget of wisdom. 

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