Swear to God: The Promise and Power of the Sacraments

The Church celebrates seven sacraments: baptism, Eucharist, confirmation, matrimony, holy orders, confession, and anointing of the in poor health. Every was once established by Jesus for the sake of salvation. When Jesus spoke of the sacraments, He made clear that they were very important: Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he can’t enter the kingdom of God (Jn 3:5) . . . unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you don’t have any life in you (Jn 6: 53).

In Swear to God, Dr. Scott Hahn explores the richness of Christ’s sacraments—their doctrine, history, symbols, and rituals. Drawing upon the Bible and the Church’s tradition, he shows how God’s covenants—with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David—became the driving forces in history. When Jesus came to fulfill these types of covenants, He established a new covenant, with greater power than ever before. Christians are God’s children now. Joined to Christ by baptism, we will be able to already share in the eternal life of the Trinity, a life we are hoping to know fully in heaven. But heaven is with us, even now, in the sacraments.