The way the Catholic Church defines what a sacrament is is somewhat different than how the Lutheran Church defines a sacrament. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , a sacrament touches all of the stages and important moments of a Christian's life. Using this definition, seven sacraments have been instituted in the Catholic Church. The first sacrament that will be discussed is the Sacrament of Baptism.
Baptism is the first of three sacraments that make up the sacraments of Christian initiation.
Baptism meets the Catholic definition of a sacrament because it is an important moment in a Christian's life, i.e. the moment that faith is poured into a Christian. It also gives birth to the Christian's life of faith, it is the time at which the baptized receives faith and becomes a member of God's family. Knowing that the Sacrament of Baptism is a sacrament by the Catholic definition, we can now further explore what Baptism really is. Baptism is actually very close to the Lutheran Church's tradition of Baptism, the differences between the two being too subtle to note. Catholics teach, as do Lutherans, that infant baptism is necessary for a small child to become a member of God's family.