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Dear catholic.com visitors: This Catholic Answers website, with all its free resources, is the world’s largest source of explanations for Catholic beliefs and practices. We receive no funding from the institutional Church and rely entirely on your generosity to sustain this website with trustworthy, accessible content. If every visitor this month donated $1, catholic.com would be fully funded for an entire year. If you’ve never made a gift, now is the time. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar this week only. Thanks and God bless.

If seven is the symbol of perfection, why do we not receive all seven sacraments?

Question:

If seven is the symbol of perfection, why do we not receive all seven sacraments?

Answer:

Seven is a symbol of perfection in biblical numerology, and the fact that there are seven sacraments may symbolize the perfection of God’s grace offered to mankind collectively through the work of Christ on the cross. Nonetheless, it is not necessary for individuals to receive all seven sacraments. Some of the sacraments, particularly the vocational sacraments of holy orders and matrimony, are meant to empower or strengthen the individual in his state of life. He does not need sacraments that do not pertain to his individual vocation.

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