The seven sacraments are fundamental to Catholic daily life. They are important to Eastern Orthodox Christians but they are viewed differently.

The word "sacrament" is derived from the Latin sacramentum which means "a sign of the sacred". The seven sacraments of the Catholic Church are baptism, confirmation, holy communion/eucharist, penance, matrimony, holy orders and anointing of the sick.

The sacraments or channels are signs of Divine grace. When a person carries out the sacraments, these signs have the power to make him sanctified or made holy. Stated differently, the sacraments are humankind's sanctification. Every person is at a different spiritual level. These seven sacraments are believed to be necessary for human salvation. The sacraments are vehicles of grace. The more people perform the sacraments, the closer they will be to God's grace and the more they will be filled with His grace. Sacraments are believed to have received their power from the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

These sacraments or ceremonies are rituals or rites of passage for a Catholic person. The structure of Catholic life revolves around the seven sacraments. They are quintessential for Catholic life. The seven sacraments are instrumental in shaping the life cycle. These ceremonies make God's powers the focal point.

By part-taking in the seven sacraments, it brings the believer closer to God. The main aspect of Catholicism is bringing humankind into God's Kingdom or into the Light of God. A sacrament is an outward expression of grace. Unlike other religious traditions, Catholicism wants its community of followers to practice publicly rather than privately, not in the privacy of one's own home but in the church.

The Church of England defines the seven sacraments as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace". There are three essential components to the sacraments; the outward or visible sign, the inward grace and Divine institution. Grace is not an inherent quality in sacraments. However, grace is a component because it is believed that God created the sacraments and endowed grace onto them. The important questions that people ask are how often should the sacraments be performed and what kind of effect will they have. Some people say that communion and confession should be done as often as possible.

Eastern or Orthodox Christianity views the sacraments differently than than the Catholic Church. Eastern Christians are not restricted to only seven sacraments. In fact, many Orthodox Christians see mystery in the sacraments. Jesus Christ's work is understood to be a mystery. The connection between sacraments and the Incarnation is not clear. This means that generally, the sacraments are not clear cut like they are for Catholics. There is more ambiguity.

Orthodox Christians view the sacraments as rites that should be done collectively with the entire ecclesiastical community. Each sacrament is holy on its own and is the basis for prayer. The Orthodox Church has a different understanding of the seven sacraments.

These Christians believe holy confession and holy communion to be completely independent of each other. The difference lies in the idea that they are both working toward the same goal. Perhaps they are different means of achieving the same outcome or the same end. Holy communion and holy confession are done at different times and they are not done the same amount of times. For example, a person who has just had a divorce is not permitted to take communion but is permitted to do confessions.