Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: dhosek@linus.claremont.edu (Don Hosek) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Sacraments (was Re: The End of the World!!) Message-ID: Date: 11 Mar 91 07:53:15 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Quixote Lines: 22 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Our friendly moderator said... > Part of this is not an issue of theology, but an issue of approach. > I've found Greeley's comments on the nature of Catholicism very useful > in helping me understand the distinction. Catholicism sees the world > sacramentally. It's not just the 7 formal sacraments, but the whole > package of saints, Mary, and in fact the role of the Church itself. Yes, one of the important things about Sacraments and Catholicism is that the seven sacramants that are listed as such by the church are not necessarily the only sacraments; and the church does officially recognize that other acts and institutions can be sacraments as well (one priest I've talked to has commented that he's always thought that there should be a sacrament of friendship). The old Baltimore Catechism definition of a sacrament is something along the lines of a visible sign of grace instituted by Christ to show God's love (or some such. I've never actually seen a Baltimore Catechism myself). There's a lot of room for sacramentality in every day life with that definition. -dh