I think Father Loya talks about “at least” seven sacraments. He talked about having a sacramental world view. This kind of view encompasses not just items of the immediate church items. But, he mentioned being “green” is very sacramental. As I read more of Bread & Water, Wine & Oil, the more I can see there’s a difference of emphasis.
I’ve always wondered about this. I know that Latins have what are known as “sacramentals,” which also impart Grace. The Oriental Tradition also generally speak of only seven Sacraments.
What sacraments?
Are you asking me or one of our Eastern brethren? I am not of the Eastern/Byzantine Tradition. I only know of seven Sacraments.
Well, from what I gathered from Father Loya, he talks about taking a sacramental view of the world. He had a 50 minute interview with a TV anchor; and explained how the green movement fits into the Eastern Christian paradigm; and how it’s reflected in the church, for whom, he’s pastor. Maybe brother ByzCathCantor can shed better light, but I take it there are seven chief sacraments, but they see every part of creation as a sacrament.
I think that the Eastern/Oriental Churches prefer to talk about Holy Mysteries and those do not have a one to one correspondence with the seven Sacraments as defined by the Council of Trent. I think that the Holy Mysteries encompass more, including your example of the sacramentals.
According to Marduk, this is more an Eastern phenomenon. The orientals have only seven sacraments, just like the West.
If I may ask of my Latin Catholic brothers and sisters here, as this subject has bounced around in a couple of threads of late, how would you characterize a special blessing - perhaps using the often mentioned blessing in lieu of Communion? How about anointing with the manna of the Saints? etc.
The communion line is for communion. If we are not disposed, we should be making a spiritual communion.
I agree, but sometimes it feels as if we’re in the minority.
I would say that you can tell which are considered Holy Mysteries (what the Latin Church calls Sacraments) and which are what the West calls “sacramentals” in part by whether someone who is not Orthodox may receive or not. This of course also depends on the individual priest, of the individual Orthodox Church, but that said, I have many times in Orthodox Churches received anointing with oil at the Litya service of a festal vigil but the priest would not anoint me, not Orthodox, in a Holy Unction service, and I have many times received Antidoron, but never Holy Eucharist.
I don’t know why I did not think to answer you before- These are what I said to Marduk (post #3 above)- sacramentals, not sacraments.
They are not divinely instituted, like the sacraments, but do confer grace by power of the church, though not in the same manner as the sacraments. Also, the sacraments, if done properly (proper form et al) will always release the grace. Sacramentals depend on the faith of the user in addition to the power of the Church before God (intercession) to release the grace.
Perhaps the entry from the old Catholic Encyclopedia might be of value, as it is somewhat more comprehensive: Sacramentals
From a certain Eastern point of view there is really one Sacrament. Jesus Christ. How else did God impart His grace onto the world if not the incarnated Christ?
A sacramental worldview, at least in the sense that it seems to be implied here (and, in my discussions with Eastern Orthodox), is that in a sense life in Christ is a sacrament. That the whole range of participating in the Way- the Church, Mysteries, prayer, devotions, asceticism, etc.- conveys grace. Because God the Father is renewing us in His Son Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. And when one is fully immersed in such a life, than all of existence becomes a means to glorify God, and this is only possible because God first gives the Grace to make it happen.
Are you sure you’re not Eastern Catholic? I can use someone like you
I get that a lot.Are you sure you’re not Eastern Catholic? I can use someone like you
From a certain perspective, the Latin Church would also agree with this. The Incarnation is the “marriage” of Divinity and Humanity…it is from Christ, the image of the invisible God, that grace enters the world. All seven of the traditional sacraments draw from the one source of the passion, cross, and resurrection of Our Lord. When Our Lord’s heart was pierced, Scripture tells us that water and blood gushed forth - the Latin Church often identifies the water as baptism and the blood as the eucharist. The Church itself, as the mystical extension of the Incarnation - the body of Christ on earth, is itself identified as the sacrament on earth, with the individual sacraments flowing from this one great sacrament of the Church herself:
It should be pointed out that it isn’t necessarily limited to humanity. In Christ was the recapitulation of all of creation. He was a microcosm. In him all of creation is redeemed and it all becomes sacrament. So you have icons which represent the images of Christ or of the saints. They also bear the Grace of God. The Syriac tradition speaks of all of creation as sacrament. The whole of creation bears the image of God and is a medium for Grace. Everything becomes a medium through which Grace is conveyed.