The notion that all reality, both animate and inanimate, is potentially or in fact the bearer of God’s presence and the instrument of God’s saving activity on humanity’s behalf.
This principle is rooted in the nature of a sacrament as such, i.e., a visible sign and instrument of the invisible presence and activity of God.
Together with the principles of mediation (God works through secondary agents to achieve divine ends) and communion (the end of all God’s activity is the union of humanity), the principle of sacramentality constitutes one of the central theological characteristics of Catholicism.
Source: McBrien, Richard P., ed. The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1995), p. 1148.
2 comments:
I think I speak for most, if not all, Catholics who read your blog when I say:
Please do not use the words of Fr. McBrien to describe the faith, even when he does so accurately.
:-)
PS - He is a notorious modernist.
Hi Rob, well, I wasn't aware of that, but I thought the definition was quite nice :-)
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