In the beginning of our reading from Johnson, Augustine defines sacrament as “A visible form of an invisible grace”(6). The sixth century Council of Florence then notes that there are precisely seven of these sacraments (11), which still exist in some form today (changes have occurred such as moving from Extreme Unction to Anointing of the Sick and from Penance to Reconciliation)

Not being subjected to the authority of the Catholic Church, Martin Luther disagreed with the notion of having seven sacraments, and instead argued that only Baptism and the Eucharist are their a divinely instituted sign and forgiveness of sins (13-14).

While in many ways I agree with Marin Luther’s theology, in that only Baptism and the Eucharist offer visible signs of grace and a forgiveness of sins - the invisible grace. But I fail to see the rationale in limiting our sacramental relationship with God to just two sacrament, one of which we can only receive once. Since sacraments confer grace, they are gifts to us from God. We have much to gain from the other five sacraments, even if some feel that they fall short of Augustine’s definition.

Confirmation, in the current Roman Rite, offers young adults in the Church to publicly declare their devotion to God. I believe that God does give a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit for that declaration to be made.

Matrimony and Holy Orders offers the chance for people to publicly devote themselves to the service of others. In so doing, God gives them the graces to serve in the Church

Reconciliation allows us to be spiritually renewed after having the burden of sin ritualistically removed from us.

Anointing of the Sick allows the entire Church the opportunity to empathize with the suffering, what a grace!

Is it really important to argue over the sacramentality of our rituals when they offer us a chance to experience God in a human-centric way? The Sacraments allow us to experience God in terms we can understand. Whether or not we call them sacraments, I still want them!