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526 • Conclusion and Appendices
REVEALED LAW:
There is revealed
law as seen in the Old Testament
when God communicated to Moses
the Ten Commandments. This law
prepared the world for the Gospel.
Jesus revealed the full meaning of
Old Testament law.
REVELATION:
God’s communica-
tion of himself and his loving plan
to save us. This is a gift of self-
communication, which is realized
by deeds and words over time and
most fully by his sending us his
own divine Son, Jesus Christ. Public
Revelation, which must be believed,
ended with the death of the last
Apostle. There can still be private
revelation, which is intended only
for the good of the person who
receives it and does not need to be
believed by others.
-S-
SABBATH:
In Scripture, the
Sabbath was the seventh day of the
week that the people of Ancient
Israel were to keep holy by prais-
ing God for the creation and the
covenant and by resting from their
ordinary work. For Christians, the
observance of the Sabbath has been
transferred to Sunday, the day of
the Lord’s Resurrection. (See
also “Sunday.”)
SACRAMENT:
An efficacious sign
of grace, instituted by Christ and
entrusted to the Church, by which
divine life is dispensed to us by the
work of the Holy Spirit (CCC, nos.
1131, 774).
SACRAMENT OF SALVATION:
By God’s gracious plan, the Church
is a sacrament of salvation, that is,
a visible community in and through
which Jesus Christ offers salvation
through the Seven Sacraments, the
preaching of the word, and the
spiritual and moral witness of
the members.
SACRAMENTAL CHARACTER:
An indelible spiritual mark
that is the permanent effect
of the Sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
It brings a new conformity to
Christ and a specific standing in
the Church. The reception of these
Sacraments is never repeated (cf.
CCC, Glossary).
SACRAMENTALS:
These are
sacred signs instituted by the
Church. These are sacred signs
that bear a resemblance to the
Sacraments. They signify effects,
especially of a spiritual nature, that
are obtained through the interces-
sion of the Church (CCC,
no. 1667).