United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

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. 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.”) -S

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).