While the Catechism refers to seven sacraments, could it be that the number of sacraments is actually eight? Why only seven? Is there not an eighth sacrament called the “Sacrament of the Present Moment”? In other words, if we are to know that the Kingdom of God is truly near, would not this eighth sacrament transform what we too often label as the “mundane”? Would living in the Present Moment not be a way to “know that the Kingdom of God is near” not at some undesignated time in the future—but here and now?
I’ve sometimes wondered what is meant when we speak about God’s “graces.” What is really meant when we talk about receiving grace? I’m not sure that I have come to a satisfying definition quite yet, but maybe grace is that conscious realization of God’s presence NOW. Maybe when we talk about God’s reign this should not be understood to mean “Thy kingdom come” at some unknown time in the future, but NOW in the Sacrament of the Present Moment. God is on the phone NOW. Am I going to take his call?
—Jack Goldberg is a retired trial attorney. He and his wife Barbara live in Cincinnati, OH. Jack is the moderator of the Moot Court competition team at St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati, and an alumnus of St. X.