:-)

I'm sure using the comparison "level" of sacraments can't be quite right :) I see what you're getting at, but have to acknowledge now that it does sound quite protty.

I wonder how I'd put it re. marriage... "Grace is demonstrated through the covenant of marriage; the covenant between God and mankind and the covenant between the two human beings. Such a covenant can exist where there has not been a ceremony through the couple's promise of commitment (whether spoken or not) and the couple's sexual union." Hmm... wonder whether that is too protty as well. Will need to think a bit more about this...

I do wonder whether thinking that God's grace is only effective once the ritual/practice element of the church service has happened is truly catholic. In one sense, it takes seriously the wedding of the body of a human with the body of the church (which the desert island view doesn't), but on the other hand... No, I'm not sure.

I figure that this is probably going to turn out to be another debate on justification!