The Orthodox Church approach to life is fully sacramental. Sacrament is an act of transfiguration. Our transfiguration is the true goal of Lord God in his acts of salvation. It is in Christ that God not only redeems and saves, and forgives our transgressions, but He also transfigures our lives. Sacraments are such consecrating acts as used by the Church to transfigure and sanctify our lives. God created matter as well as the spirit, and the real transgression of man rests in his act of separation of matter from the spirit in order to subordinate himself to matter, to become slave to matter. Sacraments bring together again that which has once been torn apart.

It is commonly said that there are seven Sacraments, or Holy Mysteries, since number seven signifies perfection. However, there are countless Holy Mysteries in the Church. Everything within the Church is a Holy Mystery.

Apart from Baptism and Chrismation or Confirmation, both of which may be called Sacraments of sanctification, Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (i.e. Liturgy) as the Sacrament above all sacraments, which is the seal of our membership with the People of God, Repentance and Holy Unction, which may be called healing Sacraments (they are the cure for our spiritual and physical ailments), Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and the Sacrament of the Holy Orders, we can also regard consecration of water, and that of a church, of a home, of an icon, or for that matter consecration of anything else, as sacramental, i.e. as being Holy Mysteries. We can even call each prayer a Holy Mystery since it involves the descent of the Holy Spirit upon us. Every invocation of the Holy Spirit and our meeting with Him turns into a Sacrament, i.e. a Holy Mystery of communication with Christ.