what is the matter of the sacrament of confirmation?
As St. Thomas says:. Confirmation, divinely instituted by Christ Himself, is the sacrament which effects in the Christian exactly what its name implies: It makes firm or strengthens the gifts of grace that were first received in Baptism. The form is “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”. Confirmation is the second sacrament of initiation. c. 2, ep. (Americancatholic.org) In it we receive more fully the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But while a Sacrament is a sensible sign, not every sensible sign is a Sacrament. In what part of the body? Present practice and doctrine Rite. Is it essential to the sacrament that the chrism should have been previously consecrated by a bishop? Recipient Confirmation can be conferred only on those who have already been baptized and have not yet been confirmed. Confirmation is to baptism what growth is to generation. MATTER OF A SACRAMENT That part of a sacrament which is used to perform the sacramental rite. Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world. Balm is fragrant and preserves from corruption; it signifies that the Christian is henceforth capable of giving off the perfume of Christian virtues and preserving himself from the corruption of vice. MATTER OF A SACRAMENT That part of a sacrament which is used to perform the sacramental rite. Confirmation is the sacrament by which Catholics receive a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For Confirmation, matter is the imposition of hands and anointing with chrism. Does it imprint a character? The form is “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Thus Saint Thomas held that the form of the sacrament of Penance was "I absolve thee.". Matter, Form, and Minister of Anointing of the Sick. Therefore, it is that in the form of this sacrament, the act of baptism must be expressed, and the matter and form be united to leave no doubt of the meaning of the ceremony. As suggested by Fr. The sacrament of confirmation is the perfection of baptism in the Catholic Church. In the Latin Rite, the sacrament is usually administered by the bishop. 4, near the end) and many other very holy and ancient pontiffs expressly declare. History. Start studying The matter and forms of the seven sacraments. Menu. Any Catholic who did not receive confirmation at baptism or as part of his religious education during grade school or high school should contact a priest and arrange to receive the sacrament of confirmation. We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service. The Sacrament of Confirmation. Does it bestow grace? Now it is clear that a man cannot advance to a perfect age unless he has first been born; in like manner, unless he has first been baptized he cannot receive the Sacrament of Confirmation (ST III:72:6). The idea seems to have been first proposed by William of Auxerre.Thus, for example, the matter for Baptism is water; the matter for the Eucharist is bread and wine. . That Confirmation has all the conditions of a true Sacrament has been at all times the doctrine of the Catholic Church, as Pope Melchiades (Epist. The form is the Institution Narrative spoken by the priest that recalls the words and actions of … Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The matter of the sacrament of Confirmation is the anointing with chrism, a mixture of olive oil and balm blessed by the bishop during the Holy Thursday ceremony. We now come to treat of the component parts of the Sacrament, and first of its matter. For Baptism, matter is the natural water that is poured on the head of the person or water in which a person may be immersed.
Its matter. Component Parts of Confirmation The Matter. The form of a sacrament consists of the words by which the Sacrament is affected.