Essay On Sacrament Of Confirmation

The Sacrament Of Confirmation

The infrastructure of the Catholic faith consist of seven Sacraments which are as follows: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.The sacrament of confirmation is the second of the three initiation sacraments, following Baptism, and preceding the Eucharist. As Stated in the code of canon law, "The sacrament of confirmation strengthens the baptized and obliges them more firmly to be witnesses of Christ." (CCL) In addition, this sacrament bounds one more perfectly to the church and strengthens one's union with it (CCC). This informative piece will focus solely on the sacrament of Confirmation through the following lenses: biblical origin, history, Matter and effects of the sacrament, Rite, and Minister and recipient of the sacrament.

The Sacrament of Confirmation originates in the Old testament with the prophetic proclamation of the fulfillment of God's Promise through Jesus in the new testament, Jesus fulfills this prophecy when John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River. (CCC) The scriptural evidence of this is found in Matthew 3:17b when God says after Jesus is Baptized, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Through the historical prophecies the sacrament was made

known, and through Jesus' fulfillment of the prophecies the sacrament was made true.
The Sacrament of confirmation bears significance in the history of the Roman Catholic church.

In addition, there are differences between the eastern and western traditions of the sacrament. In the early Roman Catholic church, confirmation "generally comprised one single celebration with Baptism" (CCC). As time progressed the priest could not be present for most baptisms due to the influx of infant births. Because the western church believed in honoring the sacrament of Baptism prior to confirmation, the two sacraments eventually diverged. The difference between the eastern and western traditions is that the Eastern Church elected to keep both baptism and confirmation as one sacrament

(CCC).
Analogous to all of the other sacraments, the Sacrament of confirmation has its effects, matter, Rite, minister and recipient. There are five effects of the sacrament of confirmation as stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The first is that "it roots us in more divine filiation." This means that our relationship with God as Father to child is greater strengthened. The second is that "it unites us more firmly with Christ." The third is that "it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit within us ." The fourth is that, "it renders our bond with the Church more perfect." The fifth is that, "it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.