Sacrament Of Confirmation Essay

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Confirmation
A distinct difference between the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations, aside from the Eucharist, is the Sacrament of Confirmation. In it, God seals us with a mark of His divine protection, God gives us a disposition for His Grace, and we assign ourselves to a vocation to serve His Church (CCC, 1121).
Catholics often associate Confirmation with the same symbols of the Holy Spirit—fire, a wax seal, and holy oil—to acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s descending down on the recipients and giving them God’s Grace and protection. Catholics often use the symbol of fire to reference the New Testament when the Apostles receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4:
“1When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.
2And suddenly there came from the sky a noise …show more content…

Furthermore, a wax seal is often used to portray an indelible mark on the soul. Confirmation is one of three Sacraments that places an indelible mark on the soul, along with Baptism and Holy Orders. Historically, masters or owners used a seal to mark their property or servants (CCC, 1295) In this, God claims us as His own with His seal upon our souls that cannot be washed away. Jesus also states in the New Testament that He is marked with His Father’s seal (Jn, 6:27). Lastly, Confirmation bears a large connection with oil. In the Sacrament, the bishop uses oil to anoint the recipient as a spiritual seal. This relates with the Old Testament in which it was used to anoint kings, heal people, and denote beauty and abundance (CCC, 1294). Using this oil, we are consecrated and anointed with Christ (CCC, 1295). Saint Thomas Aquinas affirms the importance of the oil in the Tertia Pars, question seventy-two of Article Two in his work Summa Theologica by stating that the Church uses oil in Confirmation much like the Holy Spirit used fire on Pentecost: to give an outward sign of God’s

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