The Sacrament of Confirmation
There are many practices of worship in the Roman Catholic religion. Worshiping could be anything: basic prayer, the seven sacraments, or public worship (Sunday mass). Each experience of worship has different meanings in Roman Catholicism, effecting people in many different ways. One of the more noteworthy practices that I have experienced is one of the seven sacraments, confirmation. Confirmation is said to be a time where a catholic confirms their beliefs. Through this sacrament, a person becomes a "spiritual adolescent;" that is, they mature in the way they communicate with God and in conveying his message. Confirmation involves receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In a way, it is a reenactment of when the Holy Spirit came down on the apostles and gave them strength to teach as Jesus did. I remember distinctively preparing for my confirmation. Besides reading up on how confirmation came about and what it all exactly means, I was required to perform a certain amount of community service before the date of my confirmation. I never understood why it
To me, they were symbols or offerings to the community that showed we were ready to receive the Holy Spirit and follow in Jesus' footsteps. It's nice to see the creativity that was involved in the making of each banner. I hope in the future someone chooses me to be their confirmation sponsor. When the apostles first received the Spirit, there were tongue's of fire over their heads (fire is considered one of the signs of the Holy Spirit). It strengthened my relationship with my church and community, while setting a better direction for my life with the gifts I received. Nothing would make me happier than to lead someone else into a stronger relationship with God. Coincidentally, I did feel a strong presence of heat afterwards. The whole experience I had with the sacrament of confirmation was great. The sponsor takes the role of Jesus, if we were back during the original Pentecost. was required until after my confirmation -- if I didn't perform that community service, I wouldn't have fully understood the gifts I had received. This was a great idea since they hung the banners in the church for two weeks around the time of our confirmation. They walk up with us to receive the oil and lead us to the Holy Spirit. The sponsor is present at the ceremony to "deliver" the one being confirmed just as Jesus delivered the apostles to the Holy Spirit. The sponsor's role is essential to confirmation.
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Acceptance Essays
