The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-06-08
Which is better, to know a thing,
or +o do a thinu?

Your query is q conundrum. There
are many things that we know how to
do but which common sense, common
decency and respect for the law die
tate should be left undone. Thus, L
know how to steal and to murder;
but these. and a host of other things,
are to be left undone. You have IN
mind, perhaps, spiritual things, good
works. etc. One person might be able
to write treatise on prayer, on aims
giving, etc, and never practice those
forms of devotion; another might be
unable 10 read or write, but prays
constantly and gives frequent aims.
This latter course is, Of course, to be
preferred. Not every one that sayeth
to me. Lord, Lord, shall enter the
kingdom of Heaven: but he that doth
the will Of My Father who is in
Heaven"
Where do we find in Scripture the
institution of the Sacrament of Con-
firn1ation?
The fact OF the Sacrament of Con-
frmation is plainly indicated in the
Acts Of the Apostles. in this we find
those things that go to make q Sacra-
ment, that is, the outward sign and in
ward grace. The Apostles would not
contribute grace to Il sign unless they
had received authority from Christ
The matter and form which the
Apostles used is the same as thai
which is used in the Catholic Church
today, that is, the Bishop imposes
hands, orays that the persons present
ing themselves for Confirmation he
ceive the Holy Ghost and then an
noints them with the oil. The text in
the Acts is:
Now when the Apostles, who were
in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria
had received the word of God,~ they
sent unto them Peter and John. Who,
when they were come, prayed for
them, that they might receive the
Holy Ghost For he was not as yet
come upon any OF them; but they
were only baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus. Then they laid their
hands upon them, and they received
the Holy Ghost. And when Simon
saw. that by the imposition of the
hands Of the Apostles, the Holy Ghost
was given, he offered them money,
saying: Give me also this power, that
on whOmsOever l shall lay my hands,
he may receive the Holy Ghost. But
Peter said to him: Keep thy money
to thyself, to perish with thee, be-
cause thou hast thought that the gift
Of God may be purchased with money"
Wher a Protestant becomes a Cath
clio does he have to go to confessionf
If the convert has not been bap-
tized he does not have to go to con-
fession. All his sins, original and
actual, are forgiven by his baptism. If
he has been baptized he goes to con-
fessiOn and receives conditional abso-
luton. This conserVes the dignity of
the Sacrament and at the same time
assures that his sins are forgiven.
NiC yOd ODtlSCu 70 lake
name when you are confirmed?
No; there is no obligation to do so.
When children are baptized they are
given their name, and as they are
Christians, they are given the name
of a saint; when those children re-
ceive the sacrament of confirmation,
they usually choose the name of an
other saint, and that is termed their
confirmation name. This, however, is
a question of custom, not of obliga-
ton. 1t is a laudable practice; you
will dc well to follow it.
Who were the first to receive the
sacrament of confirmation?
1t is not possible to say. The Holy
Ghost came down upon the Apostles
when they were given power over sin;
they also received the Holy Ghost on
Pentecost. To whom those Apostles
first administered the sacrament OF
confirmation is, Of course, impossible
to say, That they did administer the
sacrament is clear from numerous
texts in the Acts of the Apostles and
in the Epistles. The narration shows
that it was the usual thing for them
to administer confirmation. Thus, st
Paul coming to Ephesus, asked i'm
mediately, Have you received the
Holy Ghost?" and when he ascertained
that they had not, he at once con.
cerned himself with the administration
of the sacrament. 1t is to no purpose
to know who was the first person to
have received this sacrament; the i'm.
,portant thing to know is that confrma-
ton is one of the seven sacraments OF
Christ's Church, that it has been ad.
ministered and received in the Church
from the beginning; and the important
thing to do is to receive that sacra-
ment worthily and to be faithful to its
graces.
Can a priest ever give this sacra.
ment?
There are extraordinary occasions
when a priest may administer the
sacrament of confirmation; to that
end, he needs the delegation of the
Pope. The bishop is the ordinary min
lister of this sacrament.
Should one be confirmed when old,
"a ,.,t.~s. I.Z - q