Which option correctly pairs the sacrament with its matter and form as given?

Which option correctly pairs the sacrament with its matter and form as given?

• A. Confirmation – Matter: Descent of the Holy Spirit; Form: Laying on of hands
• B. Holy Orders – Matter: Sacred chrism and imposition of hands; Form: Prayer of consecration
• C. Marriage – Matter: Laying on of hands; Form: Nuptial vows
• D. Confirmation – Matter: Sacred chrism and imposition of hands; Form: Prayer of consecration

Answer: (B)

In sacraments, matter is the outward sign used, and the form is the set of words that conveys the grace of the sacrament. For Holy Orders, the matter is the sacred chrism together with the imposition of hands, and the form is the consecratory prayers spoken by the bishop that confer the ordination. This pairing—sacred chrism and laying on of hands as the matter, with the prayer of consecration as the form—fits the traditional understanding of Holy Orders. The other options mix elements from different sacraments. Confirmation rightly uses chrism and laying on hands as the signs, but the form is not just a generic “prayer of consecration”; it is specifically the words invoking the gift of the Holy Spirit. Marriage has the couple’s consent and the exchange of nuptial vows as its form, not the laying on of hands or a separate consecration prayer. The Descent of the Holy Spirit is the effect described for Confirmation, not the matter or form of the sacrament.

In sacraments, matter is the outward sign used, and the form is the set of words that conveys the grace of the sacrament. For Holy Orders, the matter is the sacred chrism together with the imposition of hands, and the form is the consecratory prayers spoken by the bishop that confer the ordination. This pairing—sacred chrism and laying on of hands as the matter, with the prayer of consecration as the form—fits the traditional understanding of Holy Orders.

The other options mix elements from different sacraments. Confirmation rightly uses chrism and laying on hands as the signs, but the form is not just a generic “prayer of consecration”; it is specifically the words invoking the gift of the Holy Spirit. Marriage has the couple’s consent and the exchange of nuptial vows as its form, not the laying on of hands or a separate consecration prayer. The Descent of the Holy Spirit is the effect described for Confirmation, not the matter or form of the sacrament.