ARTICLE I: ON THE MATTER OF CONFIRMATION

1270. - I. The remote matter of Confirmation is Chrism compounded from olive oil and balsam, and blessed by a Bishop. - Thus commonly, and it is established from the Council of Florence in the Decree concerning the Sacraments. It can also be said that the partial remote matter is the hand of the Bishop as formally such, namely insofar as the imposition of the hand is the partial proximate matter, as will be said presently.

II. The proximate matter is the anointing of Chrism applied to those to be confirmed by the Minister of this Sacrament through the imposition of the hand. It is established from the declaration of Benedict XIV, encyclical letter Ex quo primum, 1 Mar. 1756, § 52, where he has this: "Therefore let that be said which is beyond controversy: namely, that in the Latin Church the Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred by employing Sacred Chrism, or olive oil mixed with balsam and blessed by a Bishop, and by the Sign of the Cross being drawn by the Minister of the Sacrament on the forehead of the one receiving it, while the same Minister pronounces the words of the form."

Therefore the proximate matter of Confirmation does not consist partially, as several formerly wished, in the general imposition of the hand made by the Bishop upon all those to be confirmed.¹

1271. Questions. - Query 1° Is balsam required by necessity of the Sacrament?

Resp. More probably affirmatively, as it seems, from the Decree of Eugene IV for the Armenians, where he says that the matter of Confirmation is Chrism made from oil and balsam. But balsam of any region whatever suffices, and in that quantity alone which is enough that it can give its odor; nor is it necessary that it be mixed with all parts of the oil.²

Query 2° Must Chrism necessarily be blessed?

Resp. 1° It must be answered absolutely in the affirmative, if the question is of necessity of precept. - Thus all with St. Alphonsus.³

Resp. 2° It seems it must be answered in the affirmative also if the question is of necessity of the Sacrament. For the constant practice of the Church, and the Decree of Eugene IV, in which it is read that the matter of Confirmation is blessed Chrism, persuades this. - Thus commonly with St. Alphonsus.⁴ - But whether Chrism must necessarily be blessed by a Bishop will be said below, where we treat of the Minister.

Query 3° Must Chrism necessarily be of that year?

Resp. This is not required by necessity of the Sacrament, because whether it is old or new, the matter is not changed; but it is required from the precept of the Church. Hence the Bishop who confirmed with old Chrism would sin gravely. For to this end new Chrism is consecrated on the Supper of the Lord, the old having been burned.¹

Query 4° For the value of the Sacrament, must the oil necessarily be olive oil?

Resp. Affirmatively. The reason is that this is properly called oil. Hence oil made from another matter, for example from nuts, is not valid matter, because it does not come simply under the name of oil. - Thus commonly with St. Thomas² and St. Alphonsus.³

Query 5° How must the anointing be made?

Resp. It must be made with the right thumb of the Bishop, in the manner of a cross, on the forehead of the one to be confirmed. Nevertheless the anointing would be valid if it were done with another finger of the Bishop, and even if it were a finger of the left hand, because it would truly be done through the imposition of an Episcopal hand. Nevertheless the Bishop who did this without necessity would sin, because he would depart from the practice of the universal Church; although it does not appear that the inversion of the aforesaid ceremony reaches to grave fault.⁴

Query 6° Can the anointing validly be made by means of an instrument?

Resp. Negatively. The reason is because there would be lacking the immediate imposition of the hand of the Minister, which from what has been said is altogether required. Nor should you say that Extreme Unction is validly ministered by means of an instrument; for in that Sacrament the imposition of the hand is not required for validity, as in Confirmation.⁵