Effects Of Sacraments

[little_miss_late]

Hi,

What is the difference between a bond that can't be dissolved (i.e. sacrament of marriage) and the "indelible mark" of sacraments like baptism? Does that mean that you are still baptized after death, but not married? Are priests still priests after they die?

[Theoketos]

Marriage only lasts in this life. Marriage changes a relationship in effect.*

Once you are priest, you are priest forever. Ordination changes your very essence.

Once you are confirmed, you are confirmed Christian forever. Confirmation changes your very essence.

Once you are Baptized, you are a Christina forever, even in Heaven you remain a Christian. It changes your very essence, that is your soul.

All four sacraments however, up the ante, raise the stakes, or make the consequence for better or for worse graver.




*I mean here that the Sacrament of Marriage does not leave an indelible mark on one's soul as far I ever learned, however living out a marriage will definitely make on more virtuous, if done well, and there by more holy, ergo changing a person.

[StColette]

Just to add:

CCC 1280 Baptism imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual sign, the character, which consecrates the baptized person for Christian worship. Because of the character Baptism cannot be repeated (cf. DS 1609 and DS 1624).

CCC 1317 Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life.

CCC 698 The seal is a symbol close to that of anointing. "The Father has set his seal" on Christ and also seals us in him. Because this seal indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders, the image of the seal (sphragis) has been used in some theological traditions to express the indelible "character" imprinted by these three unrepeatable sacraments.

CCC 1272 Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated.

CCC 1582 As in the case of Baptism and Confirmation this share in Christ's office is granted once for all. The sacrament of Holy Orders, like the other two, confers an indelible spiritual character and cannot be repeated or conferred temporarily.

CCC 1121 The three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders confer, in addition to grace, a sacramental character or "seal" by which the Christian shares in Christ's priesthood and is made a member of the Church according to different states and functions. This configuration to Christ and to the Church, brought about by the Spirit, is indelible, it remains for ever in the Christian as a positive disposition for grace, a promise and guarantee of divine protection, and as a vocation to divine worship and to the service of the Church. Therefore these sacraments can never be repeated.

The Church holds that there are three Sacraments which have an indelible mark: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. Sacraments that carry this indelible mark cannot be repeated once they have been given. Not even death erases this mark and neither does sin (CCC 1272). Marriage does not have an indelible mark because it is a Sacrament that can be celebrated more than once (ie a widow remarrying). Another reason Marriage does not have indelible mark is because it does not carry on after we die. Matthew 22 tells us that in Heaven we will not be married nor will we join in marriage but we shall be like the angels.