Sacrament of Confirmation

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
INTRODUCTION
Catholics are sacramental faith communities. They are identified with the celebration of
the seven sacraments. Most of the Catholics understand that celebration of the sacraments
is to experience God’s grace. As an identity sacraments reveal, who Catholics are and
how they see themselves. Catholics are a sacramental people, from the moment of their
birth, through all the stages of their life, up to the moment of death. In my presentation I
will examine confirmation as a sacrament of initiation, the preparation for the sacrament,
the effects of the sacrament, and then look at its historical development in the life of the
Church. I then will turn attention the sacrament of initiation that leads to the Eucharist,
and finally make some remarks on possible areas.
1. THE CONCEPT OF SACRAMENT

Out of love, Jesus died on the cross to save us. Out of love, He instituted the Church to
save us. Through the Church, He gave us seven concrete ways to help us share in His life;
these are the Sacraments of the Catholic Church. (Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation,
Eucharist, Holy Orders, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick), CCC 1131. Sacraments are
signs, instituted by Christ to give us grace. And it is entrusted to the Church, by which
divine life is given to us. Each sacrament is unique. Sacraments bear fruit in those who
receive them with the required dispositions. They are the life-giving celebration of the
love and power of God. They are an opportunity for the individual to encounter the
saving action and the salvation. They are simple rituals that mark important steps in the
spiritual journey.
2. THE NOTION OF SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION (CCC 1285-1321)

Confirmation is the second of the three sacraments of Christian initiation. Confirmation is
the completion of Baptism and the sacrament by which the baptized faithful are anointed
with chrism and sealed with the Spirit by the laying on of hands. The grace received is
the fullness of the Holy Spirit and his gifts. We also describe this fullness as the
2
completion, strengthening, perfection or augmentation of the Holy Spirit received in

Baptism. Jesus gave us this Sacrament to help us become Holy.1
3. CONFIRMATION AS A SACRAMENT OF INITIATION

Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation that is placed between baptism and the
Eucharist. It is related closely with baptism. In baptism the Holy Spirit is truly given, but
in confirmation he is given in a way that completes the graces of baptism. Confirmation
imparts special strength upon the receiver. “Confirmation puts the seal on baptism as
Pentecost completes Easter.”2
“In fact, baptism is rooted in the mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ (Col
2:12), Confirmation is based on the mystery of the gift of the Spirit granted to the
disciples at Pentecost.”3 Confirmation is anticipated by baptism, but the full strength and
mission given by the Holy Spirit is lacking without confirmation. “The Holy Spirit is
Author and Master of our holiness; it is he who gives us the power to be „true
worshippers of the Father in spirit and truth. (Jn 4:23).”4
In this context, one can come to understand how confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist.
Confirmation perfects recipient’s personal bond with the community. The Catechism of
the Catholic Church notes that “Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of
Confirmation together constitute the „sacraments of Christian initiation, ‟ whose unity
must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the
sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.”5
4. PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT

Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward union with
Christ and familiarity with the Holy Spirit. To this the Confirmation should awaken a
sense of belonging to the Church. To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of
grace. One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of
1
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1285-1321.
2
Paul Haffner, The Sacramental Mystery (Trowbridge, UK, 1999) 72.
3
Arturo Elberti, S.J., “Witness of Christ in the Spirit” in Rediscovering Confirmation, ed. Pontificum
Concilium pro Laicis (Vatican City, 2000) 52.
4
Ibid., 81.
5
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1285.
3
the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strength and graces
of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act. (CCC 128)
a) Recipients of the Sacrament

i) Adult catechumens and children baptized when old enough for catechesis should be
admitted to confirmation and the Eucharist at the same time as they receive Baptism.
ii) Adults who were baptized in infancy should receive confirmation at the age of
discretion together with the Eucharist.
iii) Conditions for receiving Confirmation: The candidates must be:
1. Baptized
2. In the state of grace
3. Well instructed and in a position to renew the promises of baptism
4. If the candidate is to be married and the above conditions cannot be fulfilled
before the marriage, confirmation should be deferred until after marriage.6
b) The Minister of the Sacrament

During the sacrament of confirmation the forehead of the recipient is anointed with the
sacred chrism. This is the oil that is consecrated by the Bishop at the annual Chrism Mass
during Lent. After the forehead is anointed, the Bishop lays his hand on the recipient and
prays aloud, "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit". Sometimes a priest also can
confer this sacrament if he has this faculty by virtue of either universal law or a special
concession.7
5. EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION
a) Spiritual Effects of Confirmation
The effects follow from the personal encounter with the third person of the Holy Trinity.
Spiritual Effects of Confirmation Those who are confirmed to receive the benefits of the
sacrament their whole life to be true disciples of Christ. Those spiritual effects of the
sacrament are: (CCC 1303, 1316).
6
Paul Puthanagady, et. al., Baptism & Confirmation (Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 2006),
198.
7
Ibid., 196.
4
1. It roots us more deeply as sons and daughters of God;

2. It unites us more firmly to Christ;
3. It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
4. It renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
5. It gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the Faith by word
and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never
to be ashamed of the Cross.
b) Gifts and Charisma of the Holy Spirit

At continuation the Holy Spirit comes with his fullness, and that means with his gifts and
charisma, that enable the individuals to fulfill their mission as grown up Christians. These
gifts and charisma are not the same in every individual; they vary in accordance with the
services each has to render to the Church. They are however, distributed by the same
spirit who lives in each one and unites them all into the one body of Christ.
c) Character
It is through the spirit of Christ that we share in the mission of Christ. We are sent by the
father, to continue his mission, and to be the sign of God’s salvation for the world. The
character of confirmation effects a permanent consecration in the Christian, empowering
them to bear witness to Christ through activities proper to mature, responsible members
of the Church.
6. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
To understand better our practice of confirmation, it is important to trace historical
development. We see the first references to the sacrament in the Acts of the Apostles
when Peter and John pray that the Holy Spirit comes down upon the Samaritans. 8 As the
early Church grew, the sacraments of baptism and confirmation were celebrated in one
continuous rite of initiation leading up to the admission and reception of the Holy
Eucharist. This is still the current practice in the Eastern Rites of the Church.
Due to the difficulty of traveling the separation between baptism, confirmation and the
Eucharist grew after the fifth century. Infants were baptized and given communion by the
8
The Holy Bible, NRSV, Acts 8:14-17
5
priest and later the bishop would come to administer confirmation. While confirmation
was conferred at the age of discretion. Interesting to note is in France, during the mid-
1700s, it was decided that young people be confirmed only after they had received first
Eucharist. This was a shift not because of the lack of the availability of the bishop but
was rather based on sufficient instruction. Rome did not approve this practice and Leo
XIII in 1897 called for the practice to end and the celebration of confirmation to be at the
age of reason.
The displacement of confirmation within the order of Christian initiation was

unintentionally begun in 1910 when Pope Pius X lowered the age of first communion to
seven. His main concern was that the children have all the resources they need to live a
rich spiritual life in order to carry out their mission as Christians in the modern world.
Thus, the custom began of receiving First Communion as a second grader and later
receiving confirmation in middle or high school. This continues to be a recent practice in
the life of the Church.
In the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Paul VI would clearly state on the
Sacrament of Confirmation that “The faithful are born anew by baptism, strengthened by
the sacrament of confirmation, and finally are sustained by the food of eternal life in the
Eucharist. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in
increasing measure the treasures of divine life and advance towards the perfection of
charity.”9
7. RECENT CHURCH TEACHING

Confirmation at times is spoken of by some, who advocate a later age, as a way for the
young person to make a personal commitment to their faith. Taking personal
responsibility for one’s Catholic faith is something that is a habitual choice made by
grace. Faith is a theological virtue, bestowed by a loving God, which grows over time,
not something that is chosen once and for all at confirmation.
CONCLUSION
9
Paul Puthanagady, et. al., Baptism & Confirmation, 189-190.
6
I have mentioned some of the themes surrounding the sacrament of confirmation.

Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation which gives the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This
gift of the Spirit completes baptism and bestows a special strength. It enables one to be a
witness to Jesus Christ and one with the Church. It allows one to worship the Father in
spirit and truth.
Confirmation is ordered to the reception of the sacrament of the source and summit of our
lives, the holy Eucharist. Parents are called to exercise their role as the primary
evangelizers and catechists of their children. Children, who face different challenges
today, receive the strength and gifts of the Holy Spirit in confirmation. We pray that the
Holy Spirit who came down upon Mary and the apostles at Pentecost, the same Holy
Spirit that we received in our confirmation will stir up the grace of God deep within our
lives. So that the Church may be effective in her mission to participate and bring the
saving message of Jesus Christ to our world.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Holy bible. NRSV.
Catechism of the Catholic Church. 1285-1321.
Elberti, Aarturo. “Witness of Christ in the spirit, ” in Rediscovering Confirmation. Ed.

Pontificum Concilium pro Laicis. Vatican City: 2000.
Haffner, Paul. The Sacramental Mystery. Trowbridge, UK: Alba House, 1999.
Puthanagady, Paul. Et.al. Baptism & Confirmation. Bangalore: Theological Publications

in India, 2006.

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SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

1. THE CONCEPT OF SACRAMENT

2. THE NOTION OF SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION (CCC 1285-1321)

completion, strengthening, perfection or augmentation of the Holy Spirit received in

3. CONFIRMATION AS A SACRAMENT OF INITIATION

4. PREPARATION FOR THE SACRAMENT

a) Recipients of the Sacrament

iii) Conditions for receiving Confirmation: The candidates must be:

2. In the state of grace

3. Well instructed and in a position to renew the promises of baptism

4. If the candidate is to be married and the above conditions cannot be fulfilled

before the marriage, confirmation should be deferred until after marriage.6

b) The Minister of the Sacrament

1. It roots us more deeply as sons and daughters of God;

b) Gifts and Charisma of the Holy Spirit

The displacement of confirmation within the order of Christian initiation was

7. RECENT CHURCH TEACHING

I have mentioned some of the themes surrounding the sacrament of confirmation.

The Holy bible. NRSV.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. 1285-1321.

Elberti, Aarturo. “Witness of Christ in the spirit, ” in Rediscovering Confirmation. Ed.

Puthanagady, Paul. Et.al. Baptism & Confirmation. Bangalore: Theological Publications

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