What is the Sacrament of Confirmation?
In daily life, a confirmation is the reiteration of something that has already occurred. "Just confirming we're still on for lunch tomorrow?" or "This is a confirmation that your order has been processed." This begs the question: What is it that the sacrament of confirmation is confirming exactly?
Most importantly, the sacrament of confirmation is the confirming of all that happened in the sacrament of baptism. The Catechism tells us, "the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace" (CCC 1285). The confirmation candidate is confirming his or her own "I do" to the baptismal promises that were likely originally professed by parents and godparents, renouncing sin and announcing their belief in all that the Church teaches. The Lord is also confirming His "I do," particularly to the question "Do you take this person to be your beloved child, chosen and adopted into the family of the church?"
Institution of Confirmation
Each of the seven sacraments was instituted by Christ, some more explicitly than others. Many believe that Christ instituted the sacrament of confirmation at Pentecost. While Pentecost was a tremendous filling of the Apostles with the Holy Spirit and is a great image of what happens during the sacrament of confirmation, we can trace the institution of the sacrament all the way back to the baptism of Christ.
In Matthew 3:16, the same Holy Spirit who was moving over the waters at creation and overshadowing Mary at the Annunciation is seen descending upon Jesus like a dove. Jesus, as the second person of the Trinity, didn't need to be filled with the Holy Spirit—they were already one. Just as His baptism wasn't necessary for the cleansing of His own sin but as a model for us to follow, the confirmation of Christ at the Jordan was not His first encounter with the Holy Spirit, but rather His invitation to us to participate in the life of the Trinity.
The Confirmation Liturgy
The sacrament of confirmation is typically conferred by the local bishop, indicating the recipient's communion not just with their local church but with the Church universal as an active, fully initiated member of the body of Christ. The presiding bishop asks all candidates for confirmation to profess their faith and renew their baptismal promises. He then extends his hands over them and prays that they may receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, especially the seven gifts listed in the book of Isaiah. The candidate's forehead is anointed with oil while the bishop or priest says, "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit," and then extends a sign of peace.
Effects of Confirmation
"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone."
—1 Corinthians 12:4-6
The sacrament of confirmation stirs up and strengthens the many gifts already given at baptism. The expression of these gifts will vary based on the unique circumstances of the individual Christian, but will be ordered toward their own sanctification as well as the upbuilding and growth of the Church. Confirmation "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" (CCC 1303).
A Personal Reflection
My hope for the eighth-graders at OLP each year is that they experience their graduation from OLP school as a celebration of all they have already accomplished, and the reception of the sacrament as the confirmation of all the Lord still wishes to do in and through them throughout their lives.
Jocelyn Johnson
Director of Youth Ministry
