Home/Stay Informed/All Diocesan Articles

All Diocesan Articles

 

 

Sacraments 101: Confirmation, Part 2

Posted on December 27, 2020 in: Sacraments 101

Sacraments 101: Confirmation, Part 2

In thinking about the Sacrament of Confirmation last month we held up St. Joan of Arc as a model for us. Her heroism as a soldier exemplified for us what Confirmation commissions us to do on the spiritual level as public witnesses of our Lord.

While Confirmation is intrinsically connected to being a public witness of Christ and His Church, we can also learn a lot more about this Sacrament by looking at the prayers and actions that take place in the Rite of Confirmation.

The Church tells us that Confirmation is conferred upon the candidate “through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand,” and through the words, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” You may notice that this two-fold formula contains both “matter” (the anointing with chrism on the forehead and the laying on of the hand), as well as “form” (the words, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”). This structure follows the same format that was introduced with the Sacrament of Baptism, namely, that there is a proper matter and a proper form for the celebration of each of the Sacraments.

The fact that Confirmation includes an anointing with chrism oil indicates its direct connection with Baptism. Not all Sacraments use Sacred Chrism in their celebration. In fact, Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders are the only Sacraments that involve an anointing with chrism. Because of this, these three Sacraments are unrepeatable, meaning that a person can only validly receive each Sacrament once.

Each one confers on the Christian an “indelible mark,” or a spiritual seal. This seal indicates that we belong totally to Christ: “It is God who…has put His seal on us and given us His Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor 1:21-22).

With this new seal, the Christian is consecrated, or set aside for a new purpose, a new role in the Church. The baptized Christian is incorporated as a member of the Body of Christ; the confirmed Christian is commissioned as a public witness to the Faith; and the ordained priest is configured to Christ as Head of the Body, in order to serve the Christian faithful (more on Holy Orders later).

That covers the “matter” for Confirmation but the form (again, the words, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”), also instructs us more deeply as to what Confirmation is.

It’s clear from the words: the Holy Spirit is the protagonist, the “main character” in Confirmation. The Holy Spirit is perhaps the person of the Holy Trinity who is spoken about the least but He plays a vital role in our lives today. We have been, after all, in the “age” of the Holy Spirit, since the day of Pentecost.

Confirmation plants the Holy Spirit deep in our hearts as Christians. Perhaps, as we begin this new year, we can all make a renewed effort to get more deeply acquainted with the Holy Spirit, who was poured into our hearts in a new and fuller way at Confirmation.

By Father Michael Bovino


Most Viewed Articles of the Last 30 Days

HtmlNoArticles

Annual Fundraiser

Help Us Spread the Word with Your Gift

Your 100% tax deductible gift will help us continue to bring the gospel message and the news of the diocese to the faithful throughout eastern Connecticut and the world. Your generosity helps defray the production costs of our print, online, and email newsletter editions of the Four County Catholic, as well as enhancing our Social Media presence. 
 

For those who would rather mail their gift click here.

 
Signup for Weekly Newsletter


    Recently Added Galleries
    Click to view album: Rite of Election
    Click to view album: Mass of Ordination  for Fr. Jacob Ramos
    Click to view album: Mass of Ordination for Father Lawrence Barile
    Click to view album: Palm Sunday
    Latest Articles
    Did St. Francis really tame a savage wolf? A look at the legend
    Parish Mission: The Prodigal Son
    Witness to Life
    Register Today - Legion of Mary, Norwich Curia, Day of Recollection
    We Can Help. Promise to Protect-Pledge to Heal
    A Prayerful Protest-40 Days for Life Begins
    Ride to Rebuild 2023 Visits St. Patrick School Students in Norwich
    A Christmas Message in September: How ‘Good King Wenceslas’ Inspired His People to Follow God

    Annual Catholic Appeal

    ACA DONATE

    English

     

    Español

     

    Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich
    201 Broadway
    Norwich, CT 06360-4328
    Phone: 860-887-9294