Sacrament of Confirmation

Image: Diocese of Fort Worth.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit . . .” (Acts 2:4).

What role does the Holy Spirit play in the Sacrament of Confirmation?

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit completes the grace of baptism and offers the newly confirmed strength as a true witness of Christ. Thus, the newly confirmed is “more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (cf. CCC, 1285). Thus, the Holy Spirit completes what was begun at baptism.

Would it be better to confirm people when they are adults and can make their own choices?

Canon Law states that, except when there is a danger of death, anyone who is baptized and has the use of reason, is properly instructed and disposed, and is able to renew their baptismal commitment is able to be confirmed. The same code states that the proper age for reception of the sacrament is at the age of reason, unless the episcopal conference decides differently (cf. CIC, can. 890).

Perhaps the requirement that one be “properly disposed” is the key to when the sacraments is received. Proper disposition refers to the recipient’s willingness to cooperate with the gifts of the sacrament, which can happen an almost any age. But nowhere is the sacrament described as a ratification of the recipient’s choice or decision about the faith. Rather, it is the gifts of the Spirit offered to give the recipient the courage and strength to witness and serve—two responsibilities implied in baptism—which are the grace and focus of the sacrament.

Thus, it is important not to view the Sacrament of Confirmation as a rite of passage, a ratification of a personal choice, or a graduation from religious instruction. Rather, it is to be viewed, as are all of the sacraments, as a distinctive working of God in a person’s life.

How does this sacrament benefit us in our adult lives as Catholics?

The Sacrament of Confirmation helps a person remain faithful to his or her baptismal commitment to witness to Christ and to serve others. The gifts of the Holy Spirit associated with Confirmation are strengths (or virtues) that Christian living requires if it is to be fruitful and complete. Thus wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord are divine aids to Christian living without which fulfilling one’s baptismal calling would be far more difficult, if not impossible.

Perhaps we don’t recognize these qualities as gifts of strength because they have become a part of our Christian living and appear quite natural—a fact that affirms how closely the Holy Spirit works with us.

Do you have a question for Fr. Don? Email him at: Letters@FranciscanMedia.org