In the erstwhile article, I dealt with baptism, the sacrament, which is kind of a gateway to the Church and eternal life, while in this article I would like to address the most crucial facts related to another sacrament of “Christian initiative”, or confirmation. Together we will consider the essence of this mystery. Welcome to the reading. Note: At the end of the article, there is simply a list of abbreviations utilized in this text!
Further parts of the series will be available after this LINK
1. What is confirmation?
Confirmation, as well as baptism and the Eucharist, belongs to a group of “sacrates of Christian insight”. According to Pius X, confirmation is “a sacrament given by the Holy Spirit, which puts the character of the soldier of Christ on the soul and makes us full Christians” (KPX, p. 132). Similarly, Roman Catechism is expressed in which it is written that the individual accepting this mystery "almost complete knight of Christ be begun" (KR2, p. 82). As for the name of the sacrament, or "gathering," the Church calls it so, due to the fact that "he who is already baptized, the Christ of the Bishop is anointed" (KR2, p. 81). Confirmation is besides “the completion of the grace of baptism” (KKK 1285).
2. Who set up the confirmation?
The Church's teaching clearly states that "the Lord Christ not only established this Sacrament," but besides "ordered how Christ's conduct was to be done, and what words the universal Church uses erstwhile sacrificing it" (KR2, p. 85). However, we will not find the exact minute in the Scriptures erstwhile Jesus Christ established this mystery. Christ mostly promised the Holy Spirit to the believers (cf. Jn 7:38-39) and to the apostles erstwhile he said, "And I shall ask the Father and another Comforter shall give you" (Jn 14:16). In spite of the deficiency of a circumstantial passage on the formation of this rite, the fresh Testament texts attest that the apostles performed this sacrament. Acts of the Apostles say that Peter and John in Samaria “pray” for the Christians there, that they may “receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet come upon any of them," and then "put their hands on them, and received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:15-17). Similarly, the Acts of the Apostles talk of Paul, who gave the Spirit by putting his hands on it (cf. Acts 19:6).
3. What are the consequences/fruits of the sacrament?
As I mentioned above, The Church in her teaching shows us the sacrament of confirmation as a complement to our Christian dignity. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this rite besides "brings us deeper into God's sonship," "closer united" with Jesus, "multiplies in us the gifts of the Holy Spirit," "improves our bond with the Church," and besides bestows peculiar power "to spread and defend religion by word and deed, to boldly confess the name of Christ" and courage to "never be ashamed of the Cross" (CC 1303). The fruits of the Spirit, which this mystery imparts, are "wisdom, reason, counsel, valor, skill, piety and fear of God" (KPX, p. 133).
4. Is confirmation a sacrament?
The Scriptures do not yet call confirmation of the sacrament, but they associate with this rite the grace of receiving the Holy Spirit, and so do the Fathers of the Church. However, the Church teaches dogmatically that confirmation is simply a sacrament. For example, the Lyonski II Council, in a confession prescribed for Emperor Michael Paleologist, mentions among the sacraments the rite of "collection which bishops give by laying their hands, anointing the baptized" (BF, p. 153). Then, the Concilium gathered in Florence, in the pages of a bull unifying with Armenians, clearly states that “[d]rugim sacrament is confirmation” (BF, p. 164). Finally, the Council of Trent defines that 1 who claims that the sacraments are "more or little than seven," that 1 is simply a heretic (BF, p. 199), and besides curses those who believe that "collecting the baptized is simply a solemn ceremony, not a actual and appropriate sacrament" (BF, p. 202).
5. What does Tradition say about this Sacrament?
The testimonies of the Fathers of the Church are in agreement, early Christianity knew the rite of giving the Holy Spirit. Tertullian, 1 of the top theologians of the first centuries of Christianity, has already spoken of the fact that after baptism a “blessed anointing” is obtained, and then follows the “putting on the blessed hand, which summons and invites the Holy Spirit” ("De baptismo" – PL 1, 1206). The anointing is most likely part of the rite of baptism, but the imposition of the hand is already a separate rite, or “on our” confirmation. The Cyprian of Carthage powerfully points out that "a man is born, not by the imposition of his hand, erstwhile he receives the Holy Spirit, but by baptism, that he may already be born to receive the Spirit" (Letter 73:7), and elsewhere he writes that "those who are baptized in the Church are to appear before the ecclesia's rulers, that they may receive the Holy Spirit through our prayer and the insertion of their hands" (PL 3:115). besides the author of the Latin Bible translation, St. Jerome of Strydon, wrote about the fact that in the Church after baptism the bishop put his hand on fresh Christians calling on the Spirit ("Dialogus contra Luciferianos" – PL 23, 163).
6. Is confirmation essential for salvation?
The Roman Catechism, commissioned by St. Pius V, powerfully teaches that “this Sacrament is not needed so that no 1 can be saved without it” but besides “no 1 can leave it” (KR2, p. 90). The Church clearly points out that although the acceptance of this mystery is not absolutely essential for salvation, it should not be overlooked or abandoned without crucial reason.
7. Can you repeat confirmation?
The Magisterium of the Church has repeatedly ruled that the sacrament of confirmation draws on the soul a lasting character. The Holy Council of Trent, in its decree on the sacraments, defined solemnly that the heresy is the message that confirmation, baptism and ordination "does not compression character on the soul, i.e. any spiritual and indelible sign" and so "may be repeated" (BF, p. 200). Also, the Catechism of the Council of Trent, the fruit and to a large degree the summary of the Council's doctrine, tells us that confirmation of "no way can be repeated" (KR2, p. 93).
8. Is it essential to be in a state of grace to accept this sacrament worthyly?
The honour and dignity of the sacrament depends, of course, on the condition of sanctifying grace in the steward, but it is besides essential that the acceptance of the mystery is not sacrilege, the existence of the same state of soul in the host person. The catechism of the Catholic Church, a paper summarizing the Catholic doctrine published by St. John Paul II, clearly teaches that "[p] to be in a state of grace" (KKK 1310). Roman Catechism indicates that those who accept confirmation, "the greater sins which they have committed must be taken distant from their minds" (KR2, p. 91). Nevertheless, the confirmation accepted with serious sins on the conscience will be important, yet wicked.
9. What is the form of this sacrament? What is the substance of this mystery?
In the case of the form, or words, which the steward uses to give the sacrament, the substance seems rather simple. In the alleged pre-sectional rite of the Roman Church, these words, which are essential for the validity of the sacrament, according to the teaching of the Florentine Council, read: “I mark you with the sign of the cross, and I confirm you with the cross of salvation, in the name of the Father and of the boy and of the Holy Spirit” (BF, p. 164). In line with the newer Roman rite, after the reforms of Pope Paul VI, the sacrament is the sentence: “Take the mark of the gift of the Holy Spirit” (CC 1320).
As far as the substance of this rite is concerned, the substance is simply a small more complicated, due to the fact that according to the majority of the Fathers of the Church (see section 5) the act which makes the sacrament is the imposition of hands by the clergy on the receiving person. The Scriptures besides say that the apostles gave the Spirit by laying down their hands (Acts 8: 17). Most likely, at any point in the improvement of the Church, the anointing of the forehead was added to this rite. Pope Innocent I (d. 416) already writes in a letter to Decencio, Bishop of Gubbio, that confirmation takes place by anointing the forehead. He says that Presbyters are “not allowed to anoint before this oil, for it belongs to the bishops themselves erstwhile they give the Spirit of Comfort.” It besides clearly distinguishes between the anointing that takes place at the baptism, which Tertullian mentioned, and that which is given in a separate ceremony, erstwhile he states that "presbyters, if they baptize in the presence of the bishop or not" have the right to "mark with the cross of the baptized" (PL 20, 555), but consecrated only by the bishop cannot anymore. In the mediate Ages Pope Innocent III, who was famous, among others, for convening the Lateran Council IV, explained to Basel of Tarnov that "[p]anointing a forehead means putting on a hand which is called confirmation" (BF, p. 144). The Florentine Council, in the "Exsultate Deo" bull, states that the substance of the sacrament "is a crucifix made of oil meaning the purity of conscience and balm meaning the odor of good fame, blessed by the bishop," and noting that the apostles gave this secret by simply imposing their hands, he declares that "[in] the place of this imposition of hands is given in the Church of confirmation" (BF, p. 164).
10. Who is the steward of the sacrament?
The bishop of the Church is an average steward, a individual who usually gives the sacrament. Innocent I, mentioned earlier, taught that presbyters must not be granted confirmation, and that the episcopal representatives are entitled to it (see section 9). Innocent III felt the same way erstwhile he stated that this anointing "should be given only by the advanced priest, i.e. the bishop, due to the fact that only the Apostles themselves, whose successors are the bishops, are read, due to the fact that they gave the Holy Spirit by laying their hand" (BF, p. 144). The Lyon Council II besides teaches that confirmations “give bishops” (BF, p. 153). The definitive formation of the Magisterium's view of this issue was brought by the Council of Trent, who felt that the "normal steward of confirmation is not only the bishop, but any average priest," that "must be excluded from the community of the faithful" (BF, p. 203). On the another hand, however, the Florentine Concilium, which, although clearly indicated that the sacrament "[with] the average steward is the bishop" and only he "should give this anointing," besides taught that "sometimes after the dispensation of the Holy See for a justified and very urgent reason the sacrament of confirmation was given by a simple priest" (BF, p. 164). This approach is justified in the Tradition of the Church, as already Gregory I allowed Presbyters, where there were no bishops, to anoint with crosses on their foreheads (cf. PL 77, 696). The present Catechism upholds this rule and indicates that Presbyters can be extraordinary stewards erstwhile the bishop gives them specified approval if the situation so requires (cf. CCC 1313).
All Bible quotes for: “The Holy Scripture of the Old and fresh Testament in the Polish translation W. O. Jakub Uncle S. J., 3rd Edition revised, Kraków 1962”.
List of abbreviations:
BF — Breviarium Fidei, Ignacy Bokwa (ed.), Poznań 2007
PL — Patrology of Latina
KKK – Catechism of the Catholic Church
KR2 – Roman Catechism, Vol. 2, Comoros 2022
KPX – Catechism of Pius X, Sandomierz 2006
Dominic Bartsch
