The Effects Of Confirmation

• 8 years ago

By DON FIER

The essential rite of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Western Church, as we saw last week, consists in “anointing the forehead of the baptized with sacred chrism . . . , together with the laying on of the minister’s hand and the words: ‘Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 1320).

The oil of chrism, a mixture of olive oil and balsam, is consecrated by the diocesan bishop each year on Holy Thursday. To underscore the intimate connection of Confirmation with the whole of Christian initiation, it is usually conferred during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at which Holy Communion is received and is preceded by the renewal of baptismal promises. The sacrament’s ordinary minister is the bishop.

A different tradition has emerged in the Eastern Church. The three sacraments of initiation — Baptism, Confirmation (Chrismation), and the Eucharist — are administered together during infancy, with the parish priest as the ordinary minister. Ecclesial communion with the bishop is maintained in that the oil of chrism (myron) used for anointing must be consecrated by him; in some Eastern traditions, “this consecration is even reserved to the patriarch” (CCC, n. 1297).

A further difference is that the minister of the sacrament in the Eastern Church also anoints the “forehead, eyes, nose, ears, lips, chest, back, hands, and feet,” each time pronouncing the formula: “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, n. 1300).

The Catechism now examines the manifold effects bestowed upon recipients of Confirmation. It begins its treatment by describing the primary effect as “the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost” (CCC, n. 1302). As noted in an earlier column, the Sacrament of Confirmation “is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace” (CCC, n. 1285).

As such, it “brings an increase and deepening” of the graces first received when a person was “born anew” in the Sacrament of Baptism (cf. CCC, n. 1303).

More specifically, as summarized by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, through Confirmation the Holy Spirit: 1) deepens our sense of adoption by God; 2) joins us more firmly to Jesus Christ; 3) increases within us the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; 4) makes our union with the Church more perfect; and 5) provides a special strength of character that enables us to spread and defend our faith as witnesses of Christ and never to be ashamed of the cross (cf. The Faith, p. 116).

Like Baptism, the Sacrament of Confirmation “imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the ‘character,’ which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness” (CCC, n. 1304).

As such, it can be received once and only once. The common priesthood that is bestowed on the faithful at Baptism is perfected by the permanent character received at Confirmation. “He who is confirmed receives the power of publicly confessing his faith by words, as it were ex officio” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae [STh] III, Q. 72, art. 5, ad 2).

It is perhaps the increase in strength of character, asserts Fr. Hardon, which “best synthesizes all the effects of Confirmation” (Basic Catholic Catechism Course, p. 129). Indeed, the ability to unite ourselves with the sufferings and death of Christ and fearlessly labor for the salvation of souls and the richness of the Mystical Body of Christ “requires a strength of character which only the Holy Spirit can supply” (ibid.).

It is for this reason that Confirmation is sometimes referred to as the sacrament of martyrdom. Except for the supernatural assistance of the Holy Spirit, the heroic witness of so many martyrs over the centuries which continues to this very day would be inexplicable.

To quote Fr. Hardon from yet another source, the special sacramental grace of Confirmation “brings to perfection the supernatural life infused at Baptism by giving the power to withstand opposition from within, which is human respect and fear, and from without, which is physical or psychological coercion to deny or compromise what the faith demands. The Church’s own definition of the effects of Confirmation brings out both aspects in terms of the ritual being performed” (The Catholic Catechism [TCC], p. 519). The Church’s definition to which Fr. Hardon refers is specified in the Decree for the Armenians from the 1439 Council of Florence:

“The effect of this sacrament, because in it the Holy Spirit is given for strength, was thus given to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, so that the Christian might boldly confess the name of Christ. The one to be confirmed, therefore, must be anointed on the forehead, which is the seat of reverence, so that he may not be ashamed to confess the name of Christ and especially His Cross, which is indeed a ‘stumbling-block to the Jews and unto the Gentiles foolishness’ [cf. 1 Cor. 1:23] according to the Apostle; for which reason one is signed with the sign of the Cross” (Denzinger, Enchiridion Symbolorum, n. 1319).

An outpouring of the “seven gifts of the Holy Spirit” in Confirmation is perhaps one of the most commonly known effects attributed to the sacrament. The Catechism recalls a text from St. Ambrose to introduce these marvelous gifts:

“Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God’s presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts” (De Mysteriis, 7, 42; as cited in CCC, n. 1303).

As discussed much earlier in this series when we covered Article 8 of the Creed (“I believe in the Holy Spirit”), these supernatural gifts are initially given at Baptism and then strengthened or received more fully at Confirmation (see volume 147, n. 20; May 15, 2014). As the Catechism teaches, they consist of “wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David” (CCC, n. 1831).

Four of these gifts (wisdom, understanding, counsel, and knowledge) assist our intellects in knowing God and the truths of the Catholic faith more clearly while the other three (fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord) assist our will by providing the strength to love God more ardently.

The biblical origin of the seven gifts comes from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah, who foretold that the Anointed One to come would possess them in their fullness: “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2).

Note, however, that only six gifts are listed in this RSV translation. How can this be reconciled? As explained by Scripture scholar Fr. John Paul Echert:

“In both the ancient Vulgate and Greek version of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint, the number of gifts enumerated is seven. In ancient Hebrew manuscripts, however, only six gifts are listed. Since most modern versions are based on ancient Hebrew, such English translations will include only six separate gifts as well (as in the RSV translation cited above). Seven is a biblical number of perfection, and is the preferred reading of this prophetic text, as confirmed by the Church Fathers and Church tradition” (The Catholic Servant, volume XIX, n. VI, June 2013).

As further clarified in The Navarre Bible — Major Prophets, the gift of fear is divided into two in the Greek manuscripts: piety and fear of the Lord (cf. p. 89).

Before considering the “seven gifts of the Holy Spirit” individually, it would be good to reflect briefly on their general necessity in the spiritual life. “The moral life of Christians,” teaches the Catechism, “is sustained by the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are permanent dispositions which make man docile in following the promptings of the Holy Spirit….They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations” (CCC, nn. 1830, 1831).

The natural and infused supernatural virtues (theological and moral), in and of themselves, are not sufficient to lead man safely and with ease to his supernatural end. “They do not, by themselves,” explains Fr. Hardon, “so perfect a man on the road to heaven that he has no further need of being moved by the yet higher prompting of the Holy Spirit” (TCC, p. 200).

As St. Thomas expounds, “In matters directed to the supernatural end, . . . actuated by the theological virtues, the motion of reason does not suffice, unless it receives in addition the prompting or motion of the Holy Ghost” (STh I-II, Q. 68, art. 2). It is precisely the gifts of the Holy Spirit that provide the help we need to safely reach our final end.

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(Don Fier serves on the board of directors for The Catholic Servant, a Minneapolis-based monthly publication. He and his wife are the parents of seven children. Fier is a 2009 graduate of Ave Maria University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology. He is doing research for writing a definitive biography of Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)