By DON FIER
Confirmation, divinely instituted by Christ Himself, is the sacrament which effects in the Christian exactly what its name implies: It makes firm or strengthens the gifts of grace that were first received in Baptism. As suggested by Fr. Paul Haffner in The Sacramental Mystery (TSM), one might say that Confirmation completes Baptism as the mystery of Pentecost completes or “puts a seal on the Paschal Mystery” (p. 71).
In his 1947 encyclical “On the Mystical Body of Christ,” Pope Pius XII emphasized the purpose and importance of Confirmation by stating: “By the chrism of Confirmation, the faithful are given added strength to protect and defend the Church, their Mother, and the faith she has given them” (Mystici Corporis, n. 18).
Beginning in apostolic times, as we saw last week, the early Church generally conferred Baptism and Confirmation in a single celebration, forming, as it were, a “double sacrament” (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], n. 1290). Through the laying on of hands (the original sign of Confirmation), the apostles imparted to the newly baptized “the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism” (CCC, n. 1288).
As the number of Christians multiplied and the territories which they inhabited greatly expanded, it was no longer possible for bishops (as successors of the apostles) to be present to administer both sacraments.
Consequently, two traditions emerged in the early centuries of the Church with regard to how and when baptized Christians received Confirmation. In the Latin Church, to emphasize “the communion of the new Christian with the bishop” (CCC, n. 1292), conferral of Baptism and Confirmation was separated: The parish priest baptizes shortly after birth and the bishop ordinarily confirms at a later date after the baptized person has reached the age of discretion.
The Eastern Church, however, in her desire to retain a “greater emphasis to the unity of Christian initiation” (ibid.), continues to this day to confer upon infants all three sacraments of initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist — in a single ceremony. Connection to the bishop is maintained in that the oil used to anoint confirmands must be consecrated by him.
The Catechism now considers the sacramental signs of Confirmation. As is the case for each of the seven sacraments, the proper matter and form must be present for valid administration. Yet, as Fr. Haffner observes, “the matter for Confirmation has undergone an historical evolution in the various rites of the East and West” (TSM, p. 77). As mentioned earlier, the original sign for Confirmation — as indicated in Scripture — is the laying on of hands (see Acts 8:17; 19:6; Heb. 6:2). But very early in the Church’s life, “the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands” (CCC, n. 1289).
What is signified by these two signs? “In its secular roots,” explains Bert Ghezzi, “laying on of hands indicated the bestowal of an office or responsibility on someone. It authorized a person who was entering a new state of life or who was faced with new duties” (Living the Sacraments: Grace Into Action, p. 54).
Is this not exactly what happens in a spiritual sense in the Sacrament of Confirmation? With the laying on of hands by the bishop, a new conferral of the Holy Spirit and His gifts is signaled; a strengthening takes place which enables the recipient to continue Christ’s ministry, to be His witness in an ever more powerful way in his daily life.
Anointing with oil, likewise, carries with it rich symbolism: Oil is a sign of abundance and joy; it cleanses and limbers; it is a sign of healing, since it is soothing to bruises and wounds; it makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength (cf. CCC, n. 1293). All of these characteristics are spiritually signified by anointing with the oil of chrism.
“By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off ‘the aroma of Christ’ (2 Cor. 2:15)” (CCC, n. 1294).
Moreover, the anointing with chrism “highlights the name ‘Christian,’ which means ‘anointed’ and derives from that of Christ himself whom God ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 10:38)” (CCC, n. 1289).
What are the special characteristics of chrism? It is one of three holy oils blessed by the bishop each year when he offers his Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday (the other two oils are the “oil of catechumens” and the “oil of the sick”). Ordinarily composed of pure olive oil, chrism has the special characteristic of being mixed with a small amount of balm.
“Balm is a fragrant substance procured from the balsam tree. In the holy chrism it symbolizes the ‘sweet odor’ of virtue; it tells of the spiritual fragrance, the attractiveness that should characterize the life of him who puts his Confirmation graces to work” (Leo Trese, The Faith Explained, p. 342). The anointing with chrism by the minister of Confirmation signifies the full diffusion of grace.
“By this anointing [with chrism] the confirmand receives the ‘mark,’ the seal of the Holy Spirit” (CCC, n. 1295). St. Paul speaks of the seal of the Holy Spirit in a letter to the Corinthians: “He has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 1:22). This seal of the Holy Spirit “marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service forever, [and] the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial” (CCC, n. 1296).
What is the “form” of the Sacrament of Confirmation? In the Latin Church, it consists in the saying of the words: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” As solemnly decreed by Blessed Paul VI in his 1971 apostolic constitution Divinae consortium naturae: “The Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: ‘Accipe Signaculum Doni Spiritus Sancti’.”
Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, thus summarizes the requirements for Confirmation as follows: “The essence of the Sacrament of Confirmation is the matter (the laying on of hands and the anointing with chrism) and the form (‘Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit’). Without these elements, the Sacrament of Confirmation is not conferred” (Basic Catholic Catechism Course, p. 128).
A Vivid Reminder
Let us now briefly examine the Rite of Confirmation when it is separated from Baptism, as is typically the case in the Western Church. Except in extraordinary circumstances, the sacrament’s conferral takes place during the celebration of Mass. After the Gospel, the candidates for Confirmation are presented to the presiding bishop (or extraordinary minister to whom the faculty has been granted). The candidates formally renew their baptismal promises (which, in most cases, were made on their behalf by parents and godparents when they were infants) and make a profession of faith.
Important to note is that the renewal of baptismal promises shortly before conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the context of celebrating Mass and receiving Holy Communion is a vivid reminder to the faithful of “the intimate connection which this sacrament has with the whole of Christian initiation” (Vatican Council II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 71).
At this point, the bishop extends his hands over the whole group to be confirmed (a gesture which has signified the gift of the Spirit since apostolic times) and invokes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the following words:
“All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord” (Ordo Confirmationis, n. 25; as cited in CCC, n. 1299).
It is at this time in the ceremony that “the essential rite of the sacrament” (CCC, n. 1300) occurs. The candidates individually approach the bishop with their sponsor behind them, and the sponsor places his or her right hand on the shoulder of the confirmand. The bishop dips his right thumb into the sacred chrism and then anoints the candidate by making the Sign of the Cross on his or her forehead while saying, “<Name>, be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” This signifies the reality of what is taking place: The Holy Spirit is being received as surely as He was by the apostles on that first Pentecost Sunday.
Many wonderful supernatural effects are imparted through fruitful reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation, manifold gifts and fruits that can be of great spiritual benefit to both the individual and the ecclesial community at large. We will pick up next week by specifying and examining these effects and trying to understand how they can be most efficaciously utilized.
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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.)
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