Confirmation and the state of grace/mortal sin

[LivingForJesus]

I had my confirmation during the 7th grade. The thing is, I don’t remember whether or not I was in a state of grace because back then Catholicism didn’t mean much to me. Was my confirmation valid if I was not in a state of grace?

 

[Mtatum1958]

As long as the minister and the person being confirmed intend to do what the Church does in this sacrament, the prescribed anointing took place, and the prescribed words were said, the sacrament was received validly.

You may not receive the full graces until you were once again in a state of gra.

 

[Vico]

If Catholicism didn’t mean much to you was "confirmation " not a charade?
Why do we confirm people who are not confirming anything? I think grade 7 is too young to understand what is being confirmed. This is not directed at you since I’m sure it was your parents who put you there. I remember going to “confirmation classes” with about 40 other young people. Virtually none of them attend church decades later. The indoctrination was all over our heads. Its too young.

Confirmation for Byzantine Catholics (and other eastern Catholics) is given to infants along with baptism and Holy Communion. It emphasizes the action of the Holy Spirit which occurs along with physical and mental development.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

If Catholicism didn’t mean much to you was "confirmation " not a charade?
Why do we confirm people who are not confirming anything? I think grade 7 is too young to understand what is being confirmed.

The purpose of confirmation is not to “understand what is being confirmed”. The purpose of confirmation is to seal you with the Holy Spirit thus completing your baptism. In many places and traditions, confirmation occurs before the age of reason.

There is a recent thread that covers this issue.

 

[1ke]

Was my confirmation valid if I was not in a state of grace?

Yes.

The validity of your confirmation is not dependent upon whether or not you were in a state of grace.

 

[1ke]

If Catholicism didn’t mean much to you was "confirmation " not a charade?

No. Confirmation confirms baptism and gives us sanctifying grace. Babies can be confirmed, it doesn’t “mean anything” to them either.

Why do we confirm people who are not confirming anything?

Because grace is a free gift.

And in confirmation, it is the bishop who does the confirming and what is confirmed is the person’s baptism. It is not the confirmand who does the confirming.

I think grade 7 is too young to understand what is being confirmed

Babies are confirmed, remember. And babies are baptized. They are not “too young” for sanctifying grace.

 

[KevinK]

You are wrong about babies.
Following recognition by the Holy See, the [USCCB] has decreed that the age for conferring the sacrament of confirmation in the Latin rite dioceses of the United States will be between “the age of discretion [‘considered to be about age seven’] and about sixteen years of age.’” (www.usccb.org)

 

[1ke]

You are wrong about babies

I am not wrong about babies.

Babies are confirmed in all Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, and all Orthodox Churches.

The Church is not just the Latin Rite, where the bishop retains confirmation to himself.

I did not say babies are confirmed in the Latin Rite. Although they certainly are when in danger of death.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Amen.

Some Dioceses are moving to restored order of the Sacraments. It cannot happen soon enough for me!

 

[Irishmom2]

You are making a lot of uncharitable judgements in your post.
You made a comment that the OP’s confirmation was a charade? I don’t believe that is what he said. You are burdening his post with things he never said.

I made my confirmation when I was in 6th grade. The Church chose that age, not my parents, so you can just drop that thinking from your future arguments.

Just because the people you made your confirmation don’t go to church anymore (though I myself don’t keep track of who attends mass or not from my class) doesn’t mean they weren’t capable of understanding confirmation at the time. You can only speak for yourself. They may have other reasons on their faith journey why they fail to attend mass.

By the way, confirmation is not indoctrination.