Denver's Archbishop Aquila restores sacraments to original order [CNA]

[pnewton]

. The same way with the sacrament. A candidate doesn’t confirm their belief in Church teaching, but rather the Church (through Her bishops) confirms them. Confirmation completes and perfect Baptism. It is not about confirming (or affirming) our belief.

From the Catechism:

1319 A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.

 

[Tigg]

That is interesting. Are there validly ordained Catholic bishops whom you do not consider “truly anointed”?

Of course not. Do you like the term “inspired by the Spirit” better?

 

[Usige]

From the Catechism:

1319 A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.

The key there is “who has attained the age of reason”. First this intimates that the age of reason is not an absolute requirement. The Rite of Confirmation for a person in danger of death makes provision for confirming a child before the age of reason. The primary reason for repeating baptismal promises/profession of faith is to provide the linkage between Confirmation and Baptism that was lost when the two parts of the double sacrament were separated. The rest is along the lines of any other sacrament for adults in that, once beyond the age or reason, the person must manifest the desire to receive the sacrament of their own free will.

The bare minimum for Confirmation would appear to be to anoint them with a cross on the forehead while saying:

Name, be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is what is listed as being necessary for extreme circumstances for persons in danger of death. Not saying we should go with the minimum, but rather that a profession of faith is not essential to the sacrament of Confirmation.

 

[TexCatholic4JMJ]

When I was born, I was baptized a few weeks later, but then I was taken to Mexico City
to “meet” my grandparents where I was confirmed. Is it why when I questioned anything
about my faith, I found the answers satisfying and worthy of following? Or when I saw a
poor person when I was just a child, I would look for something to give them, usually even
if it left me without? Or when I received the Holy Eucharist for the first time, the memory
is forever etched in my mind and brought up again as I receive again and again? Or why it
saddens me so deeply when others so callously go to other churches to be “fed” or to be
“born again”?
I never attributed my early confirmation to the graces I have had throughout my life that have
kept me Catholic until now. I truly believe those unique graces early on are the answer. I
felt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the salvation through my Jesus and the awesome
creations of my Father as long as I can remember. I know the blessings of being born to
Catholic parents, grandparents and their education throughout is part of it, but I see others
who had the same, except for the infant Confirmation, and their journeys have been different.

So I pray that this restoration will inspire and keep more kids faithful and joyful Catholics.

 

[Usige]

Hello Usige. Thank you for the explanation. However, regarding the federal judge analogy: if a judge has no knowledge of the law, and if asked questions about law, etc. could not provide any answers, would congress confirm them? I would think they wouldn’t. In baptism, the god parents vouch for the child and commit to helping education the child in the faith (along with the parents and the rest of the community). But what meaning does confirmation have when done at baptism? What does it add?

Ishii

Well, like all analogies that is where this one breaks down. I was primarily trying to establish that confirmation is something done to someone, not something they do for themselves.

In Baptism we are reborn and claimed for Christ. It opens us to the indwelling of grace. In Confirmation we are sealed in our mission to live out the Gospel and proclaim it. Confirmation completes or perfects what is started in Baptism. The graces received in Confirmation strengthens us to proclaim the Gospel. We receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us in that mission. So when Baptism and Confirmation (aka Chrismation) are done together as infants, those gifts and graces are received at the same time. Having those graces before entering middle school would likely help many kids with fighting against secular indoctrination.

It’s very important to remember that Baptism and Confirmation are two completely separate sacraments. Confirmation is not just restating what we could not as children at baptism. This is very apparent in cases like mine. I was baptism in another Christian community when I was 16. If Confirmation was simply an adult affirmation of baptismal promises then why would I have been Confirmed when I became Catholic at 35? It was to complete what was started at Baptism and to strengthen me with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

[Brendan]

But what meaning does confirmation have when done at baptism? What does it add?

Ishii

Look at what happened to the Apostles, in fact, all the disciples, at Pentecost.

They were not instructed in the multitude of foreign languages that they began to preach in.

So what did the Gift of the Holy Spirt do to them? What did it add?

The Confirmation is that the of the Faith that one receives in Baptism. Faith is a Supernatural Virtue, is NOT something that we do, but what we are EMPOWERED to do.

We can do nothing without Grace, we cannot even come to know God or how to serve Him without Grace. So a child is best helped on their journey to God when we give them EVERY Grace which God offers.

 

[Cider]

Hello Usige. Thank you for the explanation. However, regarding the federal judge analogy: if a judge has no knowledge of the law, and if asked questions about law, etc. could not provide any answers, would congress confirm them? I would think they wouldn’t. In baptism, the god parents vouch for the child and commit to helping education the child in the faith (along with the parents and the rest of the community). But what meaning does confirmation have when done at baptism? What does it add?

Ishii

CCC

1290 In the first centuries Confirmation generally comprised one single celebration with Baptism, forming with it a “double sacrament,” according to the expression of St. Cyprian. Among other reasons, the multiplication of infant baptisms all through the year, the increase of rural parishes, and the growth of dioceses often prevented the bishop from being present at all baptismal celebrations. In the West the desire to reserve the completion of Baptism to the bishop caused the temporal separation of the two sacraments. the East has kept them united, so that Confirmation is conferred by the priest who baptizes. But he can do so only with the “myron” consecrated by a bishop.100

1295 By this anointing the confirmand receives the “mark,” the seal of the Holy Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an oblect.

1296 Christ himself declared that he was marked with his Father’s seal.107 Christians are also marked with a seal: "It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."108 This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial.109

The celebration of Confirmation

1297 The consecration of the sacred chrism is an important action that precedes the celebration of Confirmation, but is in a certain way a part of it. It is the bishop who, in the course of the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, consecrates the sacred chrism for his whole diocese. In some Eastern Churches this consecration is even reserved to the patriarch:

The Syriac liturgy of Antioch expresses the epiclesis for the consecration of the sacred chrism (myron) in this way: “[Father . . . send your Holy Spirit] on us and on this oil which is before us and consecrate it, so that it may be for all who are anointed and marked with it holy myron, priestly myron, royal myron, anointing with gladness, clothing with light, a cloak of salvation, a spiritual gift, the sanctification of souls and bodies, imperishable happiness, the indelible seal, a buckler of faith, and a fearsome helmet against all the works of the adversary.”

1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.

1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

• it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, “Abba! Father!”;115
• it unites us more firmly to Christ;
• it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
• it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;116
• it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:117

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.118

1304 Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too 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.119

1306 Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation.121 Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time,"122 for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete.

1308 Although Confirmation is sometimes called the “sacrament of Christian maturity,” we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need “ratification” to become effective.

 

[KCT]

I taught confirmation 2 to high school students for four years. The problem with today’s youth is that their parents are not catechizing them at all. Most do not even know the basic prayers much less their faith. How exactly are catechists supposed to correct everything and prepare them for confirmation? If the parents are not taking their responsibility seriously then the children need the sacrament early in their lives. This will increase the chance that the fullness of the Holy Spirit will be at work in their lives.

We need to stop treating kids as if they’re orphans.

familyformation.net

 

[pnewton]

The key there is “who has attained the age of reason”. First this intimates that the age of reason is not an absolute requirement. .

But for such a one, there is also something that they “do”. This is why I believe that for such people, which is most all, the Sacrament involves something they do, and something done to them.

 

[dochawk]

How do the Eastern Catholics fit in this, as I understand it infants are baptized and confirmed together like the Orthodox churches do.

Start with what Cider noted.

In the West, just as the East, all three were originally together. In time, Confirmation was separated and reserved to the bishop specifically to reinforce his authority; it was a matter of discipline, not theology.

Moving Communion was a side effect of another disciplinary issue. A heresy arose claiming that Communion was not complete unless received under both species–which was the universal norm at the time. The cup was then withheld to flush them out, as they wouldn’t receive under a single species.

This had the collateral effect of making infant Communion jmpossible.

An infant received (and today receives) only the wine. Communion simply had to wait until the child was older without the host.

The entire bit about the age of reason is a later development to explain the practice that evolved for practical reasons.

(such things are not rare: the western altar rail and eastern iconostasis have a common origin–a low barrier to keep the animals people brought with them out of the Holy Place! And there are plenty more of these.)

hawk