MERGED: What's the point of Confirmation?/what are its benefits?

[TheAdvocate]

Remember that God can work outside of the Sacraments. Here is the Catechism of the Council of Trent’s distinguishing between Confirmation and Baptism:

Confirmation is Distinct from Baptism

Although said by Melchiades to have a most intimate connection with Baptism, Confirmation is still not to be regarded as the same, but as a very different Sacrament; for the variety of the grace which each of the Sacraments confers, and of the sensible sign employed to signify that grace, evidently render them distinct and different Sacraments.

Since, then, by the grace of Baptism we are begotten unto newness of life, whereas by that of Confirmation we grow to full maturity, having put away the things of a child, we can sufficiently understand that the same difference that exists in the natural life between birth and growth exists also between Baptism, which regenerates, and Confirmation, by virtue of which growth and perfect spiritual strength are imparted to the faithful.

Besides, as there should be a new and distinct kind of Sacrament when the soul has to encounter any new difficulty, it may easily be perceived that as we require the grace of Baptism to form the mind unto faith, so is it also of the utmost advantage that the souls of the faithful be strengthened by a different grace, to the end that they be deterred by no danger, or fear of pains, tortures or death, from the confession of the true faith. This, then, being accomplished by the sacred chrism of Confirmation, it is hence clearly inferred, that the nature of this Sacrament is different from Baptism.

Hence Pope Melchiades accurately evolves the difference between them, writing as follows: In Baptism man is enlisted into the service, in Confirmation he is equipped for battle; at the baptismal font the Holy Ghost imparts fullness to accomplish innocence, but in Confirmation he ministers perfection to grace; in Baptism we are regenerated unto life, after Baptism we are fortified for the combat; in Baptism we are cleansed, after Baptism we are strengthened; regeneration of itself saves those who receive Baptism in time of peace, Confirmation arms and makes ready for conflicts.

These are truths not only already recorded by other Councils, but specially defined by the holy Council of Trent; so that we are therefore no longer at liberty not only to think otherwise, but even to entertain the least doubt concerning them.

So, just curious…what do you think of the Eastern Churches’ practice of infant Confirmation?

 

[Zekariya]

So, just curious…what do you think of the Eastern Churches’ practice of infant Confirmation?

I believe that it is the practice of the undivided Church from the time of the Apostles.

 

[Vico]

The conferral of both sacraments went way beyond the Apostolic age, and I seriously doubt persecution was a factor at all. So a teenager at 14 does not have the seven gifts of the Spirit, but then bam as a 15 year old he or she suddenly does. And for some reason when we receive the Spirit in Baptism, the 7 gifts don’t come along with it.

We do receive sanctifying grace at baptism and the other six sacraments when properly disposed. Each reception of sanctifying grace includes the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Modern Catholic Dictionary has (for Grace) that
“Grace is the supernatural gift that God, of his free benevolence, bestows on rational creatures for their eternal salvation. The gifts of grace are essentially supernatural. They surpass the being, powers, and claims of created nature, namely sanctifying grace, the infused virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and actual grace.”

Sanctifying Grace - … sanctifying grace belongs to the whole soul, mind, will, and affections. It is called sanctifying grace because it makes holy those who possess the gift by giving them a participation in the divine life.

**Infused Virtue - **A good habit of the mind or will given to the soul by God, and not acquired by the action of a human being. The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are always infused; the moral virtues are both acquired and infused.

**Moral Virtue **- A good habit of the will whose immediate object is one of the means by which our final destiny is attained.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit - The seven forms of supernatural initiative conferred with the reception of sanctifying grace. … The gifts are wisdom (sapientia), understanding (intellectus), knowledge (scientia), fortitude or courage (fortitudo), counsel (consilium), piety or love (pietas), and fear of the Lord (timor Domini).

Actual Grace - Temporary supernatural intervention by God to enlighten the mind or strengthen the will to perform supernatural actions that lead to heaven. Actual grace is therefore a transient divine assistance to enable man to obtain, retain, or grow in supernatural grace and the life of God.

therealpresence.org/dictionary/gdict.htm

 

[Zekariya]

A Byzantine explanation Confirmation (aka Chrismation) by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky in his book, Orthodox Dogmatic Theology:

The Mystery of Chrismation is performed usually immediately after the Mystery of Baptism, comprising together with it a single church rite. The performer of the Mystery, the bishop or priest, “anoints the one who has been baptized with Holy Myrrh, making the sign of the Cross on the brow and eyes, the nostrils, the lips, both ears, the breast, and the hands and feet” (from the Book of Needs); while signing each part of the body he pronounces the words, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This Mystery is also performed on those who are united to the Church from heretical communities as one of the means of their being united to the Church. The words by which the Mystery is performed, “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit,” indicate its significance and effect. It is a) the culminating act of being united to the Church, the confirmation or seal of union; and b) the seal of the grace-given powers which are bestowed in it for strengthening and growth in spiritual life.

St. Cyprian writes, “Those baptized in the Church are sealed by the seal of the Lord after the example of the baptized Samaritans who were received by the Apostles Peter and John through laying on of hands and prayer (Acts 8:14-17). That which was lacking in them, Peter and John accomplished . . . Thus is it also with us . . . They are made perfect by the seal of the Lord.” In other Fathers of the Church also, Chrismation is called a “seal” (Clement of Alexandria, Cyril of Jerusalem), “the spiritual seal” (Ambrose of Milan), “the seal of eternal life” (Leo the Great), “the confirmation” (The Apostolic Constitutions), “the perfection” or “culmination” (Clement of Alexandria, Ambrose). St. Ephraim the Syrian writes: “By the seal of the Holy Spirit are sealed all the entrances into your soul; by the seal of the anointing all your members are sealed.” St. Basil the Great asks: “How will your angel dispute over you, how will he seize you from the enemy, if he does not know the seal? . . . Or do you not know that the destroyer passed over the houses of those who were sealed, and killed the first-born in the houses of those who were unsealed? An unsealed treasure is easily stolen by thieves; an unmarked sheep may safely be taken away.”

This Mystery is likewise called the “gift of the Spirit” (St. Isidore of Pelusium), “the mystery of the Spirit” (Tertullian and Hilarion), “the symbol of the Spirit” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem). St. Cyprian testifies that the ancients, speaking of the words of the Lord concerning the birth by water and the Spirit, understood the birth by water to be Baptism in the strict sense, and the birth by the Spirit to be Chrismation.

You can read the whole chapter on Confirmation here: intratext.com/IXT/ENG0824/__P21.HTM

 

[billcu1]

You’re supposed to use its benefits by discerning the spiritual gifts you are given through the Sacrament and then putting them to work. These gifts are given in a special way through Confirmation. You can learn more about them here: Spiritual Gifts
Spiritual Gifts are free graces gifted to members of the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit. They are innumerable, powerful and tailor-made for everyone so that he/she can help to build the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. These gifts or charisms not only build up the Church as the Body of Christ but also affect our families, communities and the world around us. These gifts are instruments which we must learn to recognize for the common good.

Discerning Your Gifts
There are various methods for discerning your gifts, you can find inventories, questionnaires, and books which can help you recognize your gifts when used with prayer and meditation in the exercise of discernment. Do not get discouraged, discernment takes times, prayer and effort, consider talking to a Spiritual Director to help in your discernment process.

For a list of some spiritual gifts and where you might use them, click here (it’s a pdf): archsa.org/stewardship_development/documents/Spiritual_Gifts_Found_Scripture.pdf

Confirmation of Your Gifts
Your can test your discernment by using the gift you have recognized and after a certain time, evaluate the results of your attempt following the basic rules that Sherry Weddell describes so well in her Catholic Spiritual Gifts (p. 21-22):

There are three characteristics of a charism or spiritual gift that should be consistently present over time:

1. 
   *]Effectiveness: a charism will do what it is supposed to do. If you have a charism of teaching, people will learn.
   *]Your Experience: God does not give us charisms as a form of penance! If you are exercising a spiritual gift, you will generally feel energized, satisfied, and joyful, as though this is where you belong. You will not necessarily feel that way every time you try to use this gift, but that will be the overall experience. (Tip: Some people can have negative “first time” experiences. The key is to observe your feelings over an extended period of time.)
   *]Response or affirmation from others: It is wonderful when people give you direct feedback. Lots of positive feedback over time is a real affirmation. But affirmation can also come indirectly, as we observe what people ask of us. Do people you don’t know well seem to just “open up” to you and share their feelings and concerns with you? (You might have a charism of encouragement.)
   All three should line up over time. If one of the characteristics is missing, you should continue in your discernment process. Adapted from here: archsa.org/stewardship_development/gifts.aspx

1. 
   Could you help me with this then? I just read the story about hell being viewed by the cousins at Fatima. They were very afraid. When it comes to God I don’t see fear in anything. God is not the author of fear. I don’t buy it. If I saw hell like that I would be moved probably by compassion for the creatures and individuals there.

 

[Zooman77]

This idea that confirmation is saying that you, of your own free, mature will want to be an adult member of the Church has nothing to do with Catholic theology of the sacrament of confirmation.

I don’t know what it technically means, but here is my opinion. Baptism remits original sin when we are infants. We don’t choose it. It takes away all sin and prepares us for a life of being raised in the Church. Confirmation is the person VOLUNTARILY saying “yes” to the Church and to her teachings. In a sense, it’s like a wedding. You are confirming that you want to be a member of the Catholic Church for the rest of your life, that you believe in the Church and what if teaches. When we voluntarily do this, our entrance into the Church is confirmed and we receive additional graces that help us to go forth and spread the gospel-sort of like when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles. They were baptized, but Jesus had told them that they weren’t yet ready to leave Jerusalem and spread the gospel. They needed additional graces of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them and teach them what to say.

This is my take on it anyway

My problem with this is that in the instance of RCIA of someone who was not formerly baptized. For example an atheist who had never been baptized (had been an atheist for life) is VOLUNTARILY choosing to be baptized, therefore by that logic he would not need to be confirmed since he had choose the church voluntarily through baptism and if confirmation were simply about voluntarily choosing the church adults that are baptized would not need to be confirmed.

 

[Zekariya]

My problem with this is that in the instance of RCIA of someone who was not formerly baptized. For example an atheist who had never been baptized (had been an atheist for life) is VOLUNTARILY choosing to be baptized, therefore by that logic he would not need to be confirmed since he had choose the church voluntarily through baptism and if confirmation were simply about voluntarily choosing the church adults that are baptized would not need to be confirmed.

If one only wants to voluntarily choose the Church, one can simply renew one’s baptismal vows. Confirmation is important as it is one of the seven Sacraments of the Church. It is a Sacrament of initiation along with Baptism and Holy Communion. Confirmation places an indelible mark on the soul of the one receiving it just like Holy Orders.

 

[Vico]

It is the emotion of fear that we may be unworthy of eternal life in heaven. It can also be the intellectual recognition of the loss of heaven if we do not remain in holiness, moving us to action.

Note the Collins definitions for fear:
noun

1. 
   *]a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.; timidity; dread; terror; fright; apprehension
   *]respectful dread; awe; reverence
   *]a feeling of uneasiness or apprehension; concern ⇒ a fear that it will rain
   *]a cause for fear; possibility; chance ⇒ there was no fear of difficulty
   

          **transitive verb**

   1. 
      *](obsolete) to fill with fear; frighten
      *]to be afraid of; dread
      *]to feel reverence or awe for
      *]to expect with misgiving; suspect ⇒ I fear I am late

 

[Nita]

Could you help me with this then? I just read the story about hell being viewed by the cousins at Fatima. They were very afraid. When it comes to God I don’t see fear in anything. God is not the author of fear. I don’t buy it. If I saw hell like that I would be moved probably by compassion for the creatures and individuals there.

Fear is not good when it is irrational - when there’s no good, legitimate reason for it. But fear is wise when there is a good reason for it. For example, fear of physical injury/pain can keep us from doing foolish things that might injury or death.

It’s a fact; hell is a fearful/awful place. Jesus talked a lot about it. All of us should have a “healthy” fear of hell. It can help us to resist temptation when our love of God is not yet strong enough to keep us from committing serious sin. Knowing the awfulness of hell can also inspire us to pray for others because we do not want them to suffer eternally in hell. (This was the effect the vision of hell had on the children at Fatima. It was the purpose for showing them hell.)

 

[Zekariya]

If anyone is still interested in this, I found this anathema forbidding the teaching that Confirmation is nothing more than a profession of faith.

“If any one saith, that the confirmation of those who have been baptized is an idle ceremony, and not rather a true and proper sacrament; or that of old it was nothing more than a kind of catechism, whereby they who were near adolescence gave an account of their faith in the face of the Church; let him be anathema.”

• The Council of Trent, Session VII, On Confirmation, Canon I

Source: thecounciloftrent.com/ch7.htm