Confirmation Presentation
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This document provides an overview of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic Church. It is presented in two parts by Jim Woods. The document discusses what Confirmation is, how it was instituted by Jesus, the rites and rituals involved (including laying on of hands and anointing with chrism), its effects of increasing sanctifying grace, and how it calls Christians to spread their faith through word and deed. The document also mentions the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that are conferred.
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Confirmation Presentation
- 1. The Sacraments of Initiation Presented By: Jim Woods 1
- 2. "In Baptism the sign of the Cross makes kings of all who are reborn in Christ, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them as priests. So, apart from the particular obligations of our ministry, any Christian who has the gifts of rational and of spiritual understanding knows he is a member of a kingly race and shares in the priestly office. For what could be more Royal than a soul which by subjecting itself to God becomes ruler of its own body? Or what more priestly when it consecrates a pure conscience to God and offers on the altar of its heart the spotless sacrifice of its devotion?" (St. Leo the Great, Sermon 4 (from Nov.10, Office of Readings, Roman Breviary.)
- 3. Presentation Three Confirmation: Strengthening by the Spirit Presented by: Jim Woods 3
- 4. What is Confirmation? “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
- 5. 5 Spreading the Spirit
- 6. The Institution of Confirmation "But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving his spirit in our hearts as a first instalment."(2 Cor. 1:21-22).
- 7. 7
- 8. "Christ instituted this sacrament, not by showing it but by promising it, according to the text "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."(Jn. 16:7)" (Summa Theologiae iii.72.1).
- 9. 9 The Matter and Form
- 10. The Effects of Confirmation This sacrament imparts to the recipient an increase in sanctifying grace, and this encourages us all to be perfect Christians
- 11. "like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ ... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light."(1 Peter 2: 5&9)
- 12. 12 Prayers of the Faithful
- 13. Confirmation: Strengthening by the Spirit Session II 13
- 14. 14 God’s Word Listen Speak Act
- 15. "more strictly obliged to spread the faith by word and deed.“ (Lumen Gentium, Par.III)
- 16. The Rites and Gifts of Confirmation "I sign you with the sign of the Cross and confirm you with the Chrism of salvation in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost."
- 17. 17
- 18. 18
- 19. "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, His delight will be in the fear of the Lord (Piety).“ (Is. 11:2-3)
- 20. The Charisms ."We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness." (Rom. 12:6-8).
- 21. 21
- 22. Next Presentation Eucharist: Sharing Christ’s Love Presented by: Jim Woods
Editor's Notes
- "In Baptism the sign of the Cross makes kings of all who are reborn in Christ, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit consecrates them as priests. So, apart from the particular obligations of our ministry, any Christian who has the gifts of rational and of spiritual understanding knows he is a member of a kingly race and shares in the priestly office. For what could be more Royal than a soul which by subjecting itself to God becomes ruler of its own body? Or what more priestly when it consecrates a pure conscience to God and offers on the altar of its heart the spotless sacrifice of its devotion?" (St. Leo the Great, Sermon 4 (from Nov.10, Office of Readings, Roman Breviary.)
- The origins of the sacrament of Confirmation lie within the early history of the Church, the feast of Pentecost and the missionary work of the apostles. "They sent Peter and John to them that they may receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."(Acts. 8:14-17). It is evident from passages such as this that in the early days of the Church there was a rite, distinct from baptism, in which the Holy Spirit was conferred by the imposition of hands. It is also evident that the power to perform this ceremony is not implied in the power to baptise.
- "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and all of you have knowledge ... As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him."(1 JN. 2:20 & 27). In this and similar scripture passages it is clear that Confirmation within the early Church was an integral part of the ceremony of Christian Initiation. In fact the ceremony of confirmation is considered to be so well known to the faithful that the scripture writers felt that no further description is necessary. "But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving his spirit in our hearts as a first instalment."(2 Cor. 1:21-22). But the actions and words of the apostles demonstrates to us that the ceremony was an important rite and not just an examination of those who had been baptised, or a sample profession of faith, or a renewal of baptismal views.
- The decision of the Council of Trent as to defining the number of sacraments also involved making Confirmation clearly distinct from Baptism. At the same time the more exact definition of what constitutes a sacrament also brought about a clearer definition of the institution of the sacrament of Confirmation, its matter and form, the minister, and its effects, especially the character it impressed upon the soul. In his great theological work St. Thomas Aquinas insisted that, "Christ instituted this sacrament, not by showing it but by promising it, according to the text "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."(Jn. 16:7)" (Summa Theologiae iii.72.1).
- We should not, however, forget that Jesus is also an intercessor for us with God the Father. Even today He always lives to make intercession for us as promised, "Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb. 7:25). It is through confirmation that we are also called upon to be intercessors as a people in constant prayer not only for those we know and love, but for the entire world. In so many ways it is what the "Prayer of the Faithful" that we recite at Mass is all about. In this prayer we move away from a personal outlook to a much bigger picture. We pray for persecuted Christians, for the Church and government leaders, and for the poor and the sick. However, our intercessory efforts are not to be limited to the Mass, for we are called upon to pray constantly for the needs of all. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all our circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."(1 Thess. 5:16-18).End Session I
- Within the Catholic Church the sacrament of confirmation is usually administered by the Bishop. During the rite there is a general imposition of hands with the Bishop praying that the Holy Spirit should come down upon those candidates standing before him. The Bishop anoints each of the candidates on the forehead with the oil of Chrism saying "I sign you with the sign of the Cross and confirm you with the Chrism of salvation in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." To end the Bishop gives each a slight tap on their cheek accompanied by the words "Peace be with you."The Council of Trent declared that the Bishop alone was to be the ordinary minister of the sacrament of confirmation. While a Bishop can confirm validly even those persons who are not his own subjects, but if he wishes to confirm in another diocese he must first secure the permission of the Bishop of that particular diocese. There was allowance for simple priests to be extraordinary ministers of the sacrament under certain conditions but he cannot wear pontifical vestments at this time and is obliged to use Chrism blessed by a Catholic Bishop. "Bishops are superior to priests, they administer the sacrament of confirmation; they ordain the ministers of the Church; and they can perform many other things over which functions of others of an inferior rank have no power." (Council of Trent, Sess. XIII).
- In the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah describes the Spirit and His power in terms of seven gifts that rest upon the Messiah i.e. "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, His delight will be in the fear of the Lord (Piety)."(Is. 11:2-3) Poured out upon Jesus as the anointed King this seven-fold spirit is, in the same way, poured out on us in confirmation. A gift of might that is truly the same supernatural gift of courage which so much characterises the apostles after they received the spirit at Pentecost. Without fear they burst out into the bustling streets of Jerusalem to publicly proclaim that Jesus is risen from the dead. Like those twelve men we receive the gift of understanding the scriptural truths with our heart as well as our rational mind.