What Is Confirmation?
Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of
Christian initiation. The reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary
for the completion of baptismal grace. By the sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized
are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength
of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend
the faith by their words and actions.
A Brief Historical Perspective:
The
Holy Spirit first comes to a person in baptism but the apostles also speak of
a prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the outward sign of a "laying
on of hands." Peter and John laid hands on converts in Samaria, who received
the Holy Spirit, and Acts describes Paul's baptism of some disciples who spoke
with tongues and prophesied when he laid his hands upon them.
The early
church came to recognize that there was a prayer for the sending of the Holy Spirit
that differed from baptism. Christians often received the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit through prayer and laying on of hands by the apostles or their successors.
Later, an anointing with oil was added to the sacrament. This was the origin of
the sacrament of Confirmation, which is based on the life of Jesus upon whom the
Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove when he began his public ministry,
who breathed upon his disciples after his resurrection, and who sent the Holy
Spirit upon the disciples at Pentecost.
In the early church, Confirmation
accompanied baptism of adults. When babies were baptized in the Western church,
confirmation was delayed until the children were older.
Through the sacrament
of Confirmation, the Holy Spirit empowers God's people to proclaim the Good News
of Jesus Christ, to live that message, and to continue Jesus' ministry in the
world.
