Overview Of The Sacrament of Confirmation:
The Sacrament of Confirmation, is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Faith and is usually the second sacrament a Catholic will undergo in their transition into the church. Within this sacrament the previously baptised individual is sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and is strengthened for loving service to the world around them. This sacrament is on offer for all people but only becomes allowable after a person has been baptised first. Confirmation allows for The Holy Spirit to descend upon a person in a powerful way to help them through their Christian journey through life. Confirmation also deepens our baptismal vows that call us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighbourhoods, communities, and all over the world. Jesus Christ asked God The Father to give the Holy Spirit to his Church for building up the community in loving service and to proclaim his message with his authority . The first depictions we can observe in the originating of this sacrament is when we take a look at the day of Pentecost in The Holy Bible, where we see Jesus' request to God The Father actually take place, whereby The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus' twelve disciples and his mother Mary to remain with them so that they could carry out all that he had set out for them. And guess what, we too as Christians have the the exact same calling from God in our own unique ways. How amazing is that! :)
Here's a key statement made by The Catechism Of The Catholic Church about this amazing sacrament:
- "Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds." -The Catechism Of The Catholic Church.
Old & New Testament Connections:
We can also make great observations from the prophets of the Old Testament that foretold that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah and his people to fulfil part of God's will. Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John. But Jesus' entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit too. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church. After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit. The spirit was also willed by God to dwell in his most treasured possessions...his people.
Here are just a few of many Bible verses connected to The Sacrament Of Confirmation and The Promise Of The Holy Spirit:
- "the people of Samaria were baptised in Christ, but did not receive the fullness of the Spirit until they were confirmed by the elders." - Acts 8:14-17
- "the people of Ephesus were baptised in Christ, but Paul laid hands on them to seal them with the Holy Spirit." - Acts 19:5-6
- "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." - John 14:26
- "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." - Acts 2:1-4
- "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." - Isaiah 11:2
- "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit." - Joel 2: 28-29
- "They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads." - Revelation 9:4
The step-by-step process of how the sacrament unfolds:
Part 1: A confirmation most often will take place during the middle of a Catholic mass. Firstly all the names of people being confirmed on that day are read aloud. Each person being confirmed stands up so that everyone in the church can see them and then they walk up towards the local Bishop of their parish who will be seated up the front of the church.
Part 2: Each candidate is asked several questions that they will say yes to about what they believe which is an act of renewing their promises made during their Baptism. They promise to reject all evil throughout the journey of their lives on Earth.
Part 3: The Bishop then lays his hands on each of the candidates. This is to anoint them with the gift of The Holy Spirit which assists them in living more like Jesus and to help them carry out his mission in their own unique lives as members of the church.
Part 4: The Bishop then states the persons name, and then sometimes the name of their patron saint. The Bishop then draws the sign of the cross on the forehead of the person with the oil of chrism. This oil is an ancient sign of being chosen by God. It is also used in Baptism. The sign of the cross shows that the person is a child of God. Final blessings are then made and the individuals are then they are dismissed back to the pews to continue the mass. Applauses are also made to congratulate the candidates. :)
Conclusive Statements:
Thank you for reading along to learn about the key concepts that the Catholic Faith teaches us about The Sacrament Of Confirmation. I hope that this teaching builds upon what you may already or may not already know about Catholicism or that of sacraments. With this, I hope that the teachings fill you with great awe of the beauty of how great our God and his church truly are because they both want to give you the grace of God freely. I also hope that you will be inspired to live out God's will in your lives and strive to make him a proud Father. I would love to hear back from you if this blog touched you today or if you have any other questions/concerns just let me know, as I'd love to hear back from you!
God bless, love and keep you.
-Benjamin At Light Of The World Ministries.
References:
Catechism of the Catholic Church - PART 2 SECTION 2 CHAPTER 1 ARTICLE 2. (n.d.). http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a2.htm#:~:text=1316%20Confirmation%20perfects%20Baptismal%20grace,to%20the%20Christian%20faith%20in
BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages. (n.d.). https://www.biblegateway.com/
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