Dear Parishioners,

This week is a very important week for our 8th grade Confirmandi because they are being confirmed by Fr. Martin O’Reilly on Thursday. So, please keep them in prayer. Because of this event, I would like to continue my sacrament series of articles and explain this wonderful and often overlooked sacrament.

The Sacrament of Confirmation is the sacrament that completes Baptism. As the Catechism says, “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. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.” (CCC 1285) So, while in Baptism we receive the graces to live the Christian, Confirmation increases and deepens those graces and makes them outgoing. Every confirmed Catholic is called to be a witness and defender of the faith. They are called to live their faith in every aspect of their lives.

One reason this sacrament is overlooked is that the Bible does not explicitly mention it. We believe as Catholics that Confirmation is part of the deposit of faith passed down by the Church throughout the ages. So, we trust that it comes from Christ Himself whether or not it is recorded in scripture. However, we do see signs of Confirmation in the Acts of the Apostles. In this book we see the Holy Spirit come down onto the Apostles (Acts 2) and later St. Paul lays hands on disciples of John the Baptist and they also receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 19:2-6) In each of these cases, there are signs that the Spirit is active: they speak in tongues and begin to prophesy.

The Catechism goes on to tell the effects of Confirmation. These include being rooted more deeply in our sonship to God, being united more to Christ, increasing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, renders our bond with the Church more perfect and gives us a special grace to defend the faith by word and action. We are called to be, “true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.” (CCC 1303) This effect is permanent since Confirmation leaves an indelible mark on the soul like Baptism does.

I bring this all up because people can sometimes believe false things about this sacrament. Some people might treat it like a rite of coming of age or a Catholic graduation. This is awfully sad because it is the exact opposite of sending someone off. It should be a sacrament of rooting someone in their faith and the life of the Church. If you are ever asked to be a Confirmation sponsor then please take that responsibility seriously. Make sure your Confirmandi knows their faith and encourage them to love their faith and be a good witness of the Christian life.

God bless!

Fr. Carter