Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation
that completes the grace of baptism by the
reception of the fullness of the Holy Spirit
- making the person a mature Christian. The
sacrament signifies the Christian as ready to
undergo the struggles involved in the Christian
life.
Sacraments of initiation in the Catholic
Church
Two of seven sacraments in the Catholic church
are given only by a bishop: holy orders and
confirmation. As one of the three sacraments
of initiation, confirmation is the sacrament
that readies the Christian to be a living witness
to Christ through word and deed. After one is
joined to the Church through baptism and has
been instructed to participate in the celebration
of the Eucharist, the person then completes his
being Christian through the reception of the
fullness of the Holy Spirit. The effect of this
reception is like the effect of the special
outpouring of the Holy Spirit granted to the
apostles at Pentecost.
The effects of Confirmation
According to the Catholic catechism [#1303],
confirmation "brings an increase and deepening
of baptismal grace."
"it roots us more deeply in the divine
filiation which makes us cry, 'Abba! Father!';
it unites us more firmly to Christ;
it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit
in us;
it renders our bond with the Church more
perfect;
it gives us a special strength of the Holy
Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word
and action as true witnesses of Christ, to
confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to
be ashamed of the Cross.
Confirmation and its signs and symbols
The sign of anointing given by the
bishop signifies a spiritual seal that is
permanent. This makes the confirmand receive
the "mark", the seal of the Holy Spirit.
The seal on the forehead of the confirmand marks
his total belonging to Christ, his enrollment in
his service for ever, as well as the promise of
divine protection in the great eschatological
trial. [Catholic catechism #1296]
Who can receive the sacrament?
Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and
should receive the sacrament. Church teaching
tells us that baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist
[the three sacraments of initiation] form a unity
and thus for the Christian to be fully initiated
into the life of the Church, he must receive the
sacrament of confirmation at the proper time
designated by the Church. This proper time is
traditionally termed "the age of discretion" in
the Latin custom. The only exception is when
there is danger of death. In this case, children
ought to be confirmed even if they have not yet
reached the age of discretion. [Catechism #1306-1307]