Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 1st Sunday during Lent.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are seven (7) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation. The following is a reflection on article 1318.
While the number of the sacraments, seven (7), are the same throughout the entire Church, East and West, sacramental discipline differs somewhat. When it comes to Confirmation, the Sacred Chrism – the holy oil mixed with balsam and blessed by the Bishop during Holy Week is the same, and the imposition of hands is the same. What differs is the timing of the administration and the minister, and the name of the sacrament.
The question as to when to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation is answered differently in the different Rites of the Church. The Latin West focuses on the “age of reason” normally thought to be about seven (7) years of age and is the same requirement for the reception of Holy Communion for the first time. This way the recipient has a certain amount of understanding when approaching and receiving the sacraments. The Greek East focuses rather on the givenness of the sacraments and how there is nothing which can be done to deserve God’s freely given grace. This is made obvious by the reception of all three Sacraments of Initiation at once in the East, even in infancy.
In the Latin West the ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation is the Bishop. Reservation of the administration of Confirmation to the Bishop highlights the bond which the confirmand (person receiving Confirmation) has with the Church, represented in a special way by the Bishop. Extraordinarily in the Latin West a Priest may administer the Sacrament of Confirmation, normally only at the Easter Vigil or in cases when there is the immediate danger of death. By contrast, in the Greek East, Priests using the Sacred Chrism blessed by the Bishop are the ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Confirmation should also be considered in conjunction with the other two (2) Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism and Eucharist. While Baptism and Confirmation are not to be repeated, due to the character which they impart, it is the worthy and frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist which keeps us faithful to Baptism and Confirmation.
In the Latin West this sacrament is called ‘Confirmation’ in that the truth and correctness of our profession of faith is asserted anew in a formal, definite way. The Latin word confirmare from which is derived the English word ‘confirm’ is itself based on the Latin word firmus meaning ‘firm.’ This is echoed throughout the Sacred Scriptures in which God calls us to ‘stand firm in the faith’ (1 Peter 5:9) and to be strengthened as disciples and encouraged, remaining ‘true to the faith’ (cf. Acts 14:22) and even that our faith in Christ is to be firm (cf. Colossians 2:5). In the Greek East this sacrament is known as ‘Chrismation,’ taking its name from the Holy Oil, Sacred Chrism.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr