Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

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 1316.

There are six (6) specific graces of Confirmation identified by the Catechism which we consider each in turn.

The first grace of Confirmation is the perfection of the grace of Baptism. Baptism is only the first of the three Sacraments of Initiation. Together with Confirmation and Holy Communion or Eucharist are we made complete members of Christ’s mystical body on Earth, the Church. Baptism and Confirmation are not repeated, but regular and worthy reception of Holy Communion will keep us faithful to the graces received in Baptism and Confirmation.

The second grace of Confirmation is to root us more profoundly in divine filiation. This way the divine adoption we receive in Baptism is solidified all the more. We are adopted sons and daughters of God in the one only Son, Jesus Christ.

The third grace of Confirmation incorporates us more firmly in Christ. While we belong to Christ by the grace of Baptism, this further grace is like so much more supernatural cement.

The fourth grace of Confirmation makes our tie with the Church more solid. While the tie we have with Christ Himself and His bride, Mother Church, through Holy Baptism is solid, it is often made on our behalf through the proxy of our parents and Godparents for those who are baptized as infants. When the Sacrament of Confirmation is separated from Baptism as it is by and large, in the Latin West, the reaffirmation of the Faith engages the will of the confirmand anew.

The fifth grace of Confirmation associates us more with the mission of the Church. While we participate in the life and mission of the Holy Church through Holy Baptism, we do so all the more through the graces of Confirmation. An older rite of Confirmation includes at the sign of peace a ceremonial ‘slap’ to remind the confirmand of the sufferings which may accompany the spread and defense of the Faith which is a part of the responsibilities assumed by Confirmation.

The sixth grace of Confirmation helps us to render witness to the Christian Faith through our words and deeds. Without the special graces of God our words and deeds fall short. With the graces God gives in Confirmation we are able to conform our will, our words and our deeds to God’s will and Word. If all we do is talk about God and never talk to God (pray) there is something wrong. If all we do is exhort sinners to stop sinning while we continue all the while steeped in sin there is something wrong (cf. Mark 1:15; Luke 17:4; John 5:14; 8:11, 34; 9:41; Romans 3:9; 6:1–2, 11–23; 11:26). Confirmation calls us to correspondence between the Faith professed and the Faith lived and the Faith shared once for all (cf. Jude 1:3).

God bless you!

Father John Arthur Orr