Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 3rd 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 1315.
To begin summarizing the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation, Confirmation, the Catechism cites Sacred Scripture:
“Hearing that Samaria had welcomed the Word of God the Apostles who were in Jerusalem sent Peter and John. These went down therefore to the Samaritans and prayed for them, that finally the Holy Spirit would be given to them. Because He had not yet fallen on any one of them, they had only been baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John aimed at imposing their hands and they received the Holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14–17).
Part of Confirmation is the welcoming of the Word of God. This is at least two-fold: welcoming the Word of God in Sacred Scripture; welcoming the Word of God who is Christ Jesus the Lord, the Word made flesh (cf. John 1:14).
Another part of Confirmation is the link with the Apostolic Church, here represented by the Apostles Peter and John. The local Bishop is the Successor of the Apostles in our midst. Bishops are (in the Western / Latin Church) the ordinary ministers of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In order for the Apostles Peter and John to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation upon the Samaritans, they first prayed for them. This holds in the current rite of Confirmation. The Sacrament of Confirmation is normally administered within the context of the Holy Mass, one of our greatest prayers. There are specific prayers prayed during the Mass wherein one is confirmed, while other prayers at the same Mass are silent. The Bishop prays a specific consecratory prayer calling upon God to send the Spirit upon those to be confirmed: A Spirit of Wisdom, of Understanding, of Counsel, of Fortitude, of Knowledge, of Godliness, and of Fear of the Lord (cf. Isaiah 11:2–3). These have been identified as the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit.”
While the Holy Spirit is at work in Holy Baptism, when we receive the gifts of Faith, Hope and Love (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13), and it is the Holy Spirit who allows us to call out “Abba Father” and “Jesus is Lord” (cf. Romans 8:15; 1 Corinthians 12:3) there is yet a further outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation as we are reminded in Acts 8.
It is one thing to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus (together with the Father and the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 28:19) it is another thing to be Confirmed and sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation presupposes Baptism.
The imposition of hands by the Bishop in the Sacrament of Confirmation should remind us of the Apostles Peter and John imposing hands upon the Samaritans as they received the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit make us all holy.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr