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July 03, 2006
> 9:12 AM
some thoughts on confirmation  This is something I've thought about many times but have never written about. Probably because it applies mainly to a Roman Catholic context, or perhaps other church contexts in which the Sacrament of Confirmation is practiced. Let me briefly explain this practice for my Protestant siblings so you understand what I'm talking about.In the Catholic tradition, if one is born into a Catholic family (note: this occurs in many Anglican, Orthodox, Methodist, as well as Presbyterian churches as well) one is baptized as an infant. I'm not really trying to get into the whole infant baptism thing here so let's hold off on that one, at least as a primary topic of discussion. I know it's related. So, in the Sacrament of Baptism in which, in this tradition, one is believed to receive the saving Grace of God in Jesus - Sanctifying Grace as it is known. At the baptism, it is promised by the parents, the Godparents and the whole community of faith, that they will raise this child in the Faith, teaching them to live as a Christian, what it means, etc. until this little person comes to an age where they are able to take up this faith and life on their own, as their own commitment. In most evangelical protestant churches there is no real Sacramental view of Baptism so they would never dream of baptizing babies, or even young children perhaps. There is no Sacramental view of anything so they wouldn't think of practicing anything like Confirmation either. Or is there?? Hmm. I've talked about this before in private conversations and I'd like to write more about it here at some point, but very quickly - in the Charismatic Christian arena I really believe there is what amounts to very much a Sacramental view of things sometimes. It's not called that. I doubt that most people there would know what you meant if you said it - not bad, just a knowledge thing. I've lived in that world before, very deeply, so I'm not speaking as a total outsider here. There is very much an understanding of some actual mystical Grace of God being transfered from one person to another, or by the Holy Spirit through the community to people by way of certain actions we take on behalf of that person. So, you have the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - get ready folks - that's very much where Confirmation came from. That's nothing new to any Catholic scholar or church history buff. The language used in the rite of Confirmation is very much "receive the Holy Spirit" language. That's what is prayed over the person as they are confirmed - the Holy Spirit is called down upon this person and fill them so they can walk in the fullness of Christ in the world. Maybe that'll help to understand it a little better. In the present context it is basically a rite of passage for teenagers in the Church, to sort of pat them along as "big boy and girl Christians." It's very very much like the bar mitzvah ceremony in Judaism (the religious initiation ceremony of a Jewish boy who has reached the age of 13 and is regarded as ready to observe religious precepts and eligible to take part in public worship) - or the bat mitzvah for a girl (a religious initiation ceremony for a Jewish girl aged twelve years and one day, regarded as the age of religious maturity). I believe, today, as it is practiced in the Catholic and in these other churches, it is much more like the Jewish initiation ceremonies than the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I see nothing wrong with the bar and bat mitzvah rites of passage, but I wonder if it's enough. I think we've been shortcutting the salvation process by doing this as merely a rite of initiation because one has reached a certain age and has gone through the proper classes in preparation for the event. If indeed, this is time for someone to "confirm" their own baptism, to seal it, to make their salvation their own, to truly say their first official public and communal YES to God and so be empowered by the filling of the Holy Spirit, then it should never be done until this person is actually ready to say their own genuine yes. If that means we wait until some people are 18, then wait. Let's not confirm what is not truly being confirmed. If we're going to talk about this Sacrament as being one in which the Grace conferred in Baptism is sealed and set in the person, and as one in which the person is making the faith their own, then let's be consistent and not lay hands on them until they want those hands laid on them. Logical conclusions... There will be many kids, young people, teenagers who will say no. They will say, "I'm not ready to say that yet. I'm not sure I believe all that." Scary. Yes, but listen, this whole Christian thing is scary. it's a huge deal on a cosmic scale. It's bigger and worth more than just engaging in something like this just because someone is 12 or 13 or 14 years old and it's time for that. Who said it was time? In this Sacrament, this one, who is it that is supposed to say when it's time? Good question. I think it's the person to receive the Sacrament, ultimately. Should we as parents start the process and teach them and talk to them about being Confirmed? Sure, that's our job. We are the primary faith teachers to our children. We are, honestly, their spiritual directors and shepherds, for the most part. So certainly we need to always be encouraging them in their faith and teaching them what it means and how to live it - mostly living it around them and with them. Another conclusion - some will never say yes. Some will go their own way. Maybe they'll eventually hear the Spirit of God again when they're 45 and turn their lives toward Him. Some may not. Of course it may not be as bad as all that. It may be that we just have a giant crop of people who don't receive the Sacrament of Confirmation until they're ACTUALLY being confirmed, until they are truly saying YES to God, when they're 19, 23, or 25 - and they will be strong and faithful Christians, living and active members of the Kingdom of God. The world would be a different place I think. There may be fewer Catholics (or other Christians) for a time, and we'd have to learn how to deal with that. I truly believe, though, that this would be a good healthy pruning process and that it would make for a healthier vineyard in the end. Of course the Roman Curia or even the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops certainly didn't contact me and ask me to write an opinion paper on the matter, so I suppose we have what we have. I don't imagine anyone can be forced to have their children confirmed though. Something to think about. Pax vobiscum. notes: from the Catechism of the Catholic Church - 1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. 1303 From this fact, 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. 1317 Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life. 1319 A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs. technorati tags > sacrament of confirmation, confirmation, sacramental theology, catholicism, baptism in the holy spirit, charismatic, christian youth Labels: catholic, spiritual formation, theology 0 Comments:| permalink | e-mail me | 
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