Confirmation enriches the
baptized with the strength of
the Holy Spirit so that they
can better witness to Christ in
word and deed (Catechism of
the Catholic Church [CCC],
no. 1285). Anointed by the
Holy Spirit at Confirmation,
Christians strengthen their
bond with the Church and
become better equipped to
carry out the Church’s mission
of love and service.
At Confirmation, our faith and
membership in the Body of Christ
is confirmed, or strengthened.
In the Rite of Baptism, we become new
members of the Body of Christ, but our
journey does not end there. The decision to
be baptized is followed by continued growth,
learning, and witness as members of the Body
of Christ. Our desire to continue to grow
and develop as Christians finds expression in
Confirmation, when we renew our baptismal
promises and receive in a new way the gift of
the Holy Spirit, which strengthens our “bond”
with the Church and its members (CCC, no.
1316, and Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris
Missio [On the Permanent Validity of the
Church’s Missionary Mandate], no. 26).
Confirmation connects us to a
larger community.
The relationship of the bishop (who presides
over the Rite of Confirmation) with the church
community in a given area reminds us of our
connection to the larger community of the
Church, which is global. Thus, Confirmation
reminds us that we belong to the Universal
Church and to a local parish community
(CCC, no. 1309). The sacred Chrism oil
used during Confirmation points to the
community’s sharing of the Spirit, since the
same oil is used during Baptism and to anoint
bishops and priests during the Sacrament of
Holy Orders. Oil for the Anointing of the Sick
is also consecrated during Holy Week. The
symbol of oil reminds us of the action of the
Holy Spirit upon us as members in the
Church family.
At Confirmation, we receive the
gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In the Gospels, the same Spirit that descended
on Jesus during Baptism descends on the
Apostles at Pentecost (CCC, nos. 1285-
1287). The readings and homily we hear at
Confirmation remind us that this same Spirit
is present to us today. At Confirmation, we
receive diverse spiritual gifts that work together
for the “common good” and “the building up
of the Church, to the well-being of humanity
and to the needs of the world” (Pope John Paul
II, Christifideles Laici [The Vocation and the
Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in
the World], no. 24). At Confirmation, we pray
for an increase of the gifts of the Spirit in our
own lives in order to serve the cause of justice
and peace in Church and world.
The Spirit moves us to imitate the
love and service of Christ and the
saints.
In preparation for the Sacrament of
Confirmation, we often perform many hours
of service to help those in need. In doing
so, we practice love and service in imitation
of the saints whose names we often take
at Confirmation. Anointed at Confirmation,
we are further strengthened to live lives that
give off “the aroma of Christ” as did the holy
saints (CCC, no. 1294). The sacred Chrism
is mixed with fragrant spices precisely to
symbolize this “aroma.”
The Holy Spirit pours love into our hearts
so that we can become “instruments of
grace” in order to “pour forth God’s charity
and to weave networks of charity” in the
world (Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate [Charity in Truth], no. 5). The Holy Spirit
“harmonizes” our hearts with Christ’s
heart and moves us to love others
as Christ loved when he washed the
disciples’ feet and gave his life for us
(Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est
[God Is Love], no. 19). At Confirmation, we recommit
to participate in the Church’s
work and mission. Sealing with the gift of the Spirit at
Confirmation strengthens us for ongoing
service in the Body of Christ in the
Church and in the world. It prepares us
to be active participants in the Church’s
mission and to “bear witness to the
Christian faith in words accompanied by
deeds” (CCC, no. 1316). Finally, the
Spirit sends us as workers in the vineyard
and instruments of the Holy Spirit in
renewing the earth and promoting
God’s Kingdom of justice and peace.
Thus, Confirmation is not only an
anointing, but also a commissioning to
live out our faith in the world. We are
already called to mission by virtue of
our Baptism, but at Confirmation we are
endowed with gifts of the Spirit (like the
Apostles in Acts 2) to be “ever greater
witness[es] to the Gospel in the world”
(Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum
Caritatis [Sacrament of Charity], no.
17). As disciples and witnesses to
Christ in both Church and world (CCC,
no. 1319), we are sent out to act on behalf of the poor and vulnerable,
promoting the life and dignity of every
human person. The Holy Spirit inspires us to
Gospel action that includes
human development and
work to end injustice. The Holy Spirit inspires the work of
evangelization, which includes work
not only for all peoples’ spiritual wellbeing,
but also the evangelization of
systems and cultures (Pope John Paul II,
Redemptoris Missio, nos. 42, 65). The
Church’s missionary activity includes a
“commitment to peace, development
and the liberation of peoples; the rights
of individuals and peoples, especially
those of minorities; the advancement of
women and children; safeguarding the
created world,” and many other areas
of action in the world (Redemptoris
Missio, no. 37).
In addition, action inspired by the
Holy Spirit calls us to “bear witness
to Christ by taking courageous and
prophetic stands in the face of the
corruption of political or economic
power.” The Spirit also “overcomes
barriers and divisions of race, caste,
or ideology” and makes the Christianon-mission
into “a sign of God’s love in
the world—a love without exclusion
or partiality” (Redemptoris Missio,
nos. 43, 89). Confirmation calls us to share
Christ’s mission to promote
life and dignity. The baptized, anointed by the Holy
Spirit, are incorporated into Christ,
who is priest, prophet, and king, and
called to share in his mission (CCC,
no. 1241). We share Christ’s priestly
mission by giving of ourselves daily in
union with Christ’s supreme sacrifice on
the Cross. As prophets, we announce
the Kingdom of God in both word and
deed and we witness to the Gospel in
family, social life, and community, and
in our commitment to human life and
dignity. We share the kingly mission by
seeking God’s Kingdom of justice in the
world. We do this when we overcome
the kingdom of sin, give of ourselves,
recognize Jesus in “the least of these”
(cf. Mt 25:40), and work for justice
and peace.
All those anointed by the Spirit at
Baptism and Confirmation share Christ’s
mission in Luke 4:18-19: “The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, / because
he has anointed me / to bring glad
tidings to the poor. / He has sent me
to proclaim liberty to captives / and
recovery of sight to the blind, / to let the
oppressed go free, / and to proclaim
a year acceptable to the Lord” (see also
Christifideles Laici, nos. 13-14). Copyright © 2013, United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.
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