In the Acts of the Apostles Paul clarifies the difference
between the baptism of John and the baptism of Jesus: “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of
the Lord Jesus.” The line
that immediately follows describes an early example of Confirmation: “And when Paul laid his hands on
them, the
Holy Spirit came upon them…”
We
have a number of students who will be confirmed this Sunday. Please pray for them! As part of the preparation process they
needed to meet with Fr. Rich and he asked me to get together with a few of
them. The first question I asked: “N,
why do you want to be confirmed?”
The usual answer: “I want to be closer to God and be an adult in the
Church.” I would then reply, “But
why then, do some dioceses in our country confirm junior high students or
children in second grade?” To this
they had no answer.
This
idea—that being confirmed equals being an adult in the Church is very
common. But it is very wrong! This mentality suggests that we have
earned something, or at least come to maturity in the faith. Yet Confirmation, like the other
sacraments, is not something we deserve or earn. It is a free gift from God! This gift confirms the graces given in Baptism and allows
the Holy Spirit to be present in a fuller way in one’s soul.
Confirmation
is one of the three sacraments of initiation. The proper theological order is to receive Baptism,
Confirmation and then Eucharist.
This is what happens when, at the Easter Vigil, an adult is baptized,
confirmed and then receives their first Communion. Some fellow Eastern-Rite Catholics and other Orthodox
traditions do—some souls even receive these three sacraments in infancy. Our common practice—namely confirming
in high school—is actually out of theological order. This leads in part to thinking that confirmation is parallel
to graduation.
I
believe you have all been confirmed and we thank God for that grace in our lives. Please pray for our confirmands as they
prepare for Confirmation on Sunday and, if at all possible, please support them
by coming to the Cathedral at 1:00 on Sunday for this festive occasion.
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