How Do We Experience the Holy Spirit?
The Sacrament of Confirmation
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How Does the Holy Spirit Strengthen Us?

The Spirit of the Lord                
(1285) Let us begin by saying clearly here
that confirmation is intimately connected
to both baptism and Eucharist.
They are all sacraments of initiation,
adding to and completing each other.
The reception of confirmation is required
in order for initiation to be complete.
(1286) We must also begin by saying once again
that God who is Divine Love
revealed this Love to us completely and fully
in Christ.
At his own baptism, the Spirit descended on Jesus
fulfilling what Isaiah had said
in chapter 11, verse 2:
“The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge
and awe in the face of God.”
This is the Spirit of Divine Love,
the Holy Spirit of God.
Jesus was conceived in this Spirit of Love,
his entire mission was rooted in Love,
in complete communion with Divine Love,
one God, forever and ever.
(1287) When you read Acts of the Apostles,
it is clear that this Spirit of Love
deeply touched the apostles.
It filled their hearts with the fire of love,
and gave them courage,
hope,
and strength.
And most strikingly, through this same Spirit,

Peter and the others found the words
to communicate the wonders of God
and through those words,
the Spirit touched other hearts
so still more were added to their number.
And on and on and on…down through the centuries
right up to this present moment,
wherever you are, the Spirit is with you.

(1288) From the earliest years of the church,
the apostles laid hands on the newly baptized
conferring on them the gift of the Spirit,
completing the grace of baptism.
(1289) But also very early, an anointing with holy oil
also called “chrism”
was added to the laying on of hands.
In fact, the name “Christian” means, literally,
“one who is anointed.”
The anointing signifies the gift of the Spirit of Love,
who brings comfort, courage, and counsel to us.
Every since those early years,
this ceremony of anointing has continued
in both the Eastern rites and the Latin rite
The Eastern rites do not refer to this sacrament as confirmation
but rather as “chrismation.”
The Latin rite calls it confirmation which suggests
that baptism is confirmed or ratified
and that baptismal grace is thereby strengthened.

Two traditions: East and West
(1290) In the early years of the church,
baptism and confirmation were celebrated
as one sacrament.
Most of the time, it was celebrated one time each year,
at the Easter Vigil.
But soon infant baptisms became more common
and were celebrated throughout the year.
Soon more and more rural parishes were added
and dioceses grew in size.
Bishops were no longer present for every baptism,
as had been the custom.
All of this led, in the Latin rite,
to the separation of baptism and confirmation.
In the Eastern rites, they remain united
with the priest presiding at confirmation
as well as at baptism,
using oils blessed by the bishop.

Confirmation roots us more firmly in Christ.

(1291) Beyond all this, a “double anointing”
became the custom in the church at Rome
and this also facilitated the separation
of the two sacraments.
The first anointing was done by the priest
as the newly baptized came out of the water.
The second was done by the bishop.
So today in our rite of baptism
the priest still performs that first anointing,
signifying the entrance of the newly baptized
into the priestly, prophetic, and royal roles
of Christ in the church.
But when an adult is being baptized,
there is only one anointing
and it is the sacrament of confirmation,
with the baptizing priest presiding.
(1292) The Eastern practice of uniting the two
emphasizes the unity of Christian initiation.
The Latin practice of divining them
emphasizes the connection with the bishop.

Sacred Oil
(1293) We use oil to anoint.
Anointing with oil is ancient and rich in meaning.
Oil is a sign of abundance and joy,
according to the beautiful words of Psalm 23:
“You prepare a table before me…
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows!”
Oil cleanses and we bathe with it.
It limbers and we use it to soothe our muscles.
It is a sign of healing.
It soothes our bruises and wounds.
It makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength.
(1294) In the sacramental life of the church
oil carries all these meanings.
We anoint catechumens to strengthen them
and give them wisdom.
We anoint the sick,
expressing healing and comfort.
We anoint in baptism as a sign of the Spirit of Love
which is the way to holiness.
Likewise, anointing in confirmation
gives the one confirmed a more complete share
in the mission of Christ and the church.
(1295) Those confirmed are marked in this sacrament,
as at baptism,
with the seal of the Holy Spirit and the sign of faith.
(1296) Remember that in the sacraments,
it is Christ who acts on our behalf.
In confirmation, Christ puts his seal upon our hearts,
claiming us, as it were, and making us his own.
And we, for our part,
gladly receive the Spirit of Love.

How We Celebrate
(1297) The blessing of this sacred oil, then,
is really the first action of this sacrament,
even though it occurs at another time,
in another liturgy.
Bishops consecrate or bless these oils
on Holy Thursday at the Chrism Mass
which take place in every diocese.
In some dioceses, this Chrism Mass
takes place earlier in Holy Week.
(1298) In the Latin rite,
or when confirmation is separated from baptism,
the liturgy of confirmation begins
with the renewal of baptismal promises
and a profession of faith.
When adults are baptized,
they immediately receive confirmation and Eucharist.
This usually occurs at the Easter Vigil
and the presider is usually a priest.
But for young people,
Eucharist often precedes confirmation
and the celebration of confirmation normally occurs
at a time of year that is convenient
to both the local parish and the bishop.
In some dioceses, because of the great numbers,
bishops may designate a local pastor to preside.
(1299) When the bishop is present,
he extends his hands over the whole group
of those to be confirmed
and he prays for the Holy Spirit to be upon them.

The essential rite of confirmation is anointing with oil.

(1300) The essential rite of the sacrament follows.
The bishop anoints each on the forehead
with chrism, saying as he does:
“Be sealed
with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
In the Eastern rites,
several parts of the body are anointed:
forehead, eyes, nose, and ears,
lips, breast, back, hands, and feet.
(1301) The rite concludes with the sign of peace,
which signifies the union of the bishop
with all the faithful.

(1302) God is Divine Love,
revealed to us fully in Christ,
the Son of this Love.
The Spirit of Love is poured fully into our hearts,
awakening in us the seeds of eternity
and continuing the miracle of Pentecost
in our own day and age.
(1303) Hence, we can say that confirmation
roots us more deeply in love,
unites us more closely to Christ,
increases in us the gifts of the Spirit,
and binds us more tightly to the church.
Because of confirmation we receive a special strength
to live our faith more fully,
to witness to what we believer,
and never to be ashamed of dying and rising
in Jesus Christ.
(1304-1305) Like baptism, confirmation is received only once
because it marks us permanently in faith.

Who is Confirmed?
(1306) Everyone who is baptized
but not yet confirmed
should receive this sacrament.
Without it, baptism is still valid
and we are members of the church
but initiation is incomplete.
(1307) In the Latin rite, young adulthood is the normal age
to receive this sacrament
but children in danger of death
may also be confirmed.
(1308) This sacrament is not meant to mark
entry into “adult faith.”
Spiritual maturity is not linked to chronological age.
Indeed, living the mystery of our faith:
dying in Christ,
rising to new life,
and living daily life in the Spirit
begins at baptism.
Many young people achieve this maturity.

(1309) In the Latin rite where confirmation and baptism
are separated by several years,
preparation for confirmation is important.
It should focus on the ever deeper “conversion”
or the turning of our hearts to Christ.
It should prepare the Christian
to work in the mission of the church
and awaken a sense of belonging.
(1310) In the final period of preparation
those to be confirmed should undergo
a sort of retreat and cleansing of the heart.
They should be aware that God who is Divine Love
is communicating God’s own self to them
and revealing to them the divine heart.
In a word,
they should be aware
that they are “living in grace.”
Preparation might include sacramental reconciliation,
intense prayer,
and personal reflection.
(1311) Finally, those preparing for confirmation
should seek the help of a companion or sponsor,
if possible, a baptismal godparent.
In the end, for those in the Latin rite,
preparation should result in persons
who are ready to receive this sacrament freely
once they are old enough.
They should be living in grace,
desire the sacrament,
and be ready to assume the role of disciple.

Who Presides?
(1312) In the Eastern rites,
the priest presides at this sacrament,
using sacred chrism blessed by the bishop,
expressing the unity of the church.
In the Latin rite, the same is true
when confirmation is received by adults
who are being baptized at the same time,
or who are being received into full communion
from another Christian church
which does not have valid confirmation.
(1313) In danger of death,
priests, of course, may confirm at any time.
(1314) In all other settings,
the bishop presides at confirmation
unless, as we said above,
he designates a local pastor to preside.
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