On the Mystagogy of Confirmation
Pope Francis speaks of one of the effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation that it fosters a sense of unity in the Church. He says “the Sacrament of Confirmation is ordinarily conferred by the diocesan Bishop, who, as a successor of the Apostles, is charged with fostering the Church’s unity through the rich diversity of the Spirit’s gifts”. Even if a delegated Priest administers the Sacrament, the Chrism used to anoint, must have been blessed by the Bishop during the Mass of the Chrism on Holy Thursday. Unity with the Bishop demonstrates the effects of Confirmation that unites us to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ.
Before the actual conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation, there must first be a renewal of baptismal vows and profession of faith. In infant baptism, the parents and godparents answered for the child. In Confirmation, the confirmand now makes the vows and profession of faith. Having reached the age of discretion, the confirmand willfully declares on her/his own, that she/he rejects Satan and sin, and professes faith in the Triune God and the Catholic Church.
The Bishop then stretches his hands, the gesture signifying the outpouring of the Spirit, over those to receive the Sacrament and invokes the Holy Spirit to descend upon them and fill them with His gift. Particularly, “the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Right Judgement (Counsel) and Courage (Fortitude), the Spirit of Knowledge and Reverence (Piety), and the Spirit of Wonder and Awe (Fear of the Lord)”. These we know as the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The most essential part of the rite follows: The Laying on of Hands and the Anointing with Chrism. The Bishop lays his hand on the confirmand and with the Chrism, draws the Sign of the Cross on the forehead while saying, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”.
To conclude the Sacrament of Confirmation proper is the Sign of Peace. The Bishop, tapping the cheek of the confirmand says to her/him, “Peace be with you” and the confirmand replies “and with your Spirit”. This gesture of tapping the cheek, as it were, signifies that the one who was Confirmed can now witness or stand up for the faith and defend it with her/his life, even when persecuted for the faith, reminiscent of the martyrs who accepted death rather than apostatize or turn their back on the Faith.
It is sad to hear that nowadays, many would renounce their Catholic Faith for trivial, even capricious reasons. Once, a former altar boy told me that he would “transfer” to another faith because his girlfriend’s religion requires it so. There were some too, who, in order to be exempted from religious tax imposed by the State, would declare that they are atheists or of no religion so that no deduction shall be made from their salary and thus earn more. It is good to remember the Filipino St. Lorenzo Ruiz, who, in a foreign land, suffered great ordeals and died a horrendous slow death for the Catholic Faith. Amidst almost unimaginable torture, St. Lorenzo Ruiz even declared, “I am a Christian… and if I have a thousand lives, I would gladly offer all of them to God”.
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