TOS037 The Sacraments–Confirmation with Patti Brunner
For audio TOS037: The Sacraments – Confirmation – Truth of the Spirit (podcast) | Listen Notes
Join Patti Brunner for Confirmation, from the new Truth of the Spirit series “The Eucharist and Other Sacraments”. This first episode introduces the concept of sacrament and begins with the Sacrament of Confirmation. The flow of the Spirit and the Spirit’s gifts is taught by the Catechism to take root at the decision to be open to God. The sacraments –the signs-of initiation of Baptism and Confirmation witness the choice and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Patti Brunner finds truth within the Catechism; the truth is potential. Each person who receives the sign of the Presence of God among us receives the potential to change the world. Week by week, day by day, hour by hour, the Holy Spirit dwells within those confirmed in the faith. This indelible mark is eternal; it should be clearly visible by the life led by those who have received it. The sign provides power and strength to wall always in the grace of the Lord.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is as much a confirmation of His choice as it is of yours. Like a renewal of marriage vows this ritual seals what has already taken place. Some at Baptism are ready for this fullness, and some who receive this sacrament are not mature yet, but nevertheless are sealed with it and the opportunity for these graces is made present. Patti Brunner shares her personal experience that when she received this sacrament it was a ritual of time and culture but the seal stayed with her as did the most Holy Spirit, and when she opened her heart to the Lord the graces that awaited the moment, flooded her heart. Through Confirmation the Lord says to us: “I am with you. I remain with you. You are mine and I am yours.”
Welcome to a new series called The Eucharist and Other Sacraments. I’m Patti Brunner. The Catechism [#1118] says the Church is the sacrament of Christ’s action at work in her. The sacraments are of the Church in the double sense that they are “by her” and “for her”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #1308 tells us that “Although Confirmation is sometimes called the “sacrament of Christian maturity,” we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need “ratification” to become effective.
Sacraments are the sign of God‘s presence in the Church. The Holy Spirit, the Giver of Gifts, is present in each of the sacraments. This awareness has fallen from view as we routinely approach the sacraments. In today’s religious formation the “fire” seems to be replaced by lukewarm acceptance. Why must the flame lie dormant until stirred into a flame? Is the Church embarrassed by exuberance? Or has materialism, selfishness and laziness dampered the flame? The Truth is meant to set people free. Why then is the truth of the Spirit within the Sacrament of Confirmation not explode into flame? Where are the young adults and teens? Why do they not step forward in love of Jesus to change the world away from the decadence that surfaces all over the world?
In our current times we seem to approach the sacraments more as a coming of age experience instead of a mystical experience that can change the very world in which we live.
A baby just born? We need to plan a party and find a fancy baptismal gown.
2nd Grade? Let’s start looking for a First Communion outfit.
First Reconciliation? Just get it over with so you can wear your First Communion outfit.
You are a teenager? Here’s some saint names to choose from. Found someone to marry? It’s all about the dress, the flowers, the party and the pictures.
When we are dying, we don’t even remember to call a priest for that thing they used to do in movies during war pictures.
We totally miss the truth that the Sacraments are gifts given to us to sanctify Christians to live exemplary lives. As we find those special outfits to receive the sacraments we need to know that we are putting on Christ!
The truth is potential. Each person who receives the sign of the Presence of God among us receives the potential to change the world just as Augustine, Francis of Assisi, and Teresa of Calcutta did. It is the same sweet Spirit that dwelled in the heart of each martyr who laid down their life rather than deny Christ. Do we have a generation who imitates Judas rather than Peter?
What potential is in your heart right now?
I was in the 2nd grade when I was confirmed. I vaguely remember some of my training about being a soldier of Christ, and being told we had to be ready in case the Bishop asked us a question. I wore my First Communion dress, I chose St. Helen as my confirmation saint, and received a gold cross necklace from my sponsor that was then blessed by the bishop as we stood outside lined up waiting to be allowed into the church.
I stood with children from three grades, because the bishop came every three years to confirm at our church. My teacher had prepared us for a little slap on the cheek by the Bishop as a witness of becoming a soldier of Christ. That didn’t happen.
The Bishop just touched my forehead. Looking back, I didn’t realize then how significant each of these things could have been for me. For me Confirmation was done because of my age. For years I did not live up to my potential. I did not know truth.
I realize now that I needed to take classes to be confirmed because Confirmation is a sacrament of maturity in the Spirit after our birth as a Christian through Baptism. Even after confirmation our need for formation is ongoing. We will never know the fullness God; there is always more.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph #1308 tells us that “Although Confirmation is sometimes called the “sacrament of Christian maturity,” we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth,
nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need “ratification” to become effective.
St. Thomas reminds us of this: Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: “For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years.” Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood. [126]”
CCC #2473 “Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of the faith: it means bearing witness even unto death.”
CCC #1309 “Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit—his actions, his gifts, and his biddings—in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands.[127]”
We have sponsors for Confirmation because we need the Christian community to help us grow in our faith.
I wore my First Communion dress for my confirmation because I had made my First Communion that morning and it was the nicest dress I had. I see now that wearing what looked like a bride’s dress, which was a symbol of being one with Jesus as a bride of Christ, was also a reminder that I was one with the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, too. Being a Bride of Christ, a full member of the Church, also links to the sacrament of Matrimony.
Throughout the universe there are creations that give God glory. He chose to be in my heart.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is as much a confirmation of His choice as it is of mine. Like a renewal of marriage vows this Confirmation ritual seals what has already taken place through Baptism.
When the Bishop touched my forehead, it was to anoint me with chrism. The bishop sealed within me the Holy Spirit. “This seal [CCC #698] indicates the indelible effect of the anointing with the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders”. Each received only once but lasting forever!
It didn’t dawn on me at the time but the little gold cross I received symbolized my agreement to be a witness for Christ even through persecution.
I didn’t stop and think that it was the sacrificial death of Christ on the Cross that allowed my sins to be forgiven so that the Holy Spirit might dwell within me.
[CCC #2472] “The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. This witness is a transmission of the faith –in words and deeds. Witness is an act of justice that establishes the truth or makes it known.[269]
“All Christians by the example of their lives and the witness of their word, wherever they live, have an obligation to manifest the new man which they have put on in Baptism and to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit by whom they were strengthened at Confirmation.[270]”
As a child, I learned: that only the bishop could confirm me, but I didn’t realize that his power was a direct line to the apostles who were ordained by Christ to distribute his grace to me.
CCC #1120 “…The ordained priesthood guarantees that it really is Christ who acts in the sacraments through the Holy Spirit for the Church. The saving mission entrusted by the Father to his incarnate Son was committed to the apostles and through them to their successors: they receive the Spirit of Jesus to act in his name and in his person.39 The ordained minister is the sacramental bond that ties the liturgical action to what the apostles said and did and, through them, to the words and actions of Christ, the source and foundation of the sacraments.”
As I prepared for this talk, I was surprised to discovered that
CCC #1314 “If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest can give him Confirmation. [134] Indeed the Church desires that none of her children, even the youngest, should depart this world without having been perfected by the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ’s fullness.”
When I received this sacrament it was a ritual of time and culture but the seal stayed with me as did the most Holy Spirit.
In John’s Gospel chapter 6 vs 27, [CCC #1296] Christ himself declared that he was marked with his Father’s seal. [John 6:27]
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter 1 [1:21-22]
“It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” [109] This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial.[110]
Almost 40 years after I received the seal of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, by his grace I decided to accept whatever he wanted to give me.
The Lord opened my heart to the graces that awaited the moment, and they flooded my heart.
The flow of the Spirit and the Spirit’s gifts took root at this decision to be open to God. This event is popularly called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is not a new sacrament but the fulfillment of what was promised from the Sacraments already received and sealed.
And I started living up to my potential.
The word ‘sacrament’ means “sign”. A sign points to something real– beyond itself. A street sign is not a street but points out the real street.
A major theme in the Gospel of John is the signs given by Jesus. These include The Wedding at Cana, The Healing of the Official’s Son, The Healing of the Paralytic, The Feeding of the 5000, The Healing of the Blind Man, The Raising of Lazarus, and The Resurrection. We can study Christ’s great signs and find depth beyond face value. Jesus’ power in the signs still touches us in and through the Sacraments. Theologians such as John Bergsma tie each of the 7 sacraments listed by our church-Baptism, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders to seven signs given by Jesus and identified as signs in the Gospel of John.
The big picture of sacrament involves the Church.
The structure of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is built on the information in paragraph 738 that the “Church’s mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity.”
The Catechism continues: [CCC #739] “Because the Holy Spirit is the anointing of Christ, it is Christ who, as the head of the Body, pours out the Spirit among his members to nourish, heal, and organize them in their mutual functions, to give them life, send them to bear witness, and associate them to his self-offering to the Father and to his intercession for the whole world. Through the Church’s sacraments, Christ communicates his Holy and sanctifying Spirit to the members of his Body.”
[CCC #740] “These “mighty works of God,” offered to believers in the sacraments of the Church, bear their fruit in the new life in Christ, according to the Spirit.”
[CCC #1127]. The Council of Trent (in the year1547) agreed that “Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify.”[48] “They are efficacious because in them Christ himself is at work: it is he who baptizes, he who acts in his sacraments in order to communicate the grace that each sacrament signifies. The Father always hears the prayer of his Son’s Church which, in the epiclesis of each sacrament, expresses her faith in the power of the Spirit. As fire transforms into itself everything it touches, so the Holy Spirit transforms into the divine life whatever is subjected to his power.
Paragraph CCC #696 says: “While water signifies birth and the fruitfulness of life given in the Holy Spirit, fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit’s actions. ..John the Baptist, proclaims Christ as the one who “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”[38] Jesus will say of the Spirit: “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!”[39]
In the form of tongues “as of fire,” the Holy Spirit rests on the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself. [40] …”
CCC #1128 “This is the meaning of the Church’s affirmation [49] that the sacraments act … “by the very fact of the action’s being performed” …by virtue of the saving work of Christ, accomplished once for all. It follows that” as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us “the sacrament is not wrought by the righteousness of either the celebrant or the recipient, but by the power of God.”[50]
“From the moment that a sacrament is celebrated in accordance with the intention of the Church, the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through it, independently of the personal holiness of the minister.
“Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.”
The Catechism paragraph 1310 says: “To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace.One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strength and graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act.[128]”
I truly believe that I was in the state of grace when I was confirmed. However, there was no intense prayer. I was not prepared to be docile and ready to hit the ground running with the fire of God. These things were present when I was Baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The Church tells us in Paragraph 1123 “The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the Body of Christ and, finally, to give worship to God. Because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it. That is why they are called ‘sacraments of faith.’”[44 SC]
CCC #1287 “… On several occasions Christ promised this outpouring of the Spirit,[95] a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost.[96] Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim “the mighty works of God,”
“and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age.[97] Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn.[98]”
From the New Testament’s account we know that the outpouring of the Spirit was manifested by speaking in tongues and various other charisms.
CCC #1288 “From that time on the apostles, in fulfillment of Christ’s will, imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit that completes the grace of Baptism.”
“For this reason in the Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on of hands is listed among the first elements of Christian instruction. The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church.” [99]
It says in Acts 8:14-17 [1315] “Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit”
It was the sign of the spontaneous outpouring of the gifts of the Spirit upon Gentile believers that helped the Apostles discern that non-Jews were also called to be baptized Christians.
CCC #1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.[89] For “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”[90]
The maturity of the receiver allows for the fullness of grace to give witness. Some at Baptism are ready for this fullness—as shown by the outward and spiritual signs of tongues flowing. And some who receive this sacrament are not mature yet, but nevertheless are sealed with it and the opportunity for these graces are made present.
Week by week, day by day, hour by hour, the Holy Spirit dwells within those Confirmed in the faith. This indelible mark is eternal; it should be clearly visible by the life led by those who have received it. The sign provides power and strength to always “wall in” the grace of the Lord. “A Soldier of Christ”—this designation is not understood. When received as a cultural ritual it is looked upon as a coming of age rather than an empowerment to step forward to the front line of the battle between good and evil. Have you not seen how hard the devil works on the newly confirmands?
Satan understands the potential and so he strives to quench the flame to keep the truth pushed down to the ground where he can build his secular kingdom such as the temptations against Jesus in the 40 days after his baptism/confirmation.
The devil could not sway Jesus. Jesus immediately returned to provide the truth of truth in his words and actions. After these, Jesus began to exhibit the truth of the Kingdom of God by healing and all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit. He shows us the Way. He gave us signs. He placed signs to show us the way. He gave us Sacraments.
CCC #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.
What does Confirmation do for us? Let me repeat what I have already said by reading from Paragraph 1303:
CCC #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!”;[117]
— 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;[118]
— 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:[119]
“Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God’s presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts. [120]”
Each week during this series, we will bring to mind what the sacraments are and demonstrate how they impact our lives as Christians. They are not something to tick off a list. They are gifts of God’s presence to cherish and are nourishment to our souls, even life to our souls. They are given to help us to show us the path of eternal life.
Each of the Sacraments we have ever received are present within us right now. Let us hear the voice of the Lord say to us, “I am with you. I remain with you. You are mine and I am yours. AMEN.
Discussion Questions
- Share something you remember about your own Confirmation. What significance can you give to that memory?
- Has Confirmation lit a fire in your life? Has anything else?
- What signs have you used to share Christ’s Way with others?
- Are you living up to your potential from the Sacraments you have received?
- Comment on tonight’s talk.
