CONFIRMATION

2nd Chapter of the Book of Acts

"When Pentecost day came round, they had all met together, when suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues as of fire; these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves.

Now there were devout men living in Jerusalem from every nation under heaven, and at this sound they all assembled, and each one was bewildered to hear these men speaking his own language.  They were amazed and astonished.  'Surely,' they said, 'all these men speaking are Galileans?  How does it happen that each of us hears them in his own native language?  Parthians, Medes and Elamites; people from Mesopotamia, Judaea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya round Cyrene; residents of Rome---Jews and proselytes alike---Cretans and Arabs, we hear them preaching in our own language about the marvels of God.'  Everyone was amazed and perplexed; they asked one another what it all meant.  Some, however, laughed it off.  ' They have been drinking too much new wine,' they said.  

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed them in a loud voice:   "Men of Judaea, and all you who live in Jerusalem, make no mistake about this; but listen carefully to what I say.  These men are not drunk, as you imagine; why, it is only the third hour of the day.  On the contrary, this is what the prophet was saying:

In the last days --- the Lord declares ---

  I shall pour out my Spirit on all humanity.  Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young people shall see visions, your old people dream dreams.  Even on the slaves, men and women, shall I pour out my Spirit.  I will show portents in the sky above and signs on the earth below.  The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the day of the Lord comes, that great and terrible Day.  And all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

' Men of Israel, listen to what I am going to say:  Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you know.  This man, who was put into your power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had crucified and killed by men outside the Law.  But God raised him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades; for it was impossible for him to be held in its power since, as David ssays of him:  

I kept  the Lord before my sight always, for with him at my right hand nothing can shake me.  So my heart rejoiced my tongue delighted; my body, too, will rest secure, for you will not abandon me to Hades or allow your holy one to see corruption.  You have taught me the way of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence. 

' Brothers, no one can deny that the patriarch David himself is dead and buried:  his tomb is still with us.  But since he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn him an oath to make one of his descendants succeed him on the throne, he spoke with foreknowledge about the resurrection of the Christ:  he is the one who was not abandoned to Hades, and whose body did not see corruption.  God raised this man Jesus to life, and of that we are all witnesses.  Now raised to the heights by God's right hand, he has received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit.  For David himself never went up to heaven, but yet he said:

The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand, till I have made your enemies your footstool.

For this reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that the Lord and Christ whom God has made is this Jesus whom you crucified.' "

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The Day of Pentecost  image  is from The Learning Company, Inc. (TLC).   The image is for viewing purposes only; it may not be downloaded or copied.  Christian Graphics available from Broderbund at http://www.broderbund.com

 

The following is from the Book A TOUR OF THE SUMMA, by Msgr. Paul J. Glenn, published by TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS.  The teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas on the subject of CONFIRMATION. Used with permission.

Summa Theologica [IIIa] The Third Part, Question 72.

(QUESTION 72)

72. CONFIRMATION

1. The sacraments of the New Law are instituted to produce special effects of grace. Now, there is a special perfection in coming to full strength and maturity. To produce this effect of grace in the spiritual order, there exists a special sacrament called confirmation.

2. The matter of the sacrament of confirmation (that is, the material used in making the sign which is to become a sacrament), is the oil called holy chrism. Oil signifies the grace of the Holy Ghost; holy chrism is oil mingled with balm or balsam, which is a preservative with a pleasing odor. Chrism is therefore suitable matter for a sacrament which brings to the soul the Holy Ghost with gifts and graces, and preserves the soul in right living as "the good odor of Christ" (II Cor. 2:15).

3. The chrism used in confirmation is olive oil mingled with balsam, blessed or consecrated by a bishop previous to its use in the sacrament of confirmation.

4. Unless Scripture itself gives the form (that is, the determinate set of words used in confecting or conferring a sacrament), the Church prescribes that form. The Church always selects words which express precisely the meaning and reality of the sacrament. In the Latin rite the form of the sacrament of confirmation, uttered by the confirming prelate as he applies the matter by anointing the forehead of the candidate, is the following: "I sign thee with the sign of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

5. Confirmation imprints a character on the soul, as do all those sacraments which permanently fit and constitute a person for service and action in the worship of God; hence, confirmation can be received only once. As baptism permanently equips a man for living by grace, confirmation equips him for successful combat against the enemies of his soul and of the faith. Confirmation gives a man the power of the soldier of Christ. It impresses this power upon him as an indelible character.

6. The character imprinted by confirmation presupposes, of necessity, the baptismal character. For confirmation is to baptism as full growth is to birth; no one can attain maturity unless he first be born.

7. As we saw in the first part of this work (Ia, q. 43), the Holy Ghost is "sent" by way of sanctifying grace. In confirmation, the Holy Ghost is "sent" or given to those confirmed, and therefore brings them sanctifying grace.

8. The age of the body does not affect the soul. One can attain to spiritual birth by baptism even in old age. And one can attain to spiritual maturity by confirmation, even in early youth.

9. The person being confirmed is anointed with chrism on the forehead, so that he may show to all that he is a Christian, fearless of all the enemies of Christ.

10. The person confirmed is made a soldier of Christ. Now, a new soldier needs instruction in the warfare he is to wage. For this reason, the person confirmed has a sponsor to teach him. Again, since it is confirmation that gives full growth and strength, the person coming to be confirmed is still little and weak, and needs to be upheld by another; hence, he needs a sponsor.

11. The sacrament of confirmation is regularly administered by a bishop. It is, of course, within the power and jurisdiction of the pope to delegate priests to administer confirmation. Priests possess the power to confirm because of their priestly order, but they have not the right, the jurisdiction to use that power, without the delegation mentioned.

12. The rite or ceremony with which confirmation is administered is appropriate. Even in such matters, the Church manifests the guidance of the Holy Ghost.