July 3, 1998
The feast of
St.
Thomas the Apostle
My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
In the Book of the Acts (Acts 11:26), we read that
after Saul and Barnabas had instructed the Church of Antioch for a year,
Gentiles and Jews of this new mixed community were called “Christians” for
the first time. “Anointed
Ones”! That is the literal
meaning of the Greek word describing men and women “filled with the Holy
Spirit and faith” who were added to the Lord.
Like Christ they were anointed in power and grace.
The passage very concretely describes the outcome of
Christian Initiation: A people,
filled with the Holy Spirit and faith, united to the Lord Jesus.
In my mind, the Second Vatican Council impacted the Sacraments of
Initiation more than any other Sacraments.
The Church is the community of the baptized, present in the world of
every age to make Christ present. Through
Eucharistic life we believers faithfully renew the Christ event in the world
and in our own hearts.
For a number of years, there has been much discussion
and pastoral study among pastoral ministers, pastors, the Presbyteral and
Pastoral Councils about the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Confirmation,
and Eucharist. While often the
center of the discussion has been Confirmation, always the discussion has
really centered about the relationship between these three Sacraments, their
place in Christian tradition, their meaning, their theology; their proper
order, and the appropriate circumstances for their celebration.
This last year, I asked these same leaders to join in a more formal,
structured dialogue about diocesan sacramental practices.
From this dialogue, it is now time for me, as Bishop,
to set a clear direction about the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation
in our Diocese. From the
discussions four things were very clear: 1)
It is not good for the people of the Diocese (or really even the whole
Church in the
United States
) to have a diversity
of practice for the celebration of Confirmation.
2) The catechized meaning
of the grace of the Sacrament of Confirmation should be consistent with the
ritual celebration. 3)
The celebration of Eucharist is the end point of Christian Initiation
and Christian life. And 4) the
relationship between Eucharistic faith and family faith must be strengthened
in every way possible.
As a result, in dialogue with the consultative
bodies, I have prepared a new policy which sets a common policy for the
Diocese. At the heart of the
policy is a piece of Christian tradition which has never been fully
articulated as a norm in our age: that Confirmation should be celebrated
before a baptized person receives the Eucharist.
This norm clearly belongs to the tradition of the East.
This norm was accepted and presupposed before the beginning of this
century. This norm has been
clearly stated in Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults and in the Rites
for accepting persons baptized in other Christian churches into full communion
with the Catholic Church.
The recent restatement of the Universal law of the
Church which sets the appropriate age for the celebration of Confirmation for
those baptized as infants as the “age of discretion,” the same requirement
as for Eucharistic participation, leads me to frame our diocesan policy around
the proper sequence of the celebration of the sacraments.
Confirmation in the Spirit leads to the completion of Initiation in
Eucharistic life and communion. This
norm is simple, meaningful, and faithful to the living traditions of the
Church. It will be the common
policy of our Diocese. In one
statement: all the baptized are to
receive the laying on of hands and the anointing with Sacred Chrism before
participating in the Eucharistic Life of the Church.
As we move toward the celebration of the Year of
Jubilee, I am asking all the faith communities of the Diocese to move toward
implementation of this policy. For
some communities, pastoral practice already reflects the new policy.
Nonetheless, I urge these parishes to provide a renewed catechesis on
the sacraments of initiation. Many
faithful Catholics have not yet completed Christian initiation through the
sacrament of Confirmation. They
need to receive the anointing with sacred Chrism so that their bond of
communion at the table of the Lord will be recognized as a communion in the
Spirit and in the faith entrusted to the universal Church through the ministry
of the apostles. To facilitate the
conferral of this sacrament, I am prepared to celebrate Confirmation at every
pastoral visitation of parishes. Furthermore,
I have given pastors the faculty to confirm adults who have not completed
initiation at the Easter Vigil celebrations of the years 1999 and 2000.
For other communities, this policy calls for
establishing a new pattern for the celebration of Confirmation and First
Eucharist. I ask their pastors to
carefully and faithfully lead your communities toward this common practice for
our diocese. I will do all in my
power to assist in the necessary “catch up” celebrations for children and
adolescents.
In addition, I ask all communities to reevaluate the
role of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparing for the completion of
Initiation. Reconciliation is not
part of the initiation pattern, but it is part of the preparation for faithful
Eucharistic living.
My sisters and brothers, for some of you this is a
piece of Catholic tradition with which you are not very familiar.
I am very humble and honest in noting that while the traditional
sequence of the Sacraments is very clear, the pastoral practice of
confirmation for those baptized in infancy in the last hundred years has not
been consistent with that tradition. As
a Bishop, I feel that the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Eucharist may have
suffered because of this. For this
reason, I am deeply committed to this renewal of the order of celebration of
the Sacraments for all without exception.
It is a pastoral practice that is clear, unambiguous, and faithful to
an enduring understanding of the Sacraments.
I have shared my decision with my brother bishops in our province and
region. We have had many
discussions about this matter.
I am grateful to all those who have assisted me in
working toward this decision. I
pray that this common practice will lead all who are involved in the
catechetical ministries of the Church to a faithful and consistent
proclamation of the good news of the gift of grace.
This is a great opportunity to focus our celebration of the Jubilee on
our very identity as Catholics and as a Eucharistic people.
We are anointed in the power of the Spirit.
It is the work of God, free and ever gracious.
It is a mystery which we celebrate in faith.
It is a mystery which is always and primarily the work of God for us in
Christ Jesus. It is the mystery of
the sacredness of our Eucharistic life. May
this mystery reflect faithfully in our Christian living.
William S. Skylstad
Bishop of
Spokane
POLICY
REGARDING THE COMPLETION OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
FOR BAPTIZED CATHOLICS
“Those who have been baptized continue on the path
of Christian initiation through the sacrament of Confirmation.
In this sacrament they receive the Holy Spirit, who was sent upon the
apostles by the Lord on Pentecost. This
giving of the Holy Spirit conforms the believers more perfectly to Christ and
strengthens them so that they may bear witness to Christ for the building up
of his body in faith and love. They
are so marked with the character or seal of the Lord that the sacrament of
Confirmation cannot be repeated.” (Introduction
to the Rite, #1 and #2).
In his Apostolic Constitution, Pope Paul VI reminded
the Church that the reform of this Sacrament by the Second Vatican Council had
as its primary aim that “the intimate connection which this sacrament has
with the whole of Christian initiation should be more lucidly set forth.”
The Holy Father went on to teach that:
“the link between Confirmation and the other sacraments of initiation
is shown forth more clearly not only by closer association of these
sacraments, but also by the rite and words by which Confirmation in
conferred.” (Apostolic
Constitution).
After a significant time of diverse practice within
the Diocese of Spokane, I have carried out a very serious inquiry among
pastors and pastoral agents within the Diocese, especially in the regional
meetings during 1997 – 1998. The
one common request in this dialogue is to unify the practice of the
celebration of this sacrament in the diocese.
The policy given below responds to this concern.
I wish to reaffirm the important values of this
policy. First, in the tradition of
the Roman Rite, the Bishop is the ordinary minister of Confirmation (Can. 882)
and the Rites of the Initiation of Adults (RCIA #44).
As a successor of the Apostles, the Bishop invites those who are
initiated to share in the sacrifice of Christ at the table of the Eucharist.
Second, the sequence of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist is an
important element in the sacramental tradition and is always to be observed as
a part of our heritage. This
applies to the Initiation of Adults, the Initiation of Children of
Catechetical Age and the Initiation of Children Baptized in Infancy.
The tradition of the Roman Rite has consistently
affirmed this tradition. In the
last 100 years Pope Leo XIII, the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the 1952 response of
the Commission of the Code of Canon law, and the 1983 Code have manifested the
Roman preference for the celebration of the sequence of the sacraments, namely
that Confirmation should precede the reception of the Holy Eucharist.
After the Second Vatican Council, the restored rite for the celebration
of Confirmation reaffirmed that “with regard to children, in the Latin
Church the administration of Confirmation is generally postponed until about
the seventh year. For pastoral
reasons, especially to strengthen the faithful in complete obedience to Christ
the Lord and in loyal testimony to him, episcopal conferences may choose an
age which seems more appropriate, so that the sacrament is given at a more
mature age after appropriate formation.”
(The Rite of Confirmation, #11).
Up to the present time, the Conference of Bishops of
the
United States
has not established
a national norm for a more mature age at which Confirmation is to be
conferred. Diverse practices have
developed across the dioceses of the country.
While I affirm my respect for this diversity and the right of local
bishops to develop diocesan statutes in accord with Conference policy, it is
my hope and prayer that a national norm will one day be established that is
faithful to the traditional sequence of the Sacraments of Initiation.
In light of the present circumstances,
I am mandating
that the practice specified by the Rite of Confirmation and the Code of Canon
Law becomes the normative practice followed in the Diocese of Spokane:
“The sacrament of confirmation is to be conferred on the faithful at
about the age of discretion unless the conference of bishops determines
another age or there is danger of death or in the judgment of the minister a
grave cause urges otherwise.” (Canon
891).
In order that the sacramental practice of our Diocese
might better reflect this canonical norm, I ask that by Pentecost Sunday of
the year 2000, all the faithful who are regular participants in Holy Communion
will also have been confirmed. I
am also establishing a discipline for the reception of First Holy Communion by
Catholic children that is in conformity with this norm.
I.
Completion of Initiation for Catholic Children:
1. All the
baptized who have attained the age of discretion and seek admission to the
Eucharistic table are to first be confirmed in the Spirit by the imposition of
hands and anointing of the Sacred Chrism.
This norm is effective immediately and is to be fully implemented by
January 1, 2000.
2. Catechesis
regarding the Sacraments of Initiation, including the integral relationship
between Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist shall be included in the
curriculum of religion classes, and be regularly repeated to remind the fully
initiated of their dignity and life in Christ.
Catechesis concerning the Sacrament of Penance and the integral
relationship of one’s moral life to the sacramental life shall also be
presented. Children must be
invited to confess their sins in the sacrament of Penance prior to completion
of Initiation.
3. Children
as young as seven may suitably begin proximate preparation for Confirmation
and Eucharist. This extended
period of catechesis shall be conducted in a parish-centered program which
includes the participation of parents. Children
are ready to complete their initiation when they can renew the promises of
their baptism, understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity,
and receive the Body and Blood of the Lord with faith and devotion.
This catechesis may be extended over one or two years.
4. It is
primarily the responsibility of parents to see that their children who have
attained the use of reason are correctly prepared for the completion of
initiation.
In exercising this
responsibility in collaboration with their pastor, parents are not to be
guided merely by the age of their child or grade in school.
Rather, the child’s disposition, commitment and readiness to fully
share in the faith of the Christian community must be made manifest.
When children are members of families who do not regularly share in the
Sunday Eucharist, the preparation program should present a very strong effort
to evangelize the whole family toward a renewal of Eucharistic participation.
It is the most sacred and serious responsibility of parents to
themselves bear witness to the absolute necessity of Eucharistic life as the
sign of communion with Christ and the Church.
It is inappropriate for parents to expect that the sacraments of
initiation can be completed when sacramental life is lacking in the family.
II.
Completion of Initiation for adult Catholics:
1. I ask
that pastors invite adults not yet confirmed but who regularly participate in
the Eucharist to complete their Christian initiation.
Normally, this invitation may be accompanied by minimal if any,
catechetical formation.
2.
To
provide adequate opportunities for conferral of this sacrament, I will
celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation on the occasion of parish pastoral
visits. I also grant pastors the
faculty to confirm adult parishioners at the Easter Vigil of 1999 and 2000.
3.
When
the Rites of Christian Initiation are celebrated at the Easter Vigil, all the
elect who have reached catechetical age are to be fully initiated, receiving
the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.
Baptized non-Catholics of catechetical age who are received into full
communion are to be confirmed and admitted to the Eucharistic table.
On the occasion of the Easter Vigil, pastors also are granted the
faculty to confirm uncatechized Catholics who have participated in the RCIA
program of the parish.
III.
Renewal of Baptismal Faith
Every fully initiated member of the Christian
community is annually called to solemnly renew one’s commitment to the
promises made in baptism. Each
year all parishes shall celebrate this Easter renewal of our faith with full
deliberation and attention to the liturgy and symbols of baptism.
I remind pastors of their responsibility to diligently preach about the
relationship of this annual renewal of our baptismal promises to the gift of
grace poured out upon the faithful at their initiation into the life of the
risen Christ at Baptism and Confirmation, and in each and every celebration of
the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
Approved
on the Feats of
St. Thomas
the Apostle
July 3, 1998
William S. Skylstad
Bishop of
Spokane
An Historical
Overview Of Christian Initiation
In the Time of the
Apostles
People
who heard the preaching of the Apostles and believed were immediately
baptized. The Apostles would lay hands upon them and they would become part of
the community. Whole families were accepted into the community. (Cf. e.g.,
Acts 2, 37-39; 10, 44-48; 16, 14-15; 16, 30-33; 19, 1-7; 1Cor 1, 16.)
In the Second
Century
By
this time, a process for Christian Initiation began to develop a pattern.
Baptism was administered at a place with running water; the newly baptized
were brought to the bishop to be anointed with oil to complete their baptism;
then the neophytes joined the community for the first time in the Eucharist.
In the Fourth Century
From
the time of the Edict of Milan under the Emperor Constantine (313 A.D.),
Christianity was no longer a persecuted religion. Many sought to become
Christians, and a highly developed catechumenate or process of
preparation for baptism emerged. This time of preparation usually lasted two
or more years, but sometimes people remained catechumens for many
years. Lent was the period of final preparation for the elect, those
chosen by the Bishop for initiation. At the Easter Vigil, their baptism and
anointing by the bishop culminated in the first celebration of the Eucharist
with the community.
In the Christian
West during the Migration of People
When
the Germanic tribes and other populations moved into the Western Roman Empire,
most of them became Christians. But the decline of the Empire brought
significant social changes. Numerous villages sprung up outside of
metropolitan areas. The bishops, who lived in the larger cities, infrequently
visited the villages. Priests baptized children and those who wished to become
Christians. They would have to wait for the bishop to come to be anointed with
the sacred chrism. This might take place years later. Eventually laws were
established that this anointing of children baptized by the priests should
take place when they were about seven years old.
In the Reformation
The
Protestant reformers found insufficient evidence of a command from the Lord
for bishops to anoint the newly baptized. They rejected the sacrament that was
now called Confirmation as part of the heritage of the Christian community.
In the 20th
Century
In
1910, Pope Pius X brought about a great change. He legislated that children as
young as seven should be permitted to receive the Eucharist. Prior to this, it
was customary for a child to be baptized in infancy, confirmed at eight or
nine, and to receive First Communion at age 14. Thus, the traditional order of
initiation was maintained. But with the new practice established by Pius X,
Confirmation became dissociated from baptism and the Eucharist as part of
Christian initiation. Instead, Confirmation seemed to stand on its own. It was
sometimes referred to as the “sacrament of Christian maturity.” Customs for
the age of Confirmation varied widely with some places postponing the
sacrament until 17 or 18.
At
times, the relationship of Confirmation to the Eucharist was further obscured
when even persons who had already received First Communion were confirmed
apart from the celebration of Mass.
The
Second Vatican Council decreed that the rite of Confirmation was to be revised
“so that the intimate connection of this sacrament with the whole of the
Christian initiation may more clearly appear” (SC 71). The Rite of Christian
Initiation of Adults requires that even children of catechetical age as well
as adults are to receive Confirmation and participate in the Eucharist on the
occasion of their baptism. In our day we know it is more in keeping with the
pattern of Christian initiation that those who have been baptized in infancy
be confirmed in the Spirit at the age of discretion and then complete their
incorporation into Christ through the Holy Eucharist, “the source and summit
of the Christian life.”
The Initiation of
the Children of Christians:
The Life of Faith and the Life of the Christian Family
Many
of us Catholics received the sacrament of Baptism in infancy, perhaps within
weeks of our birth. By this ancient ritual of cleansing through water and the
word, our lives were forever changed. Set free from original sin, we became
children of God. Submerged in the waters of baptism into the death of Christ,
we were raised up in the image of Christ “to walk in newness of life.” Joined
to the Body of Christ, the Church, we will not be left to our own devices to
stumble in darkness, but are assured by our parents, godparents and the
believing community that we shall be brought up in the practice of the
Catholic faith.
It is
perhaps the last of these considerations that brings the truth about baptism
beyond the realm of theological affirmation and into our lived experience.
For children who are born into a Christian family, their first experience
of faith does not take place on the day they are brought into the church to be
baptized. Rather, from the very onset, life in the midst of one’s family
begins to form a child into the image of Christ. The marital commitment of
steadfast love and fidelity; the sacrificial love of parents who bestow life
upon their children; the healing and reconciling love that renews bonds broken
by selfishness and betrayal—this giving and forgiving that constitute the
daily experience of the family is already sacramental. When viewed through the
eyes of faith, we recognize in our homes the dying and rising of Christ. Thus,
it is with good reason that the home is called the domestic Church and family
life the school of faith.
While
faith is formed and fostered in the Christian family, the Church’s Sacraments
of Initiation, confer upon us and form within us our Catholic self
understanding. This development of our identity comes about in the very manner
that these sacraments are conferred. The diocesan bishop exercises the
ministry of apostolic service for the particular Church or diocese. As
successor of the apostles, the bishop fulfills the threefold office of Christ
to sanctify, teach and govern. As a member of the college of bishops in
communion with the Holy Father, the bishop is the sacramental sign of the
Church’s unity and universality. While it would be most appropriate for the
bishop himself to preside over the rituals of initiation, it normally falls to
the local pastor or deacon to celebrate the first sacrament of initiation,
baptism. In the tradition of churches of the Eastern Rites, the priest also
confers confirmation through the anointing with myron or sacred chrism
consecrated by the bishop. In the Western or Latin Rite tradition, there are
circumstances in which presbyters may or even must confirm. But in the western
Church it is normative that Catholics baptized in infancy be sealed with the
gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hand of the bishop himself.
The custom of the Latin rite makes “the age of discretion” the reference point
for receiving Confirmation.
While
not an absolute requirement of the Church, it seems to have been the
consistent tradition that the sealing by the bishop was ordinarily done before
the baptized joined in the celebration of the Eucharist, the source and summit
of Christian life. All the other sacraments, all vocational commitments and
all Christian spirituality or the deepest meaning of our lives, find their
origin and goal in this legacy of Christian faith.
The
celebration of the initiation of the children of Christians finds its
culmination in the Holy Eucharist just as the rites for the initiation of
adults find their completion in the eucharistic sacrifice. In our diocesan
policy, therefore, we strive to structure sacramental initiation so that
Confirmation is the experience that leads our children to the table of
eucharistic life. Initially, they will come to that table with the disposition
of children. But Sunday after Sunday, year after year, they will be nourished
at that table.
Seeing
the witness of faith by the members of the Church in their parish and in their
families, they will respond in faith to the challenges that their developing
lives lay before them.
Baptism
and Confirmation impart a seal or “character” whereby the person is promised
divine protection and assured a vocation to divine worship and service of the
Church (cf. CCC 1121). These sacraments ritualize a commitment on the part of
God so they cannot be repeated, because the enduring power of God’s promises
cannot be doubted. However, matters are not so secure from our side of the
covenant. We cannot presume our absolute adherence to the life of Christ.
Rather, according to the Gospel mandate we pick up our cross each day to
follow him who is Lord and Savior. In this spirituality, the Eucharistic
affirmation, the “Amen” we make to the Body and Blood of Christ, is our sign
of commitment for today. It is our free and faithful response here and now to
the one who is always and everywhere awaiting our “yes” to the offer of divine
love. On God’s part, this offer is assured and irrevocable; but our response
can only be given day by day. It is through our fidelity to the eucharistic
table and to eucharistic life that the constancy of God’s offer of love is
affirmed in the response of the beloved.
Questions and
Answers
What
are the Sacraments of Initiation?
Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist, the foundations of every
Christian life, are the sacraments of Christian initiation. Through these
sacraments we are born anew, enriched with the gift of the Holy Spirit and
receive ongoing nourishment of this new life in the Body of Christ.
What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is the second of the three sacraments of Christian Initiation.
It is that sacrament of the Church by which persons who have been baptized are
anointed with Chrism in the laying on of hands. These persons are thereby
enriched by the Holy Spirit in continuing the path of Christian Initiation.
What is the path of
Christian Initiation which Confirmation enriches?
The
new life bestowed upon us in baptism is our incorporation into the
life-death-and-resurrection of Jesus Christ. By a certain analogy to our
natural life, this new life in Christ develops in stages as in a journey along
a path. At birth, we are welcomed into life; we are then received into a
family and become bonded to its members. (We might think of how an adopted
child receives, as it were, the ‘spirit’ of the new family.) Finally, we
receive ongoing nourishment, and also become the givers of life and love to
our family. By analogy, our new life in Christ comes to birth in baptism; it
is strengthened or confirmed through the anointing with the Holy Spirit by
which we are more perfectly bonded to the Church; through the ongoing
nourishment of the Eucharistic table, this new life is continually renewed so
that we might live it more fully day by day.
Why should
Confirmation be celebrated prior to First Eucharist?
As a
sacrament of Christian Initiation, Confirmation is most properly celebrated in
relationship to Baptism and Eucharist. The Eucharist and not Confirmation is
the summit or culmination of the initiation process. Holy Communion is the
most perfect sign or sacramental ritual by which our incorporation in the Body
of Christ is realized. Received in their traditional order, Baptism and
Confirmation prepare us for the completion of initiation. It seems incongruous
to place Confirmation after First Communion since the person will have already
received the sign by which incorporation into Christ’s Body is sacramentally
perfected (cf. CCC 1212, 1322, 1324). When placed outside this order, the
meaning of Confirmation is diminished, and it becomes a sacrament struggling
for an identity and reason for existence.
The
long tradition of the Church as reflected in the Code of Canon Law (canon
842.2) recognizes the intimate relationship between Baptism – Confirmation –
Eucharist. Prior to St. Pius X’s 1910 decision to make Eucharist available to
children after the approximate age of seven, Confirmation was celebrated in
the Roman Catholic Church prior to First Eucharist. Since 1910 the tendency
has been to focus on the question of when (age) to celebrate the sacrament
instead of concentrating on its integrity as a sacrament of Christian
Initiation.
Who is the minister
of the sacrament of Confirmation?
In our
Roman Catholic tradition, the bishop is the ordinary minister of the sacrament
of Confirmation. Through this sacrament the baptized are more perfectly bound
to the Church by the gift of the Holy Spirit. The community of faith into
which one is incorporated by Baptism is a larger reality than the family or
the parish. As a member of the college of bishops, the diocesan bishop is
guarantor and servant of the unity and catholicity of the Universal Church,
and the living connection with its apostolic origins.
The
gift of the Spirit bestowed by the risen and glorified Christ upon the
apostles is now given through anointing with chrism by the laying on of the
hand of the bishop.
When
the bishop’s presence is not possible (for example, at the Easter Vigil),
priests who share the sacrament of Holy Orders with the Bishop, administer the
sacrament of Confirmation in his stead for those who are celebrating the
sacraments of Christian Initiation. Confirmation for those already baptized
into the Catholic faith is reserved to the bishop unless in special
circumstances he grants priests the faculty to confirm.
Who can receive the
sacrament of Confirmation?
According to Church teaching, all who are baptized and properly instructed and
who can renew their baptismal faith can receive the sacrament of
Confirmation. Usually, this should be at the age of discretion (approximately
seven years of age). Readiness for the reception of the sacrament of
Confirmation is not measurable in terms of intellectual comprehension or
theological understanding; rather, readiness is a matter of faith and ability
to relate to the experience celebrated in the sacrament.
When our children are
confirmed prior to First Eucharist, how are they to make an adult commitment
to the Church?
Confirmation is neither the celebration of adulthood or maturity in the
Church, nor an opportunity for making public commitment to the Christian
life. It is the Eucharist itself which celebrates full citizenship in the
Church, wherein the individual daily accepts the death and rising of the Lord
Jesus in his or her life.
The
Christian understanding of commitment is that it is a richer reality than a
specific moment or time of decision. Commitment is the life-long, continuously
developing identification with the Lord Jesus Christ – a commitment which is
made, nourished, and strengthened in the reception of the Eucharist.
In a
solemn ritual, the fully initiated are called upon each year to renew the
promises of their baptism at the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday. Having
witnessed the sacramental dying and rising of the newest members of the Body
of Christ, those who have already been fully incorporated into this Body now
renew their own baptismal pledge to reject sin and entrust themselves to God,
Father, Son and Spirit. While God’s commitment to us will never be revoked,
the temporal nature of our lives and the radical freedom to love, or to reject
love make it necessary for us to continually embrace through our Amen the gift
that God always holds out to us.
How can I keep my
child in religious education or help him/her see the need for Catholic
education if there is not something like Confirmation to anticipate?
Confirmation frequently has been viewed, if not treated, much like a
graduation ceremony. This has never been the intention of the Church.
Confirmation does not mark the completion of catechetical instruction or the
achievement of maturity in the faith. Faith development and growth in
understanding and living the Christian life is a life-long journey. It does
not end with the eighth grade, twelfth grade, or a degree in religious
studies! It may be for the best that Confirmation is received earlier in a
child’s moral and intellectual development so that there will be less of a
tendency to suppose that the process of education and formation in the faith
is now complete. No, this is the process of a lifetime.
Does removing
Confirmation from the context of a junior high or high school program miss an
opportunity for a much-needed ministry to our youth at a time when they are
looking for recognition and a sense of belonging?
To
make the Sacrament of Confirmation the focal point of a youth ministry has a
certain attractiveness, but carries grave risks. Certain requirements or
standards will be set up so that this sacrament will be “earned,” rather than
offered as a gift. The normal and natural rebelliousness of youth may have
overtaken the docility of a younger child. Remember, initiation concerns the
beginning of one’s life in the Body of Christ. From a theological perspective,
the gift of the Spirit is necessary to bring that life to maturity rather than
being a kind of award for achieving a certain stage of emotional maturity.
Instead, the Sacrament of the Eucharist itself, living one’s life in accord
with the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Penance, the Word of God and one’s
vocation in the Body of Christ provide abundant avenues for developing
Christian maturity in the context of sacramental life. Today it is becoming
clearer that youth ministry should focus on preparation of our young people
for the spiritual life of marriage and family. For the vast majority of
people, marriage should be the most significant spiritual experience of their
lives. Thus, the preparation of young people for this personal commitment to
honor the mystery of life in the intimacy of a commitment to one’s spouse
ought to receive particular attention.
CANONICAL
REFERENCES
Canon 842.1: One
who has not received baptism cannot be validly admitted to the other
sacraments.
Canon 842.2: The
sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist are so
interrelated that they are required for full Christian initiation.
Canon 891: The
sacrament of confirmation is to be conferred on the faithful at about the age
of discretion unless the conference of bishops determines another age or there
is danger of death or in the judgment of the minister a grave cause urges
otherwise.
CONSTITUTION ON THE SACRED LITURGY, #7:
The rite of Confirmation is to be revised and the intimate connection
with this sacrament has with the whole of Christian Initiation is to be more
lucidly set forth.
RITE OF CONFIRMATION, 11:
For pastoral reasons, especially to strengthen the faithful in complete
obedience to Christ the Lord and in loyal testimony to him, episcopal
conferences may choose an age which seems more appropriate, so that the
sacrament is given at a more mature age after appropriate formation.
NATIONAL STATUES FOR THE CATECHUMENATE #14:
In order to signify clearly the interrelation or coalescence of the
three sacraments which are required for full Christian initiation (canon
842.2), adult candidates, including children of catechetical age, are to
receive baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist at a single Eucharistic
celebration,
whether at the Easter Vigil or, if necessary, at some other time.
CATECHISM OF THE
CATHOLIC
CHURCH:
1306 Every baptized person
not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation. [121]
Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows
that “the faithful are obligated to receive this sacrament at the
appropriate time” [122] for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is
certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete.
CATECHISM OF THE
CATHOLIC
CHURCH: 1307
For centuries, Latin custom has
indicated “the age of discretion” as the reference point for receiving
Confirmation. But in danger of
death children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained the age
of discretion [123].
CATECHISM OF THE
CATHOLIC
CHURCH:
1308
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.
Pastoral
Guidelines
for Infant Baptism
•
Guidelines
for the Liturgy of Confirmation
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