Year 2 – The Sacraments

St. Joseph RC Church Holland NY

2008

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.

Catechism of the Catholic Church – paragraph 1285:

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."

Catechism of the Catholic Church – paragraph 1285:

Jesus promised the apostles that he would give them the courage

they needed to face any fears about serving him.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and

Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

(Acts 1:8)

Confirmation confers the courage and gifts of the Holy

Spirit that we need to be witnesses to Christ in our daily

lives.

The Holy Spirit is given in both baptism and confirmation.

In baptism, we are made members of Christ’s body.

But at confirmation, we are given the power of God to bear fruit in our Christian life and to speak before the whole world boldly,

and so draw others into the church.

The word confirmation means “strengthening”.

The Holy Spirit comes and strengthens those gifts we received at baptism. The Holy Spirit brings

them to maturity.

But what is the purpose of this strengthening?

When I was a child,” wrote Paul, “I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a

child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways”

(1 Corinthians 13:11)

Maturity always brings with it a greater sensitivity and responsibility toward those

around us.

That is why the sacrament of confirmation is often referred to as

the sacrament of social action.

The strengthening and increased maturity we receive in this sacrament are not only for our own benefit. They are given to us by the Holy Spirit so that we can contribute actively and creatively to the family life of the Church and

the world.

How do you feel about talking

to people about your faith?

Other Elements

Faith

INDIVIDUALITY

DECISION

The sacrament of confirmation is

conferred by the laying on of hands followed by

the anointing in the form of a cross with

chrism on the forehead.

The anointing is done with chrism, olive oil mixed

with balsam. The oil is a symbol of strength; the

perfume is a symbol of the “fragrance of Christ,”

which the Christian must spread.

The chrism must have been consecrated by

the bishop.

Older Catholics probably remember the “slap on the cheek” that used to

be part of the rite of confirmation.

However, like many other little ceremonies in the Church’s

liturgy, this disappeared in 1971 when the new rite of

confirmation was promulgated.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

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 the

fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.

(Isaiah 11:2-3)

The Spirit’s gift of Wisdom enables us to see things with God’s eyes.

The Spirit’s gift of Understanding enables us to understand God’s plan for our life and our world.

The Spirit’s gift of Right Judgment

helps us to make good choices – to

make God’s choices and to seek his

advice.

The Spirit’s gift of Courage enables us to

see where our real strength lies:

God is our strength.

The Spirit’s gift of Knowledge helps us to know which things are important and which are not.

The Spirit’s gift of Reverence helps

us show our gratitude for all

that God has done for us.

Sponsor

Retreat

Service

Chrism Mass

Parish Parish ProgramProgram

Wonder and Awe enables us to see the

beauty of God’s creation and the

beauty in each person we

meet.

Questions?Questions?