Many people think this Sacrament is not Scriptural and treat it as though it is something that was developed in "Tradition" during the Apostolic Age.
In Acts 8: 14-17 we read:
14: "Now when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John."
15: "Who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit."
16: "For he was not as yet come upon any of them; but the were ONLY BAPTIZED in the name of the Lord Jesus."
17: "THEN they laid their hands upon them and THEY RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT."
We have just seen the Scriptural basis for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In Hebrews 6: 1-2 we read:
1: "Wherefore leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on to things more perfect, not laying again the foundation of Penance from dead works, and of faith towards God."
2: "Of the doctrine of Baptisms, and imposition of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."
Now, we know that whenever we see the "Laying on of Hands," or an "Imposition of Hands," gifts of the Holy Spirit are being bestowed. I'd like to note that in the verse we just read, with the "Imposition of Hands" we see the other doctrines of the resurrection and judgment.
Protestants fail to notice the "Imposition of Hands" as a Scriptural basis for Confirmation because they get all excited thinking the New Testament condemns "works." They will point out that we are not to go back to the idea of "laying on a foundation on dead works." But they fail to hear what Jesus says to them in retort. Jesus NEVER said that "works are dead," nor did He tell us to ABANDON GOOD WORKS, or Penance such as fasting. In fact, the opposite is true.
In Luke 17:10 we read:
10: "I think not. So you also, when you shall have done all these things THAT ARE COMMANDED YOU, say: We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which we ought to do."
Jesus is saying "I DON'T OWE YOU" a thing because you have done them. This is exactly what St. Paul addresses every time he talks about "dead works." He never said we are not to do "good works." Whenever St. Paul speaks against "works" he is condemning the notion that the Jews would not abandon the thought that God OWED them for what they did. He concludes that "works" are indeed necessary otherwise Jesus would not have "commanded us to do works."
Now, as this "doctrine of Imposition of Hands" relates to Confirmation. In Acts 9:17 we read:
17: "And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house. And laying his hands upon him, he said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus has sent me, he that appeared to thee in the way as thou came, that you may received thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
We know that St. Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit before he was baptized because he got up afterwards to be baptized.
And we see the same in Acts 19:6 which reads:
6: "And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon then, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied."
These people had been "baptized" and only "after" St. Paul "Imposed hands on them" do we see the Holy Spirit came upon them.
Does Scripture tell us why there is a distinction between the grace given by the Holy Spirit at Baptism, and at other times, the Sacrament of Confirmation?
Yes, the Old Testament shows that God does not abandon His people, and points to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In Ezekiel 39:29 we read:
29: "And I will hide my face no more from them, for I have poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, says the Lord God."
In Isaiah 44:3 we read:
3: "For I will pour out waters upon the thirsty ground, and streams upon the dry land: I will pour out my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thy stock."
And is Joel 2: 28-29 we read:
28: "And it shall come to pass after this, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."
29: "Moreover upon my servants and handmaids in those days I will pour forth my spirit."
Does Jesus confirm the Holy Spirit will be given to us in circumstances other than Baptism, and why will this be the case?
Yes, in John 7: 39 we read:
39: "Now this he said of the Spirit which they should receive, who believe in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."
In John 14: 16-17 we read:
16: "And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you forever."
17: "The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, nor knows him: but you shall know him; because he shall abide with you, and shall be in you."
And in John 17:26 we read:
26: "And I have made known thy name to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou has loved me, may be in them, and I in them."
In Luke 24:49 we read:
49: "And I send the promise of my Father upon you: but stay you in the city till you receive power from on high."
In Acts 1: 4 and 8 we read:
4: "And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, which you have heard (saith me) by my mouth."
8: "But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth."
What does the Catholic Catechism teach about this Sacrament?
From the Catechism we read:
"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. 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." (1285)
We also read from the Catechism:
"Although Confirmation is sometimes called the "Sacrament of Christian maturity," we must not confuse 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 the 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." (1038)
From the Catechism we also read:
"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." (1302)
And from the Catechism (1303) we read:
"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!"
- 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.
- 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: 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."
From the Catechism we read:
"Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible mark, the "character," which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness." (1304)
"This "character" perfects the common priesthood of the faithful, received in Baptism, and "the confirmed person receives the power to profess faith in Christ publicly and as it were officially (quasi Ex officio)." (1305)
Confirmation gives us strength to cooperate with the graces of all the other Sacraments.
Most people never go to the Cathedral in their Diocese to see the Chrism consecrated by the Bishop at the "Mass of the Chrism" each year on Holy Thursday. At this Mass, the "Oil of Catechumens" and the "Oil of the Sick" are blessed as well. But, even if we don't get to attend this Mass annually, it would be a good idea for each of us to personally renew our commitment to the Sacrament of Confirmation. We were confirmed to be "Soldiers for Christ" as sheep sent out in the midst of wolves to be wise as serpent but simple as Doves (Matthew 10:16). The Church calls us to let the Holy Spirit make us Christ like through this great Sacrament. And we are to commit ourselves to be guided by the Church which is guided by the Holy Spirit as we go about in our efforts to bring the world to Christ.
I'd now like to provide you with some writing by the Fathers of the Early Church.
From Theophilus of Antioch we read:
"Are you unwilling to be anointed with the oil of God? It is on this account that we are called Christians: because we are anointed with the oil of God." (To Autolycus 1:12 A.D. 181)
From Tertullian we read:
"After coming from the place of washing we are thoroughly anointed with a blessed unction, from the ancient discipline by which those in the priesthood were accustomed to be anointed with a horn of oil, ever since Aaron was anointed by Moses ... So also with us, the unction runs on the body and profits us spiritually, in the same way that Baptism itself is a corporal act by which we are plunged in water, while its effect is spiritual, in that we are freed from sins. After this, the hand is imposed for a blessing, invoking and inviting the Holy Spirit." (Baptism 7:1-2, 8:1, A.D 203)
Tertullian makes the distinction between the "doctrine of Baptism" and the anointing with unction in which the distinct doctrine of "Imposition of Hands" takes place.
He continues:
"No soul whatever is able to obtain salvation unless it has believed while it was in the flesh. Indeed the flesh is the hinge of salvation ... The flesh, then, is washed (baptism) so that the soul may be made clean. The flesh is anointed so that the soul may be dedicated to holiness. The flesh is signed so that the soul may be fortified. The flesh is shaded by the imposition of hands (Confirmation) so that the soul may be illuminated by the Spirit. The flesh feeds on the body and the blood of Christ (the Eucharist) so that the soul too may feed on God. They cannot, then, be separated in their reward, when they are united in their works." (The Resurrection of the Dead 8:2-3 A.D. 210)
From Hippolytus we read:
"And the Bishop shall lay his hand upon them (the newly baptized), invoking and saying: 'O Lord God, who did count these worthy of deserving the forgiveness of sins by the laver of regeneration, make them worthy to be filled with your Holy Spirit and send upon them thy grace (in Confirmation), that they may serve you according to your will, for there is glory to you, to the Father, and the Son with the Holy Spirit, in the Holy Church, both now and through the ages of ages, Amen.' Then, pouring the consecrated oil into his hand and imposing it on the head of the baptized, he shall say, "I anoint you with the holy oil in the Lord, the Father Almighty, and Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit." (The Apostolic Tradition 21-22, A.D. 215)
From Cyprian of Carthage we read:
"It is necessary for him that has been baptized also to be anointed; so that by his having received chrism, that is, the anointing, he can be the anointed of God and have him in the grace of Christ." (Letters 7:2, A.D. 253)
"Some say in regard to those who were baptized in Samaria that when the apostles Peter and John came there only hands were imposed on them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit, and that they were not re-baptized. But we see, dearest brother, that this situation in no way pertains to the present case. Those in Samaria who had believed in the true faith, and it was by Deacon Philip, whom those same apostles has sent there, that they had been baptized inside the Church ... Since, then, they had already received a legitimate and ecclesiastical Baptism, it was not necessary to Baptize them again. Rather, only that which was lacking was done by Peter and John. The prayer having been made over them and hands having been imposed upon them, the Holy Spirit was invoked and was poured out upon them. This is even now the practice among us, so that those who are Baptized in the Church then are brought to the prelates of the Church; through our prayer and the imposition of hands, they receive the Holy Spirit and are perfected with the seal of the Lord." (Letters 73, 72:9).
From the Council of Carthage VII we read:
"In the Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke with his divine voice saying, 'Except a man be born again of Water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God' (John 3:5). This is the Spirit which from the beginning was borne over the waters; for neither can the Spirit operate without the water, nor the water without the Spirit. Certain people therefore interpret this passage for themselves wrongly, whey they say that by imposition of the hand they received the Holy Ghost, and are thus received, when it is manifest that they ought to be born again in the Catholic Church by both Sacraments." (Seventh Carthage, A.D. 256).
From the Treatise on Re-Baptism, the author is anonymous and believe to have been penned in the 3rd century. It reads:
"It has been asked among the brethren what course ought specially to be adopted towards the persons of those who ... baptized in heresy ... and subsequently departing from their heresy, and feeling as supplicants to the Church of God, should repent with their whole hearts, and only now perceiving the condemnation of their error, implore from the Church the help of salvation. According to the most ancient custom and ecclesiastical tradition, it would suffice, after that Baptism which they have received outside the Church, that only hands should be laid upon them by the Bishop for their reception of the Holy Spirit, and this imposition of hands would afford them the renewed and perfected seal of faith." (Treatise on Re-Baptism 1, A.D. 256).
"By imposition of the Bishop's hands the Holy Spirit is given to every one that believes, as in the case of the Samaritans, after Philip's Baptism, the apostles did to them by laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17); in this manner also they conferred on them the Holy Spirit." (Treatise on Re-Baptism, 3)
From Cyril of Jerusalem we read:
"After you had come up from the pool of the sacred streams, there was given chrism, the antitype of that with which Christ was anointed, and this is the Holy Spirit. But beware of supposing that this is ordinary ointment. For just as the bread of the Eucharist after the invocation of the Holy Spirit is simple bread no longer, but the body of Christ, so also this ointment is no longer plain ointment, nor, so to speak, common, after the invocation. Further, it is the gracious gift of Christ, and it is made fit for the imparting of his Godhead by the coming of the Holy Spirit. This ointment is symbolically applied to your forehead and to your other senses; while your body is anointed with the visible ointment, your soul is sanctified by the Holy and Life Giving Spirit. Just as Christ, after His Baptism, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, went forth and defeated the adversary, so also with you after the holy Baptism and Mystical Chrism, having put on the panoply of the Holy Spirit, you are to withstand the power of the adversary and defeat him, saying, 'I am able to do all things in Christ, who strengthens me." (Catechetical Lectures, 21: 1, 3-4, A.D. 350)
"David says, "You have anointed my head with oil." With oil he anointed your head, your forehead, in the God-given sign of the Cross, so that you may become that which is engraved on the seal, a "a holy thing of the Lord." (Catechetical Lectures, 22:7)
From Serapion we read:
"Prayer for blessing the Holy Chrism: "God of powers, aid every soul that turns to you and comes under your powerful hand in your only-begotten. We beseech you, that through your divine and invisible power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you may effect in this Chrism a divine and heavenly operation, so that those baptized and anointed in the tracing with it of the sign of the saving Cross of the only begotten, as if reborn and renewed through the bath of regeneration, may be made participants in the gift of the Holy Spirit and, confirmed by this seal, may remain firm and immovable, unharmed and inviolate." (The Sacramentary of Serapion 25:1, A.D. 350)
From the Council of Laodicea we read:
"Those who have been illuminated are, after Baptism, to be anointed with the celestial Chrism and thus become partakers in the Kingdom of Christ." (Canon 48, A.D. 360)
From Pacian of Barcelona we read:
"If, then, the power of both Baptism and Confirmation, greater by far than Charisms, is passed on to the Bishops, so too is the right of binding and loosing." (Three Letters to the Novatianist Sympronian 1:6 A.D. 383)
From the Apostolic Constitutions we read:
:How dare any man speak against his Bishop, by whom the Lord gave the Holy Spirit among you upon the laying on of his hands, by whom you have learned the sacred doctrines, and have known God, and have believed in Christ, by whom you were known of God, by whom you were sealed with the oil of gladness and the ointment of understanding, by whom you were declared to be the children of light, by whom the Lord in your illumination testified by the imposition of the Bishop's hands." (Apostolic Constitutions 2:4:32 A.D. 400)
From the African Code we read:
"The former council decreed, as your unanimity remembers as well as I do, that those who as children were baptized by the Donatists, and not yet being able to know the pernicious character of their error, and afterward when they had come to the use of reason, had received the knowledge of the truth, abhorred their former error, and were received in accordance with the ancient order by the Imposition of the Hand, into the Catholic Church of God spread throughout the world." (Canon 57, 61, A.D. 419)
Roger L.
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