Confirmation
Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to witness and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world. Through the sacrament of Confirmation, our faith enters into a deeper and more intensive manner, through the aid of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service (USCCB). "The reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace...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" (CCC 1285). For most Catholics (even me) it is looked at as the "graduation" part of our formation, but really it is just the beginning of our journey.
When we are baptized we begin the process of uniting ourselves with God just as Jesus did in his own Baptism, but when we are confirmed we then become the disciples that God has asked us to be since our baptism, or our desire to become a Christian. After Jesus died on the cross, three days later he came back to Earth (Easter), and he continued his ministry basically as a spirit. People saw him, people conversed with him, but they did not know who he was until he did things that only Jesus would do, like break bread, and send the Holy Spirit upon us.
The day that Jesus ascended into Heaven for the second time, was on a day called Pentecost. He, and all his apostles and fellow followers, were in a room locked up, afraid to leave because of what might happen to them. They were afraid they would be killed for their faith and teaching others. But on that day in that room, the Holy Spirit descended upon each of those people, showering them with gifts and courage. This day is known as Pentecost, the day the Christian Church started, the day the apostles and Jesus' followers were Confirmed in the Spirit.
There are many parts to Confirmation. We have the laying of hands, which calls the Holy Spirit upon you and gives you the authority to go out and spread the good news. There is the Chrism Oil, which is placed on your forehead by the Bishop or Priest and seals you with the Holy Spirit. There is the receiving of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And there is the covenant of changing, or strengthening, your baptism name and taking on a Saint name that is near and dear to your heart. Confirmation is a time for you to really take these beautiful symbols and gifts and share them with all that you come into contact with.
As with the other prophecies that we know of Jesus, in the Book of Isaiah (specifically 11:2-3), we also receive the prophecy of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Loyola Press). In an article in the September 2020 issue of the Catholic Spirit, Father Michael Van Sloun, writes:
Six are listed in the “Immanuel Prophecy,” which describes an expected future ideal Davidic king: wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength (fortitude), knowledge and fear of the Lord (Is 11:2). The translators of the Hebrew Bible to Greek, the Septuagint, added a seventh gift, piety, to achieve the symbolic number for completeness. Jesus was blessed with these gifts by his Father, and those who are confirmed are blessed with these gifts by the Holy Spirit. They supply the spiritual power and strength a person needs to accomplish his or her vocational calling and mission in life. The bishop asks God to bestow these gifts on the confirmation candidates in the prayer he offers with outstretched hands before the anointing: “Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who brought these your servants to new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, freeing them from sin: send upon them, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete; give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety; fill them with the spirit of the fear of the Lord” (Catholic Spirit)
The first gift is the gift of wisdom. Wisdom comes from the theological virtue of faith, and it helps us see what is valuable in our hearts rather than what is tangible in our hands. It helps us see God's viewpoint of the world, which helps us understand His perspective and where He is going.
The gift of understanding is the next gift. Understanding helps guide us to knowing ourselves how God intended us to be. St. Augustine famously wrote, "that I may know you, may I know myself." He wrote this because he wanted to have God fully in his heart and for himself to be full of God.
The gift of counsel is the next gift. Counsel goes along with the Cardinal virtue of prudence, it helps us know when to do something in moderation, but also be able to stand up for our faith. The gift of counsel or right judgment takes the knowledge we have and be able to use it confidently. It allows the Spirit to move within us and helps us grow in our faith as we are living it.
The gift of fortitude is both a gift of the Holy Spirit and a Cardinal Virtue. It gives us the strength to act upon what God has placed inside us, and to give us the strength to stand up for what we believe in. Fortitude was in every martyr that died for their faith.
The gift of knowledge is different from the gift of wisdom, while the gift of wisdom helps us judge what is right and wrong and what God wants us to do, knowledge helps us see where God is going and what He wants us to do with our lives.
The gift of piety or reverence helps us know how to pray to God and look up to Him, and how to walk this Earth as Jesus did. It is the gift of respect that we have learned from our parents and others who have been special in our lives, and it is also the gift of how we worship at Mass each time we go.
The gift of fear of the Lord or wonder and awe is the last gift of the Holy Spirit. This is not to be taken as literal, but rather it is seen as part of the Theological Virtue of Hope. It is our time to have hope in God, not offend Him, and live a life He would be proud of us living. It imparts on us a gift of honesty with God when speaking with Him, as well as being grateful that we can wonder with Him and know how special we are to Him.
These seven gifts complete the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We may use them every day or not enough. It is up to you how you see fit to use these gifts, but they are here for you whenever you need them.
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