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What is Confirmation? 

The big question that all Confirmation candidates are asking is, “What is Confirmation?” Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments, the third Sacrament of Initiation in the Roman Catholic Church.  (Baptism is the first Sacrament of Initiation and Eucharist is the second.)  A sacrament is a sign of God’s love and presence in our lives.  Sacraments give sanctifying grace – the free gift of God’s love – God’s life.  Confirmation establishes the beginning, NOT the end or “graduation,” of a life of full participation and responsibility in the Church.  

Confirmation is the sacrament in which the candidate receives the fullness of the Holy Spirit that was given to us at Baptism.  This is the same Spirit that filled the Apostles with the zeal and courage needed by all who are to be public witnesses to Christ.  Confirmation celebrates God’s presence in our lives as the Holy Spirit continues to guide, strengthen, and empower us to live and witness the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Christians, on the day of their Confirmation, become public witnesses to Christ and his saving works.  Confirmation is not our first encounter with the Holy Spirit. The first encounter takes place at Baptism.  The Trinity comes to dwell in the newly baptized as they are born again in water and the Spirit.  Baptism brings people into a personal union with God.  Thus introduced to the ways of God and the Spirit, the sacrament of Confirmation continues the process by having the Holy Spirit strengthened within us.  Confirmation completes and perfects Baptism.

Confirmation also produces a deepening of our friendship with God, a more personal union with the Spirit of Christ, a pledge of God’s commitment to us, and the strength to persevere as good members of God’s family.  Confirmation makes us realize more fully our calling to be witnesses to Christ by the life we live and the message that we proclaim.  For this reason, Confirmation is not just another one of those things that we do because we are of age or because all our friends are doing it.  Confirmation needs to be done because we want to live a more Christ directed life.  Confirmation is a sacrament of Christian maturity, the sacrament of active assumption of Church membership and apostolic responsibilities.  There is much to be said for waiting until the candidate is both ready and truly willing to make a fully mature commitment to Christ and to continue to grow in their faith and relationship with God.  This sacrament must be a freely chosen commitment to God and the Roman Catholic Church.  

Sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, Christians more perfectly become the image of their Lord and are filled with the Holy Spirit.  They bear witness to Him before the world and eagerly work for the building up of the body of Christ.  Confirmed Christians bear witness of Christ through both their actions and their words.  They get involved in community service, volunteering both their time and talent.  They respond more deeply to the gift of the Spirit as an outward sign of desiring to live more aware of Christ and more committed to His mission of serving others.  Confirmation is not an end to church involvement and faith development.  On the contrary, Confirmation is part of the bigger picture of what it means to be Christian.