A review of Catholic teaching about the Sacrament of Confirmation

2. SEVEN SACRAMENTS
BAPTISM
EUCHARIST
CONFIRMATION
RECONCILIATION
ANOINTING OFTHE SICK
HOLY MATRIMONY
HOLY ORDERS

3. What is a Sacrament?
 “Sacraments are outward signs of
inward grace, instituted by Christ for
our sanctification.”
 Visible Signs of God’s Invisible Grace.
 Outward (visible) SIGNS
 Inward (invisible) GRACE
 Instituted by CHRIST
 For Our SANCTIFICATION

4. Invisible Grace
 By worthy participation in
the sacraments we receive
the gift of God’s grace.
Through grace we become
“sanctified,” or made holy.
 We cannot see grace or
holiness, or the effect of
the sacrament on our
souls.

5. Outward Signs
 BUT we can see the water, the oil,
the bread, the ritual, the sign that
Christ has instituted.
 By faith, we understand the
sacrament as a sign of the grace
received.
 We see the sign. We believe in the
grace and in the effect of the
sacrament in our sanctification.

6. Instituted by Christ
 Each of the seven sacraments was
instituted by Jesus Christ during his
earthly ministry.
 He instructed his apostles to follow his
teaching and example, and bring
salvation for all ages through the whole
world.
 Out of love for us, He gave us the church
and the sacraments for our
sanctification.
 “I give you a new commandment: love
one another. As I have loved you, so you
also should love one another.This is how
all will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another.”
 John 13:34-35.

7. TheWork of the Church
 The Catholic Church,
established by Christ,
continues his work of grace.
 The Church itself is a Sign
and Instrument for the
Sanctification of the World.

8. Sanctification: Be Saints!
 Sanctification means “to make
Holy.” The Church seeks to
make all the world Holy.
 The Church, and in particular
the seven Sacraments, are the
way that Jesus Christ remains
at work in the world, making
it holy.

9. Sacraments of INITIATION
BAPTISM
EUCHARIST
CONFIRMATION
 The means by which we
become fully Christian, fully
Catholic
 By these Sacraments we are
“initiated” into the Church.
 We gain grace to live lives of
Holiness.

10. Confirmation
 “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

11. Apostles & Confirmation
 Now when the apostles in
Jerusalem heard that Samaria
had accepted the word of God,
they sent them Peter and John,
who went down and prayed for
them, that they might receive the
holy Spirit, for it had not yet
fallen upon any of them; they had
only been baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid
hands on them and they
received the holy Spirit.
 Acts 8:15-17

12. Confirmation Rite
 The Liturgy of Confirmation
begins with the renewal of
baptismal promises and the
profession of faith by the
confirmands.
 Renewal of Baptismal
Promises
 Profession of Faith
Catechism of the Catholic Church

13. Profession of Faith
 “Whoever says ‘I believe’ says ‘I
pledge myself to what we
believe.’ Communion in faith
needs a common language of
faith.”
 The creeds “summarize the faith
that Christians profess.”
• Catechism of the Catholic Church

14. CREED:
 From the Latin:
CREDO, meaning
“I believe.”
 Credo in Deum . . .
 The Apostles’ Creed
 Credo in unum
Deum
 The Nicene Creed

15. RELATED WORDS:
 Credit: To give credit to, put faith in,
believe, trust (a statement, person, or thing).
 Credence: The mental action of believing or
accepting as true; belief.
 Credible: Capable of being believed;
believable.

16. CREED:
 A form of words setting
forth authoritatively and
concisely the general
belief of the Christian
Church.

17. Creed:
 Those articles of
belief which are
regarded as
essential; a brief
summary of
Christian doctrine.

18. The Creed as a RESPONSE
 We have to believe IN
something.
 We have to have Faith IN
something.
 The creed is our response
to what has been revealed
to us.
 “Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord”

19. John 9: 1-38:
 “Do you believe in the
Son of Man?
. . . He said, ‘I do
believe, Lord,’ and he
worshipped him.”

20. God speaks to us:
 How do we respond to God’s Invitation, His Grace,
and Revelation?
 We profess our belief!
 Through CREATION
 Through the revelation of
SCRIPTURE
 Through TRADITION –
the teaching authority of
the Church.

21. Our Response to God
 We respond with faith – an act
of will that says “Credo . . . I
believe.”
 We persevere in faith, even
when we doubt or do not
understand.
 On the basis of faith, we seek
understanding. We continue to
experience revelation. We
continue to affirm our belief.

22. Mark 9:21-24
“Jesus said to him, . . .
‘Everything is possible
to one who has faith.’
Then the boy’s father
cried out, ‘I do
believe, help my
unbelief!”

23. The “incredulity” of
Saint Thomas

24. John 20:27-31
“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put
you finger here and see my
hands, and bring your hand
and put into my side, and do
not be unbelieving, but
believe.’ Thomas answered
and said to him, ‘My Lord and
my God.’”
“Blessed are those who have
not seen and have
believed.”

25. BELIEVE:
 To have confidence or
faith in (a person), and
consequently to rely
upon, to trust.
 To believe in a thing,
e.g. the truth of a
statement or doctrine;
 To give credence to (a
person, or his
statement); to trust

26. BELIEF:
 Mental acceptance of
a proposition,
statement, or fact, as
true, on the ground
of authority or
evidence; assent of
the mind to a
statement, or to the
truth of a fact beyond
observation.

27. FAITH
 Belief proceeding from reliance
on testimony or authority.
 Belief in the truths of religion;
belief in the authenticity of divine
revelation (whether viewed as
contained in Holy Scripture or in
the teaching of the Church), and
acceptance of the revealed
doctrines.

28. “Profession of Faith”
 PROFESS: To declare openly,
announce, affirm; to avow,
acknowledge, confess
 PROFESSION: Any solemn
declaration, promise, or vow.
 We say THIS is what is TRUE!

29. OUR Professions of Faith
 The Apostles’ Creed:
 A faithful summary of
what the Apostles
believed.
 The oldest creed.

30. Apostles’ Creed
 I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and Earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.

31. OUR Professions of Faith
 The Nicene Creed: From
the ecumenical councils
of Nicea (in 325 A.D.),
and Constantinople (381
A.D.).
 The common creed of
Christian churches in the
east and the west.

32. The Nicene Creed
 I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and
invisible.
 I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the
Father; through him all things were made.
 For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered
death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He
ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
 I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who
with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
 I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of
sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

33. Creed & Catholic Identity
So we SHARE in the belief of the apostles, and share the same
faith with all the other Christians through the ages . . .

34. . . . and around the world.

35. The Gift of the Spirit
 “Send your Holy Spirit
upon them to be their
helper and guide. Give
them the spirit of
wisdom and
understanding, the spirit
of right judgment and
courage, the spirit of
knowledge and
reverence. Fill them with
the spirit of wonder and
awe in your presence.”

36. Laying on of Hands
 In the Latin rite, "the sacrament of
Confirmation is conferred through
the anointing with chrism on the
forehead, which is done by the
laying on of the hand, and through
the words: 'Accipe signaculum doni
Spiritus Sancti' [Be sealed with the
Gift of the Holy Spirit.]”
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
 Laying on of Hands

37. Anointing
 The post-baptismal anointing
with sacred chrism in
Confirmation and ordination is
the sign of consecration. By
Confirmation Christians, that
is, those who are anointed,
share more completely in the
mission of Jesus Christ and the
fullness of the Holy Spirit with
which he is filled, so that their
lives may give off "the aroma
of Christ.”
• Catechism of the Catholic Church

38. Seal of the Holy Spirit
 By this anointing the
confirmand receives the
"mark," the seal of the
Holy Spirit.
 Like Baptism which it
completes, Confirmation is
given only once, for it too
imprints on the soul an
indelible spiritual 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.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church

39. Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
 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. From this fact,
Confirmation brings an
increase and deepening of
baptismal grace.
Catechism of the Catholic Church

40. Effects of Confirmation
 Confirmation perfects Baptismal
grace; it is the sacrament which
gives the Holy Spirit in order to
root us more deeply in the
divine filiation, incorporate us
more firmly into Christ,
strengthen our bond with the
Church, associate us more
closely with her mission, and
help us bear witness to the
Christian faith in words
accompanied by deeds.
• Catechism of the Catholic Church

41. Answering the CallTo Holiness
 All Christians, as followers of Jesus,
as the Body of Christ, are Called to
Holiness.
 “You are the Light of the World.”
 Confirmation is a Sacrament that
offers grace to answer that call.
Confirmation was instituted by
Christ forYOUR Sanctification.

42. Vocation:You are called.
 “But how can they call on him in
whom they have not believed? And
how can they believe in him of whom
they have not heard? And how can
they hear without someone to preach?
And how can people preach unless
they are sent?” -- St. Paul to the
Romans, 10:14-15

43. Called to beTrueWitnesses
 “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