St. Francis of Assisi Parish Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879 RCIA – Deacon Paul Iacono 2009

Confirmation: The Last Sacrament of Initiation First, let us examine the first Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles – Chapter 2 ff Second, let’s examine this article that I have adapted and abridged called Confirmation: “7 Symbols in 1 Sacrament” by Thomas Richstatter, O.F.M., Th.D.

There are 7 symbols found within the Sacrament of Confirmation:

1. Community: a) The primary symbol of Confirmation is the community itself. b) Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are sacraments of initiation, initiation into a community. The community is the sign of Christ’s presence for you.

2. Baptism: a) Every Confirmation begins with Baptism. b) The early Church saw Confirmation as a part of the Baptism experience. God’s grace fills us with redemption and salvation. This grace, this presence of the love of God in us, is the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit.

3. Anointing: a) Anointing can mean many things. From ancient times, oil has been a symbol of strength, healing and agility. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth was this anointed one. b) Our Christian Scriptures were written in the Greek language and "the Anointed One" is translated as "Christ" in Greek. Some of us are so used to speaking of "Jesus Christ" that "Christ" almost seems like Jesus’ last name. We forget that it means Jesus, the Anointed One, the Messiah. c) The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist initiate us into that "oiled" community, the community anointed to continue the vocation of the Messiah, the Christ.

4. Touch: a) From ancient times, to impose hands on someone or to extend one’s hand over the person’s head was the sign of calling down the Holy Spirit. b) At Baptism, the deacon, priest, or bishop lays his hand on those to be baptized and marks them with the sign of the cross. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest may lay his hands on the head of the penitent and proclaims the words of absolution. During the Anointing of the Sick, the priest imposes hands on the person to be anointed. c) In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the bishop imposes hands on the one to be ordained deacon, priest, or bishop. During the Sacrament of Matrimony the presider extends hands over the couple that have pronounced their wedding vows and calls the Holy Spirit upon them so that they may remain faithful in the marriage covenant. d) In the Sacrament of Eucharist, the priest invokes the Holy Spirit upon the gifts, extends his hands over the bread and wine and prays that the Holy Spirit change them into the Body and Blood of Christ so that we who receive them may be changed into that Body.

1 St. Francis of Assisi Parish Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879 RCIA – Deacon Paul Iacono 2009

4. Touch: e) In Confirmation, the presider (usually the Bishop, sometimes the priest on Holy Saturday evening) places his hand on the head of each one to be confirmed and prays that the Holy Spirit descend upon them. You will hear this prayer: "All powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. 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" (Rite of Confirmation, #25).

5. Words: a) When you are anointed, the presider first says your name and then says, "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit." Think about the significance of each of these words. b) Your Name: What does it mean to be called by a name? c) Seal: This word has a rich meaning in our religion. In Confirmation we receive God’s mark, God’s seal. God permanently and eter- nally seals us as His Anointed Ones. d) We receive the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation only once. What happens to us in Confirmation conforms us to Christ that the sacrament can never be repeated. We speak of this special conformity to Christ as the sacramental character of Confirmation. e) Gift: This is a key word in the Sacrament of Confirmation. But Confirmation is not our work. It is God’s gift (all grace is God’s gift). And what is that gift? The Holy Spirit is God’s first gift to those who believe. f) Spirit – Helper and Guide - When we speak of "team spirit," for example, we are referring to something which the members of the team possess and also something that is "beyond" the individual members. It is something that they all share, something that energizes them, something that gives them a common goal and vision. The Holy Spirit is God’s BREATH in us. God’s breath gives our bodies a special (divine) life, energy and enthusiasm. As a result, it enables us to have a common Christian goal. The Spirit makes us not only like the members of a team, but also makes us much more. We become the members of one body, Christ’s body. The Holy Spirit unites us in the Body of Christ so that, with him, we can call God our Father, actually "Abba," which is more like dad. It is this Holy Spirit that gives us our identity, which tells us who we are: a member of the Body of Christ. At the Last Supper Jesus says to the disciples, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). In this analogy, the Holy Spirit can be compared to the sap of the plant, giving life to both vine and branches.

6. The Minister: a) Usually the bishop; on Holy Saturday night in this parish it will be the pastor. b) When the bishop is the minister of Confirmation, this symbol reminds us that the bishop is the original minister of all the

2 St. Francis of Assisi Parish Wakefield, Rhode Island 02879 RCIA – Deacon Paul Iacono 2009

6. … sacraments. The bishop presiding is also a symbol of the fact that we are initiated into a Church which is much larger than our parish.

7. Eucharist: a) The final and most important symbol of Confirmation is Eucharist. Eucharist is the fullness of Confirmation and the completion of Christian initiation. In Baptism our sins are washed away [made possible by Christ’s death for us]; in Confirmation we are filled with the Holy Spirit = [ruah –Hebrew for God’s breath]; and in Eucharist we are continually fed with the Body and Blood of our Lord so that we may do His works throughout our lives [from Eucharistic Prayer # 3: “.... Grant that we, who are nourished by His body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ."]. We enter into that moment of our redemption at every Mass. We are transformed into His Body when we worthily receive Him in the Eucharist. b) The Holy Spirit empowers us to continue Christ’s messianic (anointed) vocation. The life of Christ was first and foremost a life praising God. Our praise of God culminates in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the repeatable part of Confirmation. In each Eucharist the Holy Spirit comes upon us anew to strengthen us for service. c) If we cooperate with Him, the Holy Spirit fulfills in our lives the command of Christ: “Do this in memory of me.” We can live our lives as Christ lived His. As St. Paul wrote in his Second Letter to the Corinthians (5:18), we continue “Christ’s ministry of reconciliation” and serve as agents of healing in this broken world. This is the ministry of Confirmation; this is the ministry of Christianity, this is our ministry.

These notes were created using Thomas Richstatter’s materials; whom I wish to thank for enabling me to do so. Rev. Thomas Richstatter is a Franciscan friar who has a doctorate in liturgy and sacramental theology from the Institute Catholique de Paris. Father Richstatter’s newest book is The Sacraments: How Catholics Pray, published by St. Anthony Messenger Press.

3