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III. SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
The sacrament of Confirmation is described by Vatican II in terms of its
two essential
characteristics: closer union with the Church,
and
strengthening
and
empowerment
by the Holy Spirit to actively spread the Faith.
By the sacrament of Confirmation, the
faithful are more perfectly bound to the Church and are endowed with the special
strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses to Christ, more strictly
obliged to spread the faith by word and deed
(LG 11; cf. CCC 1285).
Originally what we call Confirmation was part of the developed Baptismal rite. Yet,
there is a certain scriptural basis in distinguishing the bestowal of the Holy Spirit
through water-Baptism and by the “laying on of hands.” When they heard this, they
were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. As Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came on them, they began to speak in tongues and to utter
prophecies
(Acts 19:5f; cf. 8:14-17).
Through the centuries, because of the increasing number and size of dioceses,
parishes, and infant baptisms made it a practical impossibility for the Bishop to
confirm all, the anointing and laying on of hands were separated from water-
Baptism to form a separate sacrament. In the East it is called
“Chrismation,”
meaning
“anointing with chrism.”
Thus Paul VI described the origin of Confirmation in the revised rite as follows: The
Apostles, in order to accomplish the will of Christ, passed on to the neophytes, by
