Confirmation

Holy Baptism and Holy Communion are considered the two Major Sacraments.  The other five are called Minor Sacraments.  Whereas the Major Sacraments were instituted directly by Christ, the Minor Sacraments are taken from his teachings and Church Tradition along with Scriptural backing.

Confirmation fits in very closely with our Lord’s teaching and was clearly the practice of the Apostolic Church.  Based on Jesus’ discussions with his Apostles just before His ascension, we assume it to be one of “the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God”.  If we look at what the Church did after the Pentecost, we believe we are seeing what Jesus intended.

When Philip went to preach the Gospel in Samaria, he made converts and baptized them.  But that was not enough.  The Laying-on-of-Hands followed the Baptism, but Philip as a deacon was not qualified to do this.  So he sent to Jerusalem for St. Peter and St. John, who were Apostles, and they “laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”  When St. Paul was preaching in Ephesus, he made converts, who had previously known only the teaching of St. John the Baptist.  St. Paul baptized them, but that was not enough.  “When he had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them.”

These two instances indicate the common practice of the Apostolic Church.  The Epistle to the Hebrews refers to certain fundamental points that were so well known that it was unnecessary to repeat them.  Six of these were enumerated – “repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrine of baptism, the Laying-on-of-hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”  The Laying-on-of-hands is combined with repentance, baptism, faith, resurrection and judgment as unquestioned steps in the Christian life.

Tertullian was born about 150 A.D. after the closing of the Apostolic age.  He wrote of Baptism and adds: “Next to this the hand is laid upon us, calling upon and invoking the Holy Ghost through the Blessing.”  Cyprian, who was born about 200 A.D. says: “They who have been baptized in the Church are brought to the Bishops of the Church, and by our prayer and by the Laying-on-of-hands they obtain the Holy Ghost and are consummated with the Seal of the Lord.”

Until the fourth century Confirmation was called the Seal or the Anointing.  It is still known as that in the Eastern Church.  Augustine of Hippo was the first one to use the title Confirmation which is the accepted name in the Western Church.  From this history, we draw certain conclusions.  Confirmation was closely related to Christian Baptism.  It was administered at first by the Apostles and then by the bishops of the Church.  It was always considered to be a means by which spiritual gifts were conveyed from God to His people through the ministry of the Church and no Christian life was complete without it.

Confirmation is the completion of Baptism.  By Baptism one is admitted into the Kingdom of God.  In Confirmation, one receives spiritual strengthening to live a Christian life within the Kingdom.  This is the central theme of the Confirmation office in the Book of Common Prayer, as expressed in the Prayer of Invocation, which has been in use all over Christendom for at least fifteen hundred years.  The seven-fold gift of the Holy Spirit is called down upon the candidates.  It is a kind of ordination to the ‘priesthood of the laity.”  It is not merely something which we do but something which is done to us.

The matter of Confirmation is the laying of the hands of the Bishop upon each candidate individually.  The form is a prayer for the Holy Spirit.  In the Roman Catholic Church and in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Laying-on-of-Hands has been modified into anointing with chrism, serving the same purpose and signifying the same thing.

Down to the time of the Reformation, Confirmation was always a function of the bishops.  In the Easter Orthodox Churches, priests have confirmed, but they have done so by using chrism consecrated for them by the patriarch who is a bishop.  Chrism is a mixture of olive oil and balsam consecrated for special purposes.  After the Reformation, some churches continue to administer Confirmation, but at the hands of the local pastor.

The recipient of Confirmation is any unconfirmed person who has been baptized with water in the Name of the Holy Trinity.  In the primitive Church it often followed directly upon Baptism both for adults and for infants.  This is still the practice in the Eastern Church where babies are baptized and confirmed at the same time.  In the western Christendom the bishops could not always be available when baptism occurred.  Therefore the custom of postponing Confirmation until the Bishop could make his visitation.  Nevertheless, a formal separation between the two ordinances was not authorized until the sixteenth century.  Since that time, Confirmation has been postponed for children until they reach “years of discretion” and receive instruction in the basic principles of Christian living.

There are obvious advantages to requiring instruction and “years of discretion” to the process.  But some people think Confirmation is nothing more than a public profession of faith on the part of the candidates.  On the contrary, whatever profession of faith may be made by a candidate is strictly secondary to the spiritual gift of God’s strengthening power, which is the real purpose of the Laying-on-of-Hands.  There are three pertinent directions in the Book of Common Prayer which indicate the intent of the Church concerning Confirmation.

On page 277, the sponsors at the baptism of an infant answer, “I will, God being my helper” to the following question.  “Wilt thou take heed that this Child, so soon as sufficiently instructed, be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him?”  This indicates a clear intention to keep Confirmation as a normal sequel to Baptism.

On page 281, a rubric states, “It is expedient that every Adult, thus baptized, should be confirmed by the Bishop, so soon after his Baptism as conveniently may be;  that so he may be admitted to the Holy Communion.”  This clearly shows that Confirmation is expected before one receives Holy Communion.

On page 299, a rubric states, “And there shall none be admitted to the Holy Communion, until such time as he be confirmed, or be ready and desirous to be confirmed.”  The first part of this confirms the expectation that Confirmation will precede Holy Communion.  The second part of this rubric comes from a historical anomaly.  In the middle of the seventeenth century, during the English Commonwealth, Confirmation was prohibited for a dozen years, and many children grew up with no opportunity to receive it.  When the Protectorate ended in 1660, it was not deemed right to refuse Communion to those who had bee unable to be confirmed.  With the reduced number of bishops trying to catch up with the accumulated needs of the people, it could be years before Confirmation and Holy Communion could occur.  The last phrase of this rubric was added so a technicality would not unnecessarily oppress those desiring Holy Communion.  It was never intended to change the rule requiring Confirmation.

This particular rubric is still used today for dioceses like our own where the Bishop has a great deal of geography to cover.  With twenty-six parishes, diocesan business, House of Bishop requirements and national and international responsibilities, there are not enough weeks in the year to allow more than one visit per parish each year.

Confirmation comes to us as an apostolic Rite administered by the bishops of the Church and grounded in the Holy Scriptures.  The Church has continually used this as a sacramental means to receive spiritual strengthening, and the normal approach to Holy Communion.  If one proposes to be a disciple of Christ, it seems reasonable to follow the accredited order – Holy Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion.