Recently I discovered that this page on Confirmation is visited more often than my other pages.
I suspect individuals who are about to be confirmed are finding it. For them, I have added the following
introductory note. It was originally written to a young woman who was recently confirmed, and who is
preparing to sponsor her sister at her confirmation. It gives a taste of the meaning I find in this sacrament,
while the discourse that follows it develops that meaning more fully and puts it in the context of my central contention.
For the past several years I have been studying Confirmation intensely, and
learning a great deal academically and from adults in my Church who are
choosing to become Catholic. One of the best things I have read is from the
Pope:
A new aspect to the grace and dignity coming from baptism is here
introduced: the lay faithful participate, for their part, in the threefold
mission of Christ as priest, prophet and king. This aspect has never been
forgotten in the living tradition of the Church, as exemplified in the
explanation which St. Augustine offers for Psalm 26: "David was anointed
king. In those days only a king and a priest were anointed. These two
persons prefigured the one and only priest and king who was to come, Christ
(the name "Christ" means 'anointed'). Not only has our head been anointed
but we, His body, have also been anointed.... Therefore anointing comes to
mean all Christians, even though in Old Testament times it belonged only to
two persons. Clearly we are the Body of Christ because we are all
'anointed' and in Him are 'christs,' that is, 'anointed ones,' as well as
Christ himself, 'the anointed one.' In a certain way, then, it thus appears
that with the head and body the whole Christ is formed." ( THE VOCATION AND
MISSION OF THE LAY FAITHFUL IN THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD, CL 14)
This passage puts the meaning of confirmation in the context of Baptism, but
even more it expresses the key affirmation of confirmation: "You are the
Anointed." In Greek terms, that would be "you are Christ." The Church
discovers in you Our Savior. We look to those confirmed for forgiveness for
our sins and strength for conversion to the path of Jesus the Anointed.
I am glad to hear that Confirmation was not just something that happened to
you, but something you are trying to live. Being a sponsor means knowing you
can lead and support, as you embody Christ, but also that you need help from
your sister to whom the bishop will signify "you are the Anointed." The core
of the sacrament is discovering the dignity we have gained in Christ, that
we share because we are one in Him.
That discovery is the love we know as the Holy Spirit. To quote JPII again:
"In reality, the name for that deep amazement at man's worth and dignity is
the Gospel, that is to say: the Good News. It is also called Christianity."
(from his first encyclical, The Redeemer of Humanity.)
There are two signs traditionally associated with the sacrament of confirmation, the laying on of
hands and the anointing with chrism. While historians can say the origin of the anointing is lost in
the earliest Christianity -- already at the end of the second century Tertullian refers to it as an
ancient rite -- supposedly the only scriptural references are to the laying on of hands. I would like
to question this history. Anointing is prominent in the gospels, notably in the story of the woman
who anoints Jesus. (See Mark, Luke or John for my thoughts on the role of this story in these
works.) This story can be used to describe the various features of sacramental confirmation.
In looking at the anointing of Jesus, I do not want to decide any of the controversial questions
about confirmation. Rather, I wish to examine the symbol of anointing in this story, and apply it to
the sacrament as we understand it today. I hope to provide ideas for questions like the proper
matter for the sacrament, its relation to baptism, etc. but those are not my principal concern. I am
interested just in looking at the meaning that can be discovered in this ancient gesture.
When oil is smeared on a person, that is a physical declaration that "You are the Anointed." When
the Christian is anointed with chrism, the church proclaims "You are the Christ." since christ is
the Greek word for anointed. St Augustine speaks of the anointing of the whole Christ, the body
together with the Head; it is a declaration not of replacing Christ but of reigning together with
him, the Head of the Church, as his body. This declaration, "You are the Anointed." is the core
meaning of being anointed.
There is a simple problem lurking here; our anointing does not make us like Christ if Christ was
not anointed as we are! While spiritualizing works in many instances, the analogy between the
Body and the Head suggests a commonality, that both were anointed. There is only one episode
described in each Gospel when Jesus is physically anointed. Recent studies have emphasized that
the woman anointing Jesus is in fact declaring "You are the Anointed." Luke especially makes it
clear. Simon thinks early in the story "If he were a prophet he would know what kind of woman
she is." Jesus does know who she is, but plainly she also knows who Jesus is. While others leave
thinking "Who is this man?" she has declared her faith "You are the Anointed."
With similar humility, the bishop approaches the confirmand; "You are the Anointed." There is a
recognition that each individual is filled with gifts of the Holy Spirit. For adolescents, this is a
declaration of maturity, that now their gifts are their responsibility. For converts, it is a
recognition that the Church has been forgiven, that now convert and Catholic will share their lives
together. It embodies the "amazement at what is man" that Pope John Paul II calls the
Gospel.
This emphasis on the character of Christ in no way diminishes the role of The Holy Spirit in this sacrament. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Christ; we can become a part of Christ only by sharing in his spirit. The ancients thought of Spirit as wind, breath and air. The Holy Spirit can probably be thought of as good air. This might be better visualized against its antonyms -- fetid air or bad breath Imagine Peter just come from several days of fishing on the Sea of Galilee; not too many would be willing to stand downwind of him, as a mixture of sea, fish and sweat surrounds him.
Our perfumed chrism bears a natural resemblance to The Holy Spirit precisely because it is perfumed. Perfume made air breathable, in contrast to the stench of decaying bodies. The fourth gospel makes this clear when it contrasts the stench from Lazarus in his tomb with the perfume that fills his house when the sister of Lazarus sister honors Jesus.
The Holy Spirit makes it more palatable for people to be with us. The physically pleasing scent
does not persist for long after our confirmation, but by The Holy Spirit we can continue to make
life pleasant: love joy peace patience kindness and the other fruits are a balm for moral noses
battered by the scent of our sins.
This provides an imagery for understanding the relation of Confirmation to Baptism. There are
two ways to address terrible odors -- a bath to wash away the stench, or perfume to overpower
it. In Baptism, we wash away the stench of our sins; in Confirmation the Holy Spirit makes Christ
live in us. Others see not us, but Christ. Baptism is sufficient to banish the stench, as anyone who
has ever experienced the clean smell after a bath can attest. Perfume embellishes that odor.
Or consider Forgiveness In baptism, our sins are forgiven. In Confirmation, we make an adult commitment to the Church, despite the sins that alienate us from one another. We express a willingness to live a life together in community, a willingness that reflects God's love for us and an imitation of the Forgiveness we received in Baptism.
As we Forgive those who sin against us, we follow the example of Christ who forgave the woman
who was known as a sinner..When she came to anoint Him in Luke, Jesus accepted her and
inspired great love in her. So it is that when the bishop comes to anoint us, we accept him and his
community and we inspire them with hope for the future. This is especially true when the
sacrament is conferred on adults from other communities of Christians.
Traditionally, Confirmation has also been associated with Witness to the Christian faith. In the older Roman Catholic ritual, the confirmand was slapped on the face a reminder of this need to Witness against the assaults of a hostile world.
In Greek, the word for Witness is martyr. The anointing of Jesus places the anointing in the context of the burial of Christ. The suffering, death and burial becomes the model for every Witness, and the anointing beforehand for burial is a key for understanding the nature of our Witness.
Witness should be not the militant act of Peter, cutting off the ear of the guard, but the humble
Witness of Jesus who heals those who persecute him. We are empowered to witness not as a
military force conquering the world, but as servants and slaves of those whom we love.
With joy, the woman honored Jesus by anointing him. Jesus pointed that joy toward his burial:
despite the suffering and pain, the joy was paramount. We greet with joy today those who will
spend their lives witnessing to Jesus by anointing them at Baptism/confirmation. Their witness will
be like the witness of those we call martyrs, even if their suffering is not to the death. We greet
with joy those who choose to share their faith with us, who forgive our sins against them by
joining us in full communion..Their witness to forgiveness is a witness to the cross where we have
all been forgiven. We greet with joy as the woman greeted Jesus, with great love and great hope
for the healing of the world.
These words are part of a larger idea that is sketched on the main page .
I encourage everyone to look there.
Any thoughts, interesting, interested, or otherwise, may be left in my guestbook:
All comments will be read and appreciated.