CATECHISM
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CATECHISM
Part I
CONFIRMATION IS…
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A SIGN… The Church is the body of
Christ. We are the Church. So we are the body of Christ. The sacraments are
the seven signs of Christ’s life and love to us his body, the Church. The
Church treasures these signs, through which Jesus continues to be present to
his people, and in his people. The sacraments therefore are the signs and
acts of his life and love. We are human and we need signs. Moreover, because
of sin our minds and hearts have been clouded and God’s love is not always
clear to us. Hence we need signs from God to assure us of His constant love
for us. These signs are also a source of grace and strength for us. Confirmation is one such sign.
It is a sign of Christ strengthening his disciple with his own Holy Spirit,
so that he may go out and witness to the world that the Father sent Jesus as
its Saviour, and to bring others to believe in and love Jesus. A CELEBRATION… Moments of sacramental worship
are privileged moments for a Christian. They are times to look back and thank
God for all the gifts taken for granted. They are times to look forward to in
anticipation of all the gifts that our Loving Father will bestow upon us in
His love. Gratitude is what we celebrate by our personal involvement, with
faith and love, in these sacramental moments. The initiation of a Christian is
not a moment, but a process. It culminates in his/her reception of the
Eucharist, THE GIFT of God to him/her. But even now God is bestowing upon the
child great gifts for which he/she needs to thank God. In confirmation Jesus
bestows upon the child the Gift of his Spirit. The child should be made aware
of the gifts God has already given him/her, e.g., his/her life, parents, friends,
any particular talents he/she may have or virtues like patience,
friendliness, helpfulness, affection. All these are gifts from God and
Confirmation is the time when the child needs to bring these up before God in
gratitude. A MOMENT TOUCHED BY CHRIST… The sacraments are unique among
human signs. They are signs of Jesus, the Christ. He ahs given us these signs
and he is present in them. He will touch a human life in a unique way. The child’s faith
and love at the moment of celebration will determine the grace and love
he/she will receive when the sacrament is celebrated. The child should be made aware
of this since children are quite fidgety and giddy at this young age. In confirmation the sign of
Jesus present and acting is the anointing and imposing of hands. Jesus
returned to his Father in order to send us his Spirit. In this sacrament,
Jesus is doing just that; giving us the Spirit, and all his gifts. There will
be many effects of this Spirit in the community, but it is Jesus himself who
is present and acting. It is a moment when we are “touched by Christ”. A GIFTED MOMENT… Confirmation is the time when
each child receives the Gift of the Spirit of Jesus in a unique way. This
gift, the Holy Spirit, is a person, God. If a child receives this Person with
the fullness of faith and love, the effects of the Spirit’s working in the
child are many. It is only “in the Spirit” that we can call God, our Father,
that we can pray, that we can possess true peace, that we can witness, that
we can die as martyr for Christ. The Gift of the Spirit at
Confirmation reminds us of the gifts God has given us and makes us look
forward in anticipation. So the sacramental moment is a unique present, a
unique NOW. It is “a gifted moment”. BEING DRAWN INTO A COMMUNITY… The Church is the people of God
in whom the Spirit dwells. It is the gift of the Spirit which constitutes the
Church. In confirmation, the Gift of the Spirit celebrated and given on that
occasion incorporates the child into the community. The child having received
“the gift of God” is now entitled to be a member of God’s people. The
community recognizes the gift in the individual and embraces him/her as one
of its members. Just how joyful and rich this is
in action will depend more on what the local Church community is than on how
well we teach or celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation. If being a member
of the Christian community is little more than being burdened with several
laws and obligations, then the celebration will be somber or even enslaving.
If, on the other hand, being a member of the Christian community is to find
life, faith, freedom, support and happiness, be able to celebrate and pray
together in the Spirit; and join others who truly minister to people around
them in need, then confirmation can be joyful and rich. Healthy community
begets good liturgy. |