Wednesday, July 11, 2012
269. Who can receive this sacrament?
(Comp
269) Only those already baptized can and should receive this sacrament which
can be received only once. To receive Confirmation efficaciously the candidate
must be in the state of grace.
“In
brief”
(CCC 1319)
A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess
the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the
sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to
Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs.
To deepen and
explain
(CCC 1306)
Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of
Confirmation (Cf. CIC, can. 889 § 1). Since Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to
receive this sacrament at the appropriate time" (CIC, can. 890), for
without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious,
but Christian initiation remains incomplete. (CCC 1307) For centuries, Latin
custom has indicated "the age of discretion" as the reference point
for receiving Confirmation. But in danger of death children should be confirmed
even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion (Cf. CIC, cann. 891;
883, 3°). (CCC 1310) To receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace.
One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the
gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the
strength and graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act (Cf. Acts 1:14). (CCC 1311) Candidates for
Confirmation, as for Baptism, fittingly seek the spiritual help of a sponsor. To emphasize the unity of the
two sacraments, it is appropriate that this be one of the baptismal godparents
(Cf. OC Introduction 5; 6; CIC, Can.
893 §§ 1- 2).
On
reflection
(CCC 1308)
Although Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian
maturity," we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural
growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited
election and does not need "ratification" to become effective. St.
Thomas reminds us of this: Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in
childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: “For old age is not honored
for length of time, or measured by number of years.” Many children, through the
strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ
even to the shedding of their blood (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 72, 8, ad 2; cf. Wis 4:8). (CCC 1309) Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian
toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the
Holy Spirit - his actions, his gifts, and his biddings - in order to be more
capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this
end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to
the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish
community. The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of
confirmands (Cf. OC Introduction 3).
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