A father once asked, “so what happens to my daughter if she doesn’t get confirmed? Is she still Catholic? What happens to her?”
Activity: What happens to you if you don’t get Confirmed?
If in a group, have individuals Write down all the things that they think that you “don’t get” access to if you are not confirmed. Before sharing what people wrote down, go through this lesson and see what we gain by receiving the Sacrament and see if their answers match.
These are all great questions, but the father was looking at it the wrong way. The real question is what does Confirmation do for me. In other words what am I missing out on if I don’t get confirmed? What do I gain by being confirmed. Here is a top ten list of what Confirmation does for us (these come from the Catechism Section 2 The Seven Sacraments of the Church, Chapter 1, Article 2. The Sacrament of Confirmation.) (in no particular order):
1. We become fully Catholic, full admission into the Church. Without Confirmation a person is not fully initiated into the Catholic Church. If we are not a full member you cannot receive the full benefits of belonging to the Body of Christ the Church. We are partially Catholic, maybe 60% or 30%. It would be like going to boot camp for the Marines and not completing all 13 weeks of boot camp. If someone completed only 11 weeks then that person cannot say they are a marine. It is also the difference between playing baseball in the minor leagues and making it to the big leagues, like playing JV or starting of Varsity.
2. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit, This means that we are sealed, marked for eternal life. We are anointed for a purpose, for God; for heaven. We have a mark forever on your soul, the same permanent mark and character that is given at baptism and holy orders.
3. We must get confirmed to enter into a sacramental marriage. Can. 1065 §1. Catholics who have not yet received the sacrament of confirmation are to receive it before they are admitted to marriage if it can be done without grave inconvenience. There are certain exceptions, but they are rare, and must get approval by the Bishop in order to have a valid sacramental marriage.
4. The imparting of the Spirit is given to us; this means that we have the infused virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. Faith, Hope and Charity direct our whole lives. Hope is the goal; helping to keep our eyes on the finish line, which is heaven. Faith is our tool, our guide. It is the right road, which takes us to heaven and charity. Charity is the action of having the courage to actually walk on the road to keep walking during hard times, and to lead others to walk on the road of faith toward heaven.
5. We are strengthened in the gifts of Fortitude, Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Piety, Fear of the Lord, Counsel. You are given the fruits of the Holy Spirit including Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Longanimity, Mildness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency and Chastity. We first receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at our Baptism, but in confirmation they are strengthened and perfected.
Activity – Memorize the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
An easy way to memorize the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit is the acronym: “WUCKPuFF”.
W isdom
U nderstanding
C ounsel
K nowledge
P iety
u (disregard. It helps make the funny word)
F ortitude
F ear of the Lord
6. We have claim or title to divine assistance for the rest of our lives. This means that we can always call upon God to help us. We can remind God (although He really doesn’t need reminding, but sometimes we like to think this way) that through our Confirmation He promised us strength we can always call upon Him. This gift is perpetual, which means it is not just for one day, but rather whenever we need His assistance. The strength available at all times will help us to courageously confess the name of Christ and carry our Cross. Psalm 92 says, “To me you give the wild-ox’s strength; you anoint me with the purest oil (we are anointed at Confirmation and the Bishop says be sealed with the Holy Spirit). My eyes looked in triumph on my foes; my ears heard gladly of their fall.” We are given the strength to do battle against the enemies of Salvation
7. We are strengthened in our role as prophet, priest and king, which we were given at baptism. Prophet or teacher – we adhere to the true faith, profess the faith we communicate the faith. Priest – we accept suffering as Christ did, we are willing to do penance. King – we are a leader, leading others to Salvation, we have a good character, one that can withstand bad examples (peer pressure) and seduction, we have a strong personality.
8. We are given a mission, and sent out with a purpose. Just as Christ was sent by the Father and just as Christ sent the first apostles, we too are called; we are chosen. Every baptized person, confirmed by the Spirit has a mission to bring others to Christ, this is to be done with the help of others, a collective witness, the body of Christ.
9. We have a Confirmation patron, a Saint who gives you personally an example of holiness and you are assured of their constant intercession for life.
10. Finally, we must realize we are basically weak out Confirmation. Saint Pope John Paul II called confirmation the gift of strength. Confirmation is not to be taken lightly, in fact it is a sin to neglect Confirmation, especially in these evil days when faith and moral are exposed to so many and such violent temptations. The gift of strength is such a great gift, it must be cherished and embraced for it is the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of Life who proceeds from the Father and the Son.