Chrismation/Confirmation and the Holy Spirit

[Andrewn]

Chrismation/Confirmtion is a Church sacrament in which prayers are offered for the Holy Spirit to strengthen a baptized individual for their faith journey.

Eastern rite churches, including EO, OO, EC, and ACE practice this immediately after baptism of the infant.

Western rite churches, including Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, and Methodists practice this after the age of accountability.

Credobaptist churches do not practice this sacrament. However, Pentecostals pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a gift that is separate from water baptism.

This leaves Anabaptists and Baptists who do not have a theology of a second blessing with the Holy Spirit.

Of course, "the wind blows where it wishes" and one cannot say where and when the Holy Spirit indwells a person except through His effects.

I appreciate all corrections and comments on the above statements, especially the belief in only one blessing, water baptism, in Anabaptist, Baptist, and some other circles.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Western rite churches, including Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, and Methodists practice this after the age of accountability.

I am hard pressed to remember any incidents of seeing anything dealing with oil in my Lutheran past. Really I can't remember messing with it until joining the charismatic movement. I guess some time I should google oil with my parents synod of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutherans and see what I can find.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

By the way, in Orthodoxy you don't just get the oil, but you also get a free exorcism as well preceding it!

 

[prodromos]

In Orthodoxy, joining the Church involves the threefold sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Communion, which are all done together.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

In Orthodoxy, joining the Church involves the threefold sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Communion, which are all done together.

Who do they do it? In the Coptic rite I recall it following the Old Testament pattern of

Leviticus 14
14 The priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. 15 The priest shall then take some of the log of oil, pour it in the palm of his own left hand, 16 dip his right forefinger into the oil in his palm, and with his finger sprinkle some of it before the Lord seven times. 17 The priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.


I also remember them putting the oil by my eye brows, and some other places that had symbolic meanings, probably referencing other OT passages.

 

[prodromos]

I haven't been to a baptism for a while and I'm fuzzy about the details of my own Chrismation when I joined the Church. In our Russian parish, after each Divine Liturgy, Father annoints us with oil on our ears, eyes, lips, forehead and throat, as well as on our palms and the back of our hands.

 

[Pavel Mosko]

I haven't been to a baptism for a while and I'm fuzzy about the details of my own Chrismation when I joined the Church. In our Russian parish, after each Divine Liturgy, Father annoints us with oil on our ears, eyes, lips, forehead and throat, as well as on our palms and the back of our hands.

OK that sounds like what I recall, except for the big toe like in Leviticus.

Do they tie a red cord around the person's neck afterwards? That is another Coptic thing they do with the baptism and unction. You can always tell when someone is recently baptized in the Coptic church because they got the cord around their neck and are suppose to wear if for the full day, and this lets people in the church know and give you their congratulations etc.

 

[prodromos]

Do they tie a red cord around the person's neck? That is another Coptic thing they do with the baptism and unction.

Not to my knowledge

 

[Pavel Mosko]

Not to my knowledge

That seems to be consistent with what I can see and have witnessed of Eastern Orthodox baptisms in person, on YouTube and even in movies. I got say, I really like the red cord thing that the Copts do, but maybe they had extra incentive to do that coming from the Alexandrian Jews.

 

[Andrewn]

I am hard pressed to remember any incidents of seeing anything dealing with oil in my Lutheran past.

The use of Myron oil is necessary for Chrismation in Eastern churches. But in the book of Acts we see that the Holy Spirit came upon people as follows:

- Acts 8, Samaritans, laying of hands.
- Acts 9, Paul, laying of hands.
- Acts 10, Cornelius et al, listening to the Gospel.
- Acts 19, Ephesians, laying of hands.

The laying of hands is used in the sacrament of Ordination. Are examples 1, 2, and 4 considered ordination? How about example #3, which took place even before water baptism?

 

[prodromos]

The use of Myron oil is necessary for Chrismation in Eastern churches. But in the book of Acts we see that the Holy Spirit came upon people as follows:

- Acts 8, Samaritans, laying of hands.
- Acts 9, Paul, laying of hands.
- Acts 10, Cornelius et al, listening to the Gospel.
- Acts 19, Ephesians, laying of hands.

The laying of hands is used in the sacrament of Ordination. Are examples 1, 2, and 4 considered ordination? How about example #3, which took place even before water baptism?

Chrismation was originally done by the bishop, however the task has now been delegated to the priests through the use of myrrh consecrated by the bishop for that purpose.

 

[The Liturgist]

I haven't been to a baptism for a while and I'm fuzzy about the details of my own Chrismation when I joined the Church. In our Russian parish, after each Divine Liturgy, Father annoints us with oil on our ears, eyes, lips, forehead and throat, as well as on our palms and the back of our hands.

That’s fairly uncommon; most priests only do Holy Unction as needed or on Holy Week, either on the Friday before in ROCOR and the OCA, or on Holy Wednesday in the Greek and Antiochian churches.

 

[RileyG]

Essentially, from the western perspective, confirmation completes Baptism. It is not a rite of passage.

 

[Erose]

Chrismation/Confirmtion is a Church sacrament in which prayers are offered for the Holy Spirit to strengthen a baptized individual for their faith journey.

Eastern rite churches, including EO, OO, EC, and ACE practice this immediately after baptism of the infant.

Western rite churches, including Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Reformed, Anglicans, and Methodists practice this after the age of accountability.

Credobaptist churches do not practice this sacrament. However, Pentecostals pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a gift that is separate from water baptism.

This leaves Anabaptists and Baptists who do not have a theology of a second blessing with the Holy Spirit.

Of course, "the wind blows where it wishes" and one cannot say where and when the Holy Spirit indwells a person except through His effects.

I appreciate all corrections and comments on the above statements, especially the belief in only one blessing, water baptism, in Anabaptist, Baptist, and some other circles.

It would be curious to see how the Lutherans and Reformed actually see this (in our Theology) Sacrament. From what I understand Lutherans and Reformed only recognize two Sacraments: Baptism and Communion.

 

[Erose]

By the way, in Orthodoxy you don't just get the oil, but you also get a free exorcism as well preceding it!

Yeah we Catholics have a rite of exorcism that is used during the rites of Baptism and Confirmation.

 

[Erose]

In Orthodoxy, joining the Church involves the threefold sacraments of Baptism, Chrismation and Holy Communion, which are all done together.

If you join the Catholic Church, instead of being born in it, you will receive all three Sacraments during the same ceremony, which normally is held during Easter Vigil mass.

 

[Erose]

The use of Myron oil is necessary for Chrismation in Eastern churches. But in the book of Acts we see that the Holy Spirit came upon people as follows:

- Acts 8, Samaritans, laying of hands.
- Acts 9, Paul, laying of hands.
- Acts 10, Cornelius et al, listening to the Gospel.
- Acts 19, Ephesians, laying of hands.

The laying of hands is used in the sacrament of Ordination. Are examples 1, 2, and 4 considered ordination? How about example #3, which took place even before water baptism?

In Catholicism, the confirmation rite includes both anointing and laying on of hands. Also, your bishop is the normal minister of confirmation, the exceptions would be the Easter Vigil masses, where converts are brought into the faith, and the three initiation Sacraments are performed by the presiding priest, including confirmation.

 

[Erose]

Essentially, from the western perspective, confirmation completes Baptism. It is not a rite of passage.

Catholicism doesn’t have rites of passage, albeit some look at it that way, especially for cradle Catholics: Baptism as an infant, 1st Communion around the age of reasoning, 1st confession close to the same period, and confirmation during high school age.

 

[Erose]

Pentecostals/Charismatic Churches pretty much have two Sacraments: Water Baptism and Baptism of the Holy Spirit (which I would equate to Confirmation). Some of the pastors will use oil during the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but it is primarily performed with the laying on of hands, and praying over the person, until either they start to speak in Tongues or I guess when the pastor gets tired, and the individual hasn’t shown evidence of tongues.

 

[Erose]

Me personally I think that this one Sacrament out of all of the other Sacraments, is the least understood, and has the least amount of theological thought and development performed. Even going back to the Fathers, you can find a great deal of thought applied to Baptism, but Confirmation/Charismation not so much.

In my view of what Scripture tells us, and what little our theology tells us: Where Baptism makes us the adopted children of God, and we receive the Holy Spirit and the infused Virtues, and Sanctifying Grace; this Sacrament brings us into the family of God. This is shown to us in our Lord Jesus’ baptism, which is a figure of ours, when He came out of the water, the Holy Spirit landed upon Him, and the Father spoke from heaven saying: “This is my beloved Son”, which the Father says spiritually at everyone of our baptisms.

Confirmation on the other hand, fills us with the power of the Holy Spirit, making us God’s prophets and His spiritual warriors, giving us the virtues we need to go out and proclaim His Word, and be used by Him to help bring more of the human race into His family. This is shown during what we call Jesus’ Transfiguration, which I believe was His Confirmation. When Christ’s Transfiguration/Confirmation occurred, the Father called out from heaven: “This is my beloved Son; hear Him”. This is what the Father says spiritually at ever confirmation; and through confirmation, he is calling all of us to be prophets, which we can be, because He has given us what we need to be prophets, through this Sacrament.

When I say prophet, I do not mean prophesying the future events (although God surely has the gift to give whomever He wills), but rather to ability to profess Christ and all He has taught you.

Just my thoughts.