chrismation and confirmation

[picnic]

Okay, since I imagine a lot of threads in this forum are about baptism and the Eucharist, I would like to start one on chrismation/confirmation.

Not coming from a background where confirmation or chrismation is practised it would be useful to have good discriptions of this sacrament. Also what would be helpful is if someone can compare the differences between chrismation and confirmation. Also if possible having scriptural references and/or references from early church fathers.

Thanks,

Picnic

 

[a_ntv]

Not coming from a background where confirmation or chrismation is practised it would be useful to have good discriptions of this sacrament. Also what would be helpful is if someone can compare the differences between chrismation and confirmation. Also if possible having scriptural references and/or references from early church fathers.

For the Catholic Church, Confirmation is the exaclty same thing of Chrisimation, two names for the same sacrament.

The aim of this sacrament is to complete the baptism, with the seal of the Holy Spirit in us: it is our personal Pentecost.

The liturgy is:
- the laying of the hands by the bishop (sometime by the priest), with
- the bishop prayer:
Let us pray. Almighty, everlasting God, You have been pleased to regenerate these Your servants by water and the Holy Spirit, and have given them remission of all their sins; send forth upon them from Heaven Your sevenfold Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. The Spirit of Wisdom and understanding. The Spirit of Counsel and fortitude. The Spirit of knowledge and piety. Fill them with the spirit of Your holy fear, and sign them with the sign of the cross + of Christ in mercy for eternal life. Through the same Jesus Christ... in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God, world without end.
- the anointing on the forehead with the Holy Chrism (an oil mixed with incense and other flavours bless by the bishop in the cathdral the morning of the Holy Thursday), with the words: N., I sign thee with the sign + of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation; in the Name of the Father + and of the Son + and of the Holy + Ghost

and here some Biblical verses:
Acts 8:14-17 "Now, when the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. Who, when they were come, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For he was not as yet come upon any of them: but they were only baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them: and they received the Holy Ghost.
Ephesians 4:30 "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption."

A little remark:
The Confirmation is so tied with the baptism, that in the roman rite of baptism a 'prefigure' of Confirmation is already present: after the water baptism, the priest anoints the baby with the very Holy Chrism, saying: N., N., God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has freed you from sin, given you a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and welcomed you into his holy people. He now anoints you with the chrism of salvation. As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as members of his body, sharing everlasting life.

Confirmation is NOT a solemn act of believe (even if it is necessary), but it is about the caming of the Holy Spirit in us.
Of course, like baptism and ordination, it can be given only once in the life.

 

[Knee V]

For the source of this action, read Acts.

It is not so much a "coming of age", as I have heard some put it. Rather, it is the act by which we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Some will do it by the laying on of hands, and some will use annointing with oil. Scripture does not teach that when we believe we just "automatically" have the gift of the Holy Spirit in His fulness. Rather, it is "given" to us, as it was in Acts. You can read several accounts of people "giving" the Holy Spirit to other people. That is how it was done originally, and it never ceased being how we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that is how we still do it today.

 

[picnic]

Can someone explain why the catholics/anglicans tend to do confirmation much later whilst the orthodox tend to do Chrismation straight after baptism. Did the eastern church start doing it sooner or the Roman church later?

 

[a_ntv]

Can someone explain why the catholics/anglicans tend to do confirmation much later whilst the orthodox tend to do Chrismation straight after baptism. Did the eastern church start doing it sooner or the Roman church later?

Baptism and confirmation are Extremly strictly tied: almost two steps of the same sacrament.
Orthodoxes kept them all together, while this link is present in catholic baptism by first anointing with Chrism, as i wrote before.
In CC when the baptism for adult is given togheter confirmation.

In the early centuries most of the times baptism and confirmation were made on adults. When it looked more convenient to baptism babies, the Esterns anticipated both sacraments (due to the strict tie), while the Westerns anticipated baptism, spliting the confirmation in two: a first anointin with baptism, and a second one years later.

That was made mainly because the Westerns (catholics) prefer Confirmation to be celebrated by the own bishop, in order to highligh the own link with the bishop, the sheperd who act for Christ to take care of his lock.

The protestant idea of confirmation as act of faith possible only by adult is miles away from the catholic understanding: as proof I can tell you that catholic rite requires godfathers also for confirmation, who shall help the young in the faith and who proclaim with him he creed.

 

[ChasingADream]

The traditional Anglican view is that confirmation/chrismation (same thing) is one of the five "commonly called sacraments." In the Anglican Communion the bishop alone may give confirmation.

The renewal of the baptismal vows, which is part of the Anglican confirmation service, is in no way necessary to confirmation and can be done more than once. The unfortunate phrase 'ratify and confirm' applied to the vows since 1552 (but altered in the 1928 revision to 'ratify and confess') has led to the common error that confirmation is merely the renewal of baptismal vows. (If it were, there would be no need for the presence of a bishop.) And, the church teaches that, like baptism, confirmation marks the recipient permanently, making it impossible to receive the sacrament twice.