Nature and Effects of Confirmati

The Roman Emperor Julian was at one time a Christian, but he fell away from the faith to become hated in history as Julian the Apostate. To make his denial of Christ complete he decided to profess idolatry publicly. The pagan priests made painstaking preparations. With all the pomp possible the emperor intended to offer sacrifice to the false gods.

When the moment came the emperor gave a sign for the ceremony to begin. but the pagan leaders could not make a move. They were bewildered, paralyzed. The very knives, which they carefully sharpened, would not enter the flesh of their victims. The very fire on the altar died out. The leader of the pagans cried out: "There must be some great unknown power that opposes our designs.�

Who was it? What was it? Perhaps some Christian in the crowd was the cause of this confusion

Sure enough, a young lad, a page in the service of the emperor himself, had received the sacrament of Confirmation only a few days before. The boy was deeply displeased with the senseless ceremony now going on. He stepped forward and announced: "Know that I am a Christian. I have been baptized, and a few days ago, I was anointed with the oil of Confirmation to strengthen me in the struggle for my Savior. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ who redeemed my by the cross. I acknowledge Him as my God. I glory in belonging to Him. It is I, or rather it is the Lord whom I serve, who has prevented the act of impiety you were about to perform. In my heart, I called upon the sacred name of Jesus and your devils lost their power. In the name of Jesus Christ, who is the true God, the demons have been put to flight.

The emperor was covered with confusion and his heart was struck with terror at the thought of further punishment on the part of the offended God. Without another word the sinful service broke up.

In this incident from history, we have another proof of the power of Confirmation. Anointed with the oil of this sacrament, a young lad was able to stop a sinful service. He was given the courage boldly and bravely to admit he was a Christian and to prevent a public offence to God. What is this wonderful power?

Confirmation is a sacrament through which we receive the Holy Spirit to make us strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ. It has the three essentials of a sacrament: The outward sign, the inward grace, and founding by Christ. The outward sign is the laying on of the bishop's hands, the anointing of oil, and the saying of the words. All this we see, feel, and hear.

The inward grace, that which we cannot see, that which in the real power of the sacrament, is the giving of sanctifying grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Of this we will speak in a moment.

Our Lord established in Confirmation after His resurrection when He spoke of the "kingdom of God," Acts 1:3. As soon as the Apostles began to preach publicly they also Confirmed, they "laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." Acts 8:17.

What does Confirmation do for us? It gives sanctifying grace. It increases what we call the spiritual health and strength of the individual. It also gives certain sacramental graces, special helps in time of need, helps for spiritual growth.

Confirmation fills the soul with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, and the gift of fear of the Lord. These give light, love, and strength to the soul.

To receive Confirmation one must be baptized; by receiving it we become strong Christians. It gives us the fullness of spiritual life, which had begun in Baptism. At the moment of the ceremony one may not feel this power and perfection, but it is there, read for use in time of need. A man with strong muscles need not realize his power until he attempts to lift something.

Confirmation makes us soldiers of Jesus Christ. It is called, "the sacrament of soldiers" because it equips us and spurs us to do battle with the enemies of Christ. By his oath of allegiance, a soldier goes all out for his country, even to laying down his life. By Confirmation, a Christian goes all out for God, even to the sacrificing of his life. Like Baptism, Confirmation imprints a spiritual brand or character upon the soul, marking that soul as belonging in a special way to Christ, our Captain.

This sacrament helps us to profess our faith in the face of criticism and ridicule. It enables us to suffer with Christ-like spirit the setbacks of life, loss of position, health and influence, loss of money, work and income, and loss of loved ones. It strengthens us against the enemies of the soul, lust and passion and pride.

Here is a sacrament which all of us need. Here is a sacrament, a power, which all of us want. Here is the heavenly help that will keep us from becoming another Julian the Apostate, a heavenly help to be courageous and strong like the young page who spoke so fearlessly. Here is a sacrament that will keep us from being idle in the vineyard of the Lord. Amen.

webmaster www.evangelizationstation.com