What is Confirmation, and why is it necessary after Baptism?
Confirmation is the sacrament that completes and seals the grace of Baptism. While Baptism gives us new life in Christ, Confirmation strengthens and equips us with the fullness of the Holy Spirit for spiritual maturity and mission.
In the Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles laid hands on those who had already been baptised so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Through the anointing with sacred Chrism and the bishop's laying on of hands, the confirmand receives a deepening of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord).
Confirmation imprints an indelible spiritual mark upon the soul and confers special strength to spread and defend the Catholic faith by word and deed as true witnesses of Jesus Christ.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1285
- Acts 8:14-17
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.