Scottish Catholic Observer

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Jan 31 2014

ADAM COATES: Absolutely. It is a great shame that the slap on the face during Confirmation is no longer compulsory. Why is this a shame? Frankly, because the action of the slap emphasises that the person is ‘more perfectly bound to the Church’ (1285) and helps to identify the person more readily as a soldier of Christ willing to suffer hardships and if necessary die for Him and His Church.

So why does age matter in this regard? Because as the person ages so too do they mature, in terms of body and hopefully too in the spiritual life, and it is more likely that they can play a greater role in defending and upholding the Church, as is the role of all the Baptised Faithful as they are ‘incorporated into Christ who is anointed priest, prophet, and king’ (CCC 1241).

This explains the reason why a later practise of Confirmation is preferable (in the Roman Rite, one should add, so as not to detract from the pastoral experience and practise of Eastern Catholicism), because of the soldiery identity of the Confirmee.

GERALD BONNER:  Certainly in context of the Western tradition of seeing the Sacrament as related to maturity in the Faith, it is important that the children are old enough to understand that and mature enough to take on that responsibility (again this is not to criticise the Eastern approach of administering Baptism, Confirmation (above right) and Holy Communion to infants at once—both approaches are valid, but each requires internal consistency, and consistency with how children are raised and catechised). So in that sense, I think delaying Confirmation is a good thing in our present situation.

However, receiving First Holy Communion before Confirmation raises serious problems—I myself received Holy Communion first then Confirmation four years later and looking back it simply does not make sense. Would it be too radical to suggest that consideration should be given to delaying First Holy Communion also?

The most important issue though, is that at whatever age the Sacraments are administered it must be in the context of ongoing Catechesis, rather than merely preparation courses for the Sacraments. And indeed, that is not just about teaching the children but also about Catechising the parents to help them bring their children up in a truly Catholic home. None of the Sacraments of Initiation should ever become merely ‘the done thing.’

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Special grace that comes with Confirmation

Currently on Strong in Faith, we’re discussing the age for Confirmation and whether it matters if the child is too young to really remember it properly later in life. There are a lot of different factors involved and so much room for debate.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow has recently announced that children in his archdiocese will be confirmed in P7, that is to say around 11 years old. He explains that his decision was motivated by pastoral concerns. Namely: to prolong the period of Sacramental initiation, to make it more meaningful to the children, and to make it more spiritually satisfying as the children will be able to receive Holy Communion at their Confirmation Mass.

These are pastoral concerns, as His Grace notes, and a legitimate area of debate. Different dioceses and countries take very different approaches. Indeed, the age for Confirmation varies from Baptism in the Eastern Churches to adulthood in some European countries.

In the early Church, Confirmation was administered by the Bishop immediately after Baptism. With the growth in the number of Baptism, and especially of infant Baptisms, this became impossible. Two different solutions were found. In the Christian East, the priest became the usual minister of Confirmation so as to preserve the Sacrament’s link with Baptism. In the Christian West, Confirmation was separated from Baptism so as to maintain its link with the bishop. In cases where Confirmation is received late and ministered by a priest, the link with both is severed.

Although the Code of Canon Law now foresees the age of discretion (in general around 7 years old) as the usual age for receiving Confirmation, there are certain exceptions. For example, a gravely ill baby or child who has not yet been

confirmed would receive

Confirmation rather than the Sacrament of the Sick.

And why is the age of discretion significant? Because it is at that age that a child becomes capable of mortal sin and begins to take a fuller moral responsibility for his decisions and faith. But as the Catechism reminds us: “Although Confirmation is sometimes called the ‘sacrament of Christian maturity,’ we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need ‘ratification’ to become effective.” (CCC 1308)

The Catechism also sets out the effects of Confirmation (left), noting that it brings an increase and deepening of

Baptismal grace:

l It roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry ‘Abba! Father!’

l It unites us more firmly to Christ

l It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us

l It renders our bond with the Church more perfect

l It gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross

With the great challenges to their Faith that children are facing at an ever younger age, the special grace brought by Confirmation would seem to me to be desirable as close to the age of discretion as possible. But what do you think? Join us online—the discussion continues!

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