Audrey
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I know Baptism and Confirmation are similar.
I have been baptized and made my First Holy Communion,
but not my Confirmation.
- Does this mean I have not been confirmed
into the Catholic Church?
Audrey
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{
If I was baptized and made my First Holy Communion, have I been confirmed
into the Church? }
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Paul
replied:
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Audrey,
Baptism and Confirmation, one could
say, are similar to the consent and
consummation of a covenant, or more
specifically, a wedding. They go
together, like the heads and tails
of a coin, to make you a member of
that living covenant between the
Father and Christ.
Baptism is the fullness of when you
or your parents and godparents consented
and said Yes to God; but the Fullness
of divine Life that comes with that
consent is poured out in the Sacrament
of Confirmation.
So as a Catholic, if you missed your
Confirmation, then you are still
a member of Christ's body, the Church,
by virtue of your Baptism, but you are still
not in the full union of Supernatural
Life and Love that God offers us.
Paul
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Audrey,
Not making your Confirmation means
you have not completed the Sacraments
of Initiation (Baptism, the
Eucharist and Confirmation) into
the Body of Christ.
- You have become part of the Body
of Christ.
- You have become a child of the
Father — both of these through
the gift of the Spirit.
- You have received the gift of
divine life in your soul,
- but you have not received
the gift of the Holy Spirit
in His fullness, in power —
the power intended to equip
us for our mission in the
world.
Do be sure and prepare for and receive
this wonderful Sacrament. With it
come the gifts of the Spirit:
- Wisdom
- Understanding
- Counsel
- Knowledge
- Fortitude
- Piety, and
- Fear of the Lord
Mary Ann
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Audrey
replied:
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Hi, guys —
Thanks for the answers. I am now
39 years old and have been asked
to be a godparent.
Audrey
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Paul
followed-up:
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Hello Audrey,
No, it is not possible. According to Canon law 874. §1 /3., a [sponsor|godparent]
must be confirmed:
Canon
874 §1. To be permitted
to take on the function of
sponsor a person must:
3. be a Catholic who has been
confirmed and has already received
the most Holy sacrament of the
Eucharist and who leads a life
of faith in keeping with the function
to be taken on.
It is important that the [godparent|sponsor]
has received his or her Sacraments
of Initiation, which include Baptism,
Confirmation, and Communion, in order
to assist the initiation of another
person into the Body of Christ.
If you wish to be fully initiated
into Christ and His Church, then
it would be important for you to
contact your parish to receive this
important sacramental encounter with
Christ and His Spirit.
P.S. Always hit the "Reply to
All" button in your e-mail,
so that all of us may be able to
dialogue with you.
Thanks,
Paul
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Eric
replied:
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Hi, Audrey —
If you "never made your Confirmation", then
you have not been confirmed, and
you need to be confirmed to be a
godparent.
Contact your parish priest and find
out what needs to be done to get
confirmed. Unfortunately, the timing
may not work out unless your friends
are very early in the Baptism cycle.
Eric
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