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Blake Zurbuchen wrote:

Hi, guys —

I was baptized, received my First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion but was never confirmed.

  • Is Confirmation something that is required to get to Heaven?

Blake

  { Seeing I received the initial Church sacraments, is Confirmation required to get into Heaven? }

Mike replied:

Hi, Blake —

Thanks for the question.

No, not technically, but it is a very important sacrament of the Church, especially in the immoral culture we live in today.

It is the final sacrament which make up the Sacraments of Initiation. This is what the Catechism says:

1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.

For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed." (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 11; cf. Ordo Confirmarionis, Introduction 2.)

In this culture, where an ordinary Catholic in the pew needs all the grace he or she can get to ward off the invisible, demonic powers of this earthly world, receiving the sacrament of Confirmation is important. It will also help the recipient appreciate and defend what [he|she] believes as a Catholic and help them discern their special calling in the Church and in the world.

If the teenager was never confirmed and, for whatever reason, was never really taught the Catholic faith, depending on the situation, it may be better to postpone Confirmation until the recipient does appreciate [his|her] faith more. If a parent is unsure, I would recommend they talk with their pastor or a priest about their child's specific situation.

If the Confirmation candidate is doing this just:

  • to make Mom [and/or] Dad happy or
  • to have a social party with gifts

their willingness to be a true witness of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed, will be lessened.

What's needed to get into Heaven is to die in a state of grace, with no mortal sin on your soul. Confirmation makes this much easier to achieve.

Hope this helps,

Mike

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