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Why Lowering the Age of Confirmation Makes Sense
Crisis Magazine ^
| June 3, 2015
| JARED M. SILVEY
Posted on 06/03/2015 3:26:36 PM PDT by NYer
This past Pentecost Sunday, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver announced that the age for the reception of Confirmation would be lowered to seven. In addition, the archbishop said that he would restore the sacraments former place in between Baptism and First Communion. In his pastoral letter Saints Among Us, he explains his reasons for making the change, especially from the standpoint of theology. The archbishop quotes Pope Benedict XVI, who in Sacramentum Caritatis writes that It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist. The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian initiation to completion and represents the center and goal of all sacramental life.
In addition to the theological backdrop that the archbishop presents, there are also a couple of practical considerations that he briefly mentions and which I would like here to highlight and explore a bit further.
The pastoral letter states that new generations need grace to sustain them in a non-Christian environment. In todays secular age, children arguably need the graces of Confirmation much sooner than in times past. Educational institutions are presenting moral challenges to very young children that in another age would not be encountered until around the teenage years, at least not on such a massive scale. Ontarios newly unveiled sex education program is just one part of the ongoing story of schools across the western world encouraging immoral sexual practices in young children. A look at the topics covered by each grade show that kids, tweens and teens will be exposed to serious moral challenges well before high school, the time when many in the Roman Rite receive the sacrament.
Peer pressure and the encouragement of damaging ideas and practices by schools require the special strength of the Holy Spirit provided by Confirmation. Parents rightfully object to a curriculum such as Ontarios, but if they are going to place their children in such an environment then they have to arm them with the necessary weapons of spiritual warfare. Other dioceses and archdioceses likewise need to catch up to Denver and unleash the strength of the Holy Spirit to combat the ever-growing wave of hedonism submerging the West. As the archbishop perceptively notes in his letter The most important changes that restoring the place of Confirmation will make are not logistical but spiritual. This is profoundly important, because we live in a different spiritual terrain than our parents or grandparents did. Indeed, the spiritual landscape of modern American society underscores the need for children to receive grace earlier.
Another reason why Confirmation should be given at an earlier age, and before First Communion, is to help dispel the unfortunately common perception that Confirmation is the ultimate completion of ones Christian education and formation, and therefore like a graduation. In Kevin OBriens amusing video, the Stanford Nutting Holiday Special, liberal Catholic Stanford Nutting mentions that because his nephew, Tommy, is now confirmed, he no longer has to attend Mass. Tommy concurs, likening Confirmation to a graduation from church. The episode is witty and funny, but it does hit upon a serious problem that is rampant in the Church.
Placing Confirmation at an earlier age before First Communion shows that Confirmation is part of a process of Christian growth, and not a graduation. In this context, religious education would not end with or soon after Confirmation, but would continue (hopefully) to the reception of the Eucharist and beyond. Since the Eucharist is a sacrament to be received on a continuous basis, this leads religious education to an apex which, in turn, is an ongoing part of the Catholics life. Also, as the archbishops letter notes, parents will have the chance to prepare their children for Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist at a time when they are more naturally receptive to the formation and the graces being given. Not that rebellion is entirely absent in children, but neither does it typically (at least as Ive seen) reach the heights of the adolescent, whose career obsession changes from being a fireman or doctor to a professional apron string cutter.
Then there is the practice of having high school students perform acts of service before their reception of the sacrament, a laudable thing indeed, but one which puts Confirmation in the place of being a reward and end to the work, rather than a stimulus to perform regular acts of charity and service. This means, as the archbishop notes, that the focus of middle school and high school youth groups must shift from sacramental preparation to building community, fostering deeper relationships with each person of the Holy Trinity, and preparing them to be witnesses to the poor, those in need, and those who do not know Jesus Christ. The emphasis is on parish involvement being a fruit of the sacrament, rather than merely a grueling preparation for ita lifelong endeavor rather than one subject to a countdown.
Ultimately, the merits of the new (or rather old) practice for the archdiocese will have to be judged in hindsight. It has worked for some of the other few dioceses that have tried it (the archbishop mentions in his letter the success the practice had in his former diocese of Fargo). It certainly seemed to cause no issue for the countless saints who received the sacrament at a young age when such was still the standard practice. Given the crises of our current time, crises that meet children head on at an ever earlier age, it seems wise to tap into the rich reserve of the sacraments graces as soon as possible.
TOPICS: Catholic; History; Religion & Culture; Worship
KEYWORDS: archbishopaquila; bishopaquila; confirmation; crisismagazine; denver; jaredmsilvey; sacraments
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1
posted on
06/03/2015 3:26:36 PM PDT
by
NYer
To: Tax-chick; GregB; SumProVita; narses; bboop; SevenofNine; Ronaldus Magnus; tiki; Salvation; ...
In todays secular age, children arguably need the graces of Confirmation much sooner than in times past. This is so very important! In the RC Diocese of Albany, under former Bishop Hubbard, the Sacrament of Confirmation was declared "optional", rather than "required". The graces bestowed by this sacrament are necessary and should never have been relegated as optional.
Catholic ping!
2
posted on
06/03/2015 3:27:09 PM PDT
by
NYer
("You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." James 4:14)
To: NYer
3
posted on
06/03/2015 3:40:51 PM PDT
by
painter
( Isaiah: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,")
To: NYer
Wow. Just wow.
Another way to transmit a false gospel to even younger generations.
I am a living witness that the whole RC sacrament system was a deception.
The RC system doesn’t understand what it means to be born again, and to understand salvation by grace through faith.
This is just as bad as the idiots who thought that Extreme Unction for old Teddy Kennedy had any benefit.
4
posted on
06/03/2015 3:48:04 PM PDT
by
fishtank
(The denial of original sin is the root of liberalism.)
To: NYer
Honestly I didn’t really understand the confirmation process when I was confirmed, I don’t see how a 7 year old could.
5
posted on
06/03/2015 4:22:20 PM PDT
by
Fido969
To: fishtank
My husband is Catholic and was confirmed when he was 12 or so. He said he was clueless about his faith and thought age 21 would have been a better age for confirmation. It would have been his choice at that age and not anyone else.
To: Cry if I Wanna; Fido969
When I was in Boy Scouts, I earned every merit badge they had.
I did it because it was a challenge. Most of the scouts in my unit did the same.
We didn’t understand , at the time, what ‘value’ each and every one of the merit badges was giving us.
I do now.
7
posted on
06/03/2015 4:36:34 PM PDT
by
UCANSEE2
(Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
To: NYer
8
posted on
06/03/2015 4:41:38 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Fido969
I think the reasoning here is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed during Confirmation help guard against the wilds of modern society, whether understood or not. His gifts effectiveness aren’t based on our understanding. But I could be wrong.
To: fishtank
RC is a political entity, and it’s dying a political death. People are starting to realize that these big mega denominations are just political entities.
10
posted on
06/03/2015 5:18:32 PM PDT
by
Usagi_yo
(Abuse rolls down hill.)
To: Usagi_yo
Just go on believing that. All roads lead to Rome.
Dominus vobiscum, y’all.
;^)
11
posted on
06/03/2015 6:06:48 PM PDT
by
elcid1970
("The Second Amendment is more important than Islam.")
To: NYer
I agree. The age for the Sacrament of Confirmation should be lowered all around. In our diocese, you must be 12 or in the 6th grade, which seems reasonable to me. In my brother’s diocese, however, they wait until the laughable age of 16. They lose MANY kids — almost all of the kids who go to public school never receive the sacrament. (The Catholic school kids get CCD in school, so they typically DO receive the sacrament.)
Once that happens, they’ve probably lost them forever because without it you can’t have a church wedding and most young people today aren’t going to take a year out to go through RCIA. And once THAT happens...you’ve lost the future family, too. I see it all the time. Sad.
Regards,
PS: Children can and DO understand what Confirmation is — IF they are taught properly, and not by those silly coloring books masquerading as catechisms. Go back to the Gold Standard: The Baltimore Catechism. The kids will understand.
To: NYer
Made my first holy communion in 2nd grade and my confirmation in fifth grade.
and today, the church force the teens to participate in community/church service, I’m against any form of forced community service in schools or church. That should only be an option in the court system for those who plead guilty of a crime.
13
posted on
06/03/2015 6:15:37 PM PDT
by
Coleus
(For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.)
To: NYer
“In the RC Diocese of Albany, under former Bishop Hubbard, the Sacrament of Confirmation was declared “optional”, rather than “required”. “ Seriously? I find that hard to believe. What a disgrace. Anyway, I heartily approve of restoring the original order of sacraments and combining confirmation with first communion.
To: NYer
I didn’t even know that was, for lack of a better word, an option.
15
posted on
06/03/2015 6:52:21 PM PDT
by
RichInOC
("Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls; but they are the walls of a playground."--GKC)
To: VermiciousKnid
I had my First Communion at 6 and my Confirmation at 7. We went to a lovely church on a military base with a wonderful priest. He said he wanted to confirm when he could because military families aren’t always living in a place where the child could easily receive the sacrament of Confirmation.
When we were in Denver, my sister was confirmed when she was 12 or 13. My BIL’s nephew (lives in the Seattle area and attended a Catholic HS) wasn’t confirmed until he was 17. They had to get X Palanca letters (IIRC they did a retreat right before they were confirmed and were to read the letters during their 3-day retreat (in which they were seeking to grow closer to God) for inspiration, encouragement, and reflection. I think each of those being confirmed was to get about 4 or 5 letters. I had never written one and it was an interesting and somewhat inspiration experience for me.
To: VermiciousKnid; Cry if I Wanna; Fido969; NYer
I will honestly never understand why people think one should “understand” this sacrament in order to receive it. This is historically unsound reasoning. There is no more reason for this in confirmation than there is in baptism, and any argument about understanding and age of reason for the former would apply equally well to the latter. As a matter of fact, entire Protestant churches have ordered their sacramental life around this principle, as opposed to the Catholic understanding. What I would love to see is a return to the proper method with the sacraments of initiation being given to newborns. There is just no good reason for withholding God’s grace from our children.
17
posted on
06/03/2015 7:47:02 PM PDT
by
cothrige
("An error which is not resisted is approved; a truth which is not defended is suppressed" Felix III)
To: NYer
**Placing Confirmation at an earlier age before First Communion shows that Confirmation is part of a process of Christian growth, and not a graduation. In this context, religious education would not end with or soon after Confirmation, but would continue (hopefully) to the reception of the Eucharist and beyond. Since the Eucharist is a sacrament to be received on a continuous basis, this leads religious education to an apex which, in turn, is an ongoing part of the Catholics life. Also, as the archbishops letter notes, parents will have the chance to prepare their children for Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist at a time when they are more naturally receptive to the formation and the graces being given. **
This makes a LOT of sense.
18
posted on
06/03/2015 7:48:03 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Fido969
I think they will. Remember when you were young and wanted to be a soldier or Superman.
Now these kids will get that chance.
A Soldier for Christ.
19
posted on
06/03/2015 7:49:27 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Usagi_yo
Whoever gave you that mistaken information? A pamphlet? Someone who hates the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church is far removed from the workings of politics.
20
posted on
06/03/2015 7:51:55 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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