THE SACRAMENTS
Confirmation
EARLY ON
CONFIRMATION took a little longer to discover as a means of enabling a person to participate more fully in the life of the Church. As St Jerome said “the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament”.
From the Old Testament we learn in Genesis that the tower of Babel witnessed the scattering of a people. Their pride challenged their faith in God. As a result they lost their ability to communicate. They spoke in different languages and so could not build the tower.
People are attracted to the message of Christ first and from what is sparked there is the enkindling of a love that unites them to others and so sustains the life of the Church in the power of the Spirit.
FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT
Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit, symbolically reveals the desire of God to teach people the language of love that unites them to God and to each other. They are empowered to build not a tower but a kingdom, the kingdom that Christ revealed and which begins within the New Israel – the Church, the followers of Christ.
Pentecost taught the early Church that the language God knows best is the language of love. This faith story from the Acts of the Apostles would have ramifications for the discernment of the Holy Spirit’s role in the Church.
As the early Disciples of Jesus received the power of the Spirit to proclaim Him as Lord and Saviour, the descent of the Holy Spirit soon accompanies the baptisms that were on the increase.
Confirmands – those wishing to be Confirmed – Please complete the online form in the ACTIVITIES section – at Catechism Classes.
