65 Years of Priestly Life. The history of a Journey 14 Sacrament of Confirmation In the post Vatican II theology, Baptism and Confirmation, together with the Eucharist, are part of the one rite of Christian initiation. If in Baptism one expresses one’s acceptance of the call by Christ to continue his work, in Confirmation the Holy Spirit is given to enable that mission to be carried out. Even in the pre-Vatican II theology, the Holy Spirit in Confirmation made one a miles Christi, a soldier of Christ. Today, for adults, the two sacraments of Christian Initiation are conferred together. The one catechumenate prepares for this commitment to continue the mission of Christ. Those who have been baptised as children need to go through a kind of catechumenate. The stress should be on continuing the mission of Christ in their context. The reason given for confirming the children at primary school age is that otherwise, most of them will not be confirmed at all. They will miss the sacramental grace of Confirmation, as I was told in PNG. We are in danger of going back to a preVatican II grace centred theology, abandoning that of a Church which is missionary by nature. It might be a sign that the theology of the Church which is missionary by nature is still only skin deep. We pay lip service to it but we do not live by it. Maybe also we SVDs failed the people in our teaching and preaching. Sacrament of the Eucharist The Eucharist, together with Baptism and Confirmation completes the Christian initiation. Through Baptism/Confirmation we are called and accept to continue the mission of Christ, and the Eucharist is the food that enables us to carry out the mission of Christ. Besides, it is the memorial, the making present of the mystery of God’s love for us, “God loved the world so much that he gave his only son” and of the love of that son who loved us so much to give his love for us. We are thus confronted by our model Christ who shows us the way to carry out God’s mission: total trust in the Father, even and especially in time of total failure, forgetting oneself for the good of the others to the point of giving one’s life. The Eucharist is both nourishment and reminder. “As the father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation The Sacrament of Penance was not treated in Vatican II. Originally, penance was a new chance for those who in a serious way had broken the baptismal commitment. Sometimes penance was postponed to the death bed, to be sure not to fall again. Besides, Thomas Aquinas taught that the case when one comes to confession with a mortal sin was a borderline case. If one repents, that person is forgiven. From that point of view, there is no special need for a sacramental ritual. But there is another aspect. A grievous sin is one that betrays in a radical way the commitment to Christ expressed in Baptism. One, through such an action, puts oneself outside the Christian community. One cannot come back into a community at will. This explains also the procedure with the so called ‘third rite.’ One is absolved The Eucharist, together with Baptism and Confirmation completes the Christian initiation. Through Baptism/ Confirmation we are called and accept to continue the mission of Christ, and the Eucharist is the food that enables us to carry out the mission of Christ.
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