STUDY MATERIALS FOR CONFIRMATION

CHAPTER: 10
THE RITE OF CONFIRMATION

1. Who is the minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Syro-Malabar Church?
   
   In the Syro-Malabar church, ordinarily the priest who baptizes also confers Confirmation in one and the same celebration or separately. But he does so with sacred chrism consecrated by the patriarch or the bishop, thus expressing the apostolic unity of the Church whose bonds are strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation.
   
    
2. Who can confirm a Christian who is in the danger of death?
   
   If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest should give him Confirmation. Indeed the Church desires that none of her children, even the youngest, should depart this world without having been perfected by the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ’s fullness.
   
    
3. What do we pray in the introductory prayer of the rite of confirmation?
   
   In the introductory prayer of the confirmation rite we pray that God may ‘strengthen our faith that we may courageously preach the gospel of the Kingdom and bear witness to Christ.’
   
    
4. What does the celebrant pray in the prayer before the anointing with the Chrism?
   
   The celebrant prays that the Holy Spirit come down on the person that he or she may be able to live a life of purity and holiness.
   
    
5. Which are the external gestures done by the priest/bishop while anointing with Chrism?
   
   The priest/bishop places the hands on the candidate’s head, and with his thumb anoints the forehead.
   
    
6. How does the priest/bishop anoint the forehead of the candidate?
   
   The priest/bishop anoints the forehead of the candidate with the holy oil, by making the sign of the cross on the forehead of the candidate.
   
    
7. What is the prayer said by the priest/the bishop while anointing?
   
   “I anoint you with the Holy Oil, the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, the fragrance of the true and deep faith and the full ness of the grace of the Holy spirit, in the name of the father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
   
    
8. What are the various things for which we thank the Holy Spirit in the Karozuza?
   
   1. For washing away the sins
   
   2. For making the person partaker of the glorious life
   
   3. For having confirmed in faith
   
   4. For pouring out the Holy Spirit into the heart
   
   5. For giving the strength to suffer
   
   6. For having chosen to bear witness to the Kingdom.
   
    
9. Why does the Deacon wipe the (muron) Chrism from the forehead of the candidate with cotton?
   
   The deacon wipes the chrism from the forehead of the candidate, so t hat the sacred oil is not desecrated by anyone, nor be washed away with ordinary water.
   
    
10. As described in the Final prayer of Blessing, with the reception of the sacrament of confirmation what do we become?
    
    With the reception of the Sacrament of confirmation we become the Temples of the Holy Spirit and efficient instruments of renewing the whole world.