Chapter X: Sacrament of Confirmation
From
here, Chick begins an attack on the Sacrament of Confirmation. He references one particular work, A Practical Catholic Dictionary, which
was edited by Jessie Corrigan Pegis. I
will at times reference Pegis’s work for this particular topic, since Chick
does as well. But first, it would first
be best to briefly explain the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Confirmation
Confirmation is one of the three
sacraments of Christian initiation (the other two are Baptism and the
Eucharist).[1] Confirmation “strengthens” a person’s
connection to the Church, hence its meaning in Latin,[2] and its
understanding as a sacrament comes from the Gospel of John and the Book of Acts
(John 7:37-39, 15:26, 16:7-15, 20:22; Acts 8:14-17). The bishop is usually the
celebrant of this sacrament, but not always.[3] If the bishop is the celebrant, he may
lightly pat/slap the individual on the cheek to inform the individual about the
hardships he or she may face as a Christian, even though the pat/slap has
nothing whatsoever to do with the sacrament in of itself.[4]
The Church’s Military/Militia??
In her definition for “Confirmation,”
Pegis does state that in Confirmation an individual becomes “a soldier in the
army of Jesus Christ,” and that this person can now defend the Catholic Church
“against its enemies,” but these statements are hyperbole—exaggerations to make
a point.[5] However, Chick appears to have misunderstood,
at least with the second one, the meaning behind these statements, as he is
arguing that there is some actual “Church military” or “Church militia.” There is no Church military. There is no Church militia.[6] The accusation is laughable to
Catholics.
But Pegis’s Book Has a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur
Chick
seems to put an emphasis over the fact that Pegis’s book has a nihil obstat and
an imprimatur. He even makes the
statement, “Of the institution,” which I assume is a reference to the
publisher, even though a publishing company has nothing whatsoever to do, in of
itself, with a nihil obstat or an imprimatur.[7] All the
nihil obstat (Latin for “nothing stands in the way”) and the imprimatur (Latin
for “let it be printed”) means is that there is nothing in the work, which is
contrary to Catholic teaching. However,
this does not mean that the nihil obstat (a person appointed by the bishop) or
the imprimatur (the bishop) personally agreed with the contents/points of view
of the work.[8]
Desperate Attempt to Find a Criticism
At the same time, it seems as though
Chick is desperately trying to find anything to attack the Sacrament of
Confirmation. Critics of infant baptism,
such as Chick, argue that a person should have an understanding of the ritual
he or she is undertaking—whether or not the person truly does is another
issue. Confirmation, at least in the
Western part of the Christian world, addresses this issue.[9]
When
an infant, or young child, is baptized, the child’s parents, or godparents,
speak on his or her behalf. At
Confirmation, that baptized infant, or young child, now speaks for
himself or herself, and renews his or her baptismal promises and profession of
faith.[10]
[1]Confirmation is recognized as a sacrament in the Catholic,
Orthodox, and Anglican Churches. Many
Protestant churches (Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Congregationalist/United Church of Christ) practice the ritual of Confirmation,
but they do not consider it to be a sacrament.
[2]Catechism of the Catholic
Church, section: 1285. In explaining the differences between Baptism
and Confirmation in their relationship to the Church, Pegis uses the terms
“member” (Baptism) and “citizen” (Confirmation), which are referenced by Chick. See Jessie Corrigan Pegis, ed.,
“Confirmation,” in A Practical Catholic
Dictionary (New York: All Saints
Press, 1962).
[3]Sometimes the presbyter/priest is the celebrant. If he is the celebrant, the oil that is used
in the celebration has been consecrated by the bishop. See Catechism
of the Catholic Church, section: 1312.
[4]To use my own personal history, I was confirmed by a
presbyter/priest, and I received no pat/slap on the cheek. The pat/slap is not necessary. The use of holy oil/chrism is what is
necessary during the celebration of this sacrament.
[5]A person can be a “soldier for Jesus Christ,” or defend the
Catholic Church, regardless of Confirmation, or even Baptism. But, more prominently, there is no literal
“army of Jesus Christ,” like there is the United States Military. Likewise, there is no literal “military of
the Catholic Church,” like there is the United States Military.
[6]The closest force that one might think of as a “Church military”
would be the Pontifical Swiss Guard (commonly called “Swiss Guards”) in charge
of guarding the Bishop of Rome and Vatican City, but that only relates
to papal protection and the protection of Vatican City.
[7]Hanover House could have published Pegis’s work regardless of
whether or not it received a nihil obstat or an imprimatur.
[8]For example, a work could receive a nihil obstat and an imprimatur,
even if the work argued that the world is only 6000 years old. Despite the massive amount of scientific
evidence which shows this not to be the case, such a point of view is not
contrary to Catholic teaching.
[9]In the other liturgical rites of the Catholic Church, Confirmation
usually takes place right after Baptism; this is also true for those in the
Orthodox Church.
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