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Question

Good evening Father Angelo,

but please, explain one thing to me.

Having not approached the sacrament of confirmation before, I cannot take the Eucharist. Why not? Does all this have a biblical foundation?

It doesn’t seem to me.

As a former Evangelical now a Catholic, I’m losing the will to go to church and this week I didn’t go at all, except for catechism.  Indeed, I feel excluded.

But, did Jesus say that to eat his flesh one must be confirmed, first?

I leave the floor to you.

Good evening

The priest’s answer

Dearest,,

1. by itself the sacrament of confirmation precedes that of the Eucharist because it is particularly connected with the Baptism.

Here is the Scripture’s text  that confirms it: “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit” (Acts 8:14-17).

2. It is the sacrament that is given for the empowering (“you will receive power”, Acts 1,8) of the Christian life and to become Christ’s witness..

Before going up to heaven Jesus said: “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem” (Acts 1,8).

3. The Tradition of the Church has always administered this sacrament immediately after baptism if those who receive it are adults.

There is in fact a particular connection, as Pope St. Melchias pointed out: “these two sacraments”, that is baptism and confirmation, “are so united that can never, except in danger of death, be separated and be duly conferred if not together” (Ad Episcopos hispan. 2).

For this St. Thomas notes: “the same seasons are fixed for the solemn celebration

of Baptism and of this sacrament (Confirmation). But since this sacrament is given

only by bishops, who are not always present where priests are baptizing, it was necessary, as regards the common use, to defer the sacrament of Confirmation to other seasons also” (Summa theologiae, III, 72, 12, ad 1 ).

4. Therefore, when Baptism is administered to an adult, the sacrament of Confirmation is conferred on him or her immediately afterwards.

And later in the same celebration, he or she participates in the Eucharist through Holy Communion.

5. However, the first Christians who had received only the Baptism of Jesus presumably approached the Eucharist in the meantime, and the apostles accomplished the breaking of the bread, that is they celebrated the Eucharist, also in the period from the resurrection to the solemn outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, hence there are reasons to say that you can receive Holy Communion even before Confirmation.

Here is  what St. Thomas says: “Nourishment both precedes growth, as its cause; and follows it, as maintaining the perfection of size and power in man. 

Consequently, the Eucharist can be placed before Confirmation, as Dionysius places it, and can be placed after it, as the Master (of the Sentences) does” (Summa theologiae, III, 65, 2, ad 3).

6. In your case, do as the priest of your parish tells you.

You will arrive at your First Communion more prepared and stronger.

I wish you the best, remind the Lord of you and I bless you.

Father Angelo