Christian Life Sealed with the Gift of the Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation

Potaknut pastoralnim smjernicama Hrvatske biskupske konferencije na početku trećeg tisućljeća »Na svetost pozvani«, autor se ovim radom uključuje u promišljanje sakramenta potvrde, i to prvenstveno što se tiče njegove teološke istine, no ne zaobilazi, makar u nešto manjem dijelu, naglasiti također važnost planski organizirane i temeljite priprave za potvrdu. U tome polazi od uvjerenja da je jasnoća i bogatstvo teološkog sadržaja itekako bitna, te da u mnogome pomaže, kako u ispravnoj motivaciji za sakrament, tako i u samom organiziranju i dinamici njegove pripreme. Autor ima prvenstveno pred očima mlade ljude koji su kao mala djeca primili sakrament krštenja i kojima bi u pripremi za sakrament potvrde trebalo pomoći da u sebi otkriju »skriveno blago« kraljevstva Božjega, »dragocjeni biser« koji je u njih položen sakramentom krštenja. Sakrament potvrde trebao bi prema autorovu mišljenju prije svega biti slavlje u kojem se u snazi Duha očituje radost i zanos vjere, sreća zbog otkrivenog blaga, ali i slavlje s kojim počinje novi život utemeljen na otkriću »dragocjenog bisera«, život »dostojan Gospodina«, plodan svakim dobrim djelom; život otvoren daljnjem rastu u spoznaji Božjoj (Kol l, 10). Iz osobno doživljenog iskustva Života koji nam se očitovao, nastaje neodoljiva nutarnja potreba da za taj Život svjedočimo; imamo, naime, neodoljivu osobnu potrebu da i druge pozovemo u zajedništvo s nama, odnosno u zajedništvo s Ocem i sa Sinom njegovim Isusom Kristom (1Iv l, 2-4). Odgovornost, odnosno, suodgovornost koju sakramentom potvrde osobno i svjesno prihvaćamo u Crkvi, odnosno za Crkvu i za njezino apostolsko poslanje u svijetu ne dolazi po izvanjskom i nametnutom nalogu, nego prvenstveno proizlazi iz neodoljive snage Duha kojim smo iznutra »zahvaćeni od Krista« (Fil 3,12) i opremljeni za »djelo služenja«, osposobljeni da izgrađujemo Tijelo njegovo koje je Crkva (Ef 4, 12; Kol l, 24) i budemo »sol zemlje« i »svjetlost svijeta« (Mt 5, 13-14), kvasac u društvu i u svijetu u kojem živimo (Mt 13, 33).The author of this article has directed his attention towards the sacrament of Confirmation keeping in mind above all else, young people and the youth, who were baptized as children. They should be, according to the sacrament of Confirmation, even more associated with Christ, the teacher, shepherd and priest, and more intensively involve themselves in the Church and her mission as active place of the Spirit. Particular emphasis is placed in the article on the individual and anthropological aspect, according to which the Confirmation is a opportunity of grace and duty so that the young person can consciously and responsibly accept his Baptism, and decided to choose the path of faith. A young person arrives as if aided by those who have advanced on the path of faith and a living experience of the Spirit, hence the article emphasis the importance of a planned, foundational and organized preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. The author draws attention to the quality and detailed Plan and program, recommended for Croatia by the Croatian Bishop\u27s Conference and formulated by Milan Šimunović and Bernardin Škunca. He has considered it to be useful to present the plan and program regarding the preparation for Confirmation by Norbert Scholle, in which a somewhat different ecclesiastical and pastoral situation is taken into consideration, particularly the German experience through which it is evident that a different period is being formed in Church history, »in which Christianity will again become a sign of a mustard seed, superficially irrelevant, into small groups who shall by their strength oppose evil and bring good into the world, and based on drawing the world closer to God«.The author devotes the main part of the article to the theology of the sacrament of Confirmation, and according to his thinking, to some specially important qualities and values of Christian life that emanate from the gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of Confirmation. The most important and seldom used concept in this context is, of course, the joy which emanates from discovering the hidden treasure in the field (Mt 13:44), and the finding the precious pearl (Mt 13:46). This finding causes man to be »joyful« and prepared to sell all that he has so as to buy the field or the found pearl. Having taken this into consideration, the author presents question: When speaking of the youth who have received the sacrament of Baptism, shouldn\u27t perhaps every preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation accommodate those who have as children received the sacrament of Baptism; helping, therefore, the young person who was baptized as a child, to discover in himself the »hidden treasure« of the Kingdom of God, »the precious pearl« upon which the sacrament of Baptism is founded?! Only from such a life experience, according to the author\u27s views, can there come to the deep spiritual joy and enthusiasm that is capable to redirect life, and to bring it to a personal and radical decision for a journey of faith. According to the author\u27s views the sacrament of Confirmation should be above all else, a celebration in which by the power of the Holy Spirit, is revealed a joy and ecstatic faith, a happiness due to discovering the treasure, and a celebration which begins a new life founded upon the discovering of the »precious pearl« and life »worthy of the Lord", fruitful with every good deed; and life open to further growth in the knowledge of God (Col 1:10). From a personally lived experience of life revealing itself to us, there exists an irresistible inner need that we be witness for Life. Namely, we have an irresistible personal need that we invite others into the community we belong to, into a community with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn 1:2-4). The Spirit of joy and enthusiasm for Jesus Christ belonging to the sacrament of Confirmation urges us to perfect our joy by those who are perhaps outside of the mentioned community. If we should finally remain convicted enough to say that the sacrament of Confirmation is a sacrament that personally and consciously accepts co-responsibility in the Church, for the Church and her apostolic mission in the world, then that responsibility or co-responsibility, does not come from an outward and imposed command, but arrives from the irresistible strength of the Spirit with which we are internally »taken hold of by Christ« (Phil 3:12), and equipped for the »work of the ministry«, made competent for the up-building of the his Body which is the Church (Eph 4:12; Col 1:24) and that we shall be the »salt of the earth« and the »light of the world« (Mt 5:13-14), the yeast in society and the in world in which we live (Mt 13:33)