“By the sacrament of Confirmation they [the Baptized] are more perfectly bound (perfectius vinculantur) to the Church and are endowed with the special strength of the Holy Spirit. (Vatican II, dogmatic constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium 11)” The Sacrament of Confirmation builds upon the foundational gifts and graces of Baptism and chains the recepient of this sacrament to the Church in order to serve and defend the Church. As Baptism incorporates one into the Church and places upon them a sacramental character for the sake of sharing in the common priesthood of Christ Jesus and to offer right worship of God, Confirmation augments this sacramental character so that the recepient may all the more share in the common priesthood of Christ in order to be collaborators with the bishop and his priests to teach, govern and sanctify.

The sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord; are meant to aid one in their own spiritual growth as well as be used for the benefit of others by building-up the kingdom of God on earth through the promotion of the Catholic faith. Confirmation is the capstone upon the Easter sacraments, just as Pentecost is the capstone upon the imparting of the New Law in Christ Jesus begun on Easter. In the further and more perfect reception of the Holy Spirit and His sevenfold gifts at Confirmation the Baptized is made a warrior of Christ, a knight of the Church, an evangelist. Made firm in the faith through their instruction and nourished by the sacramental life of the Church, the confirmed is meant to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit received to promote and defend the teachings of the Church. “By virtue of baptism and confirmation, lay memebers of the Christian faithful are witnesses of the gospel message by word and example of a Christian life; they can also be called upon to cooperate with the bishop and presbyters [priests] in  the exercise of the ministry of the word. (CIC, c. 759)” 

“It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist...The gifts of the Spirit are given for the building up of Christ's Body (1 Cor12) and for ever greater witness to the Gospel in the world. The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian initiation to completion and represents the centre and goal of all sacramental life. (Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 17)” While confirmation is not necessary for the reception of the Eucharist, as confirmed christians our participation in the Eucharistic sacrafice at Mass ought to be all the more advanced as we offer ourselves more completely with the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross in order to increase our share in the fruits of the Resurrection and Pentecost. 

As a pilgrim people looking East, toward the event of the Resurrection and awaiting the Second Coming, we are guided by the Holy Spirit. Our Confirmation increases within us the gifts of the Holy Spirit and in more perfectly chaining us to the Church, so that we may be more perfectly nourished by it and serve it, we are meant to be stronger pilgrims on our spiritual journey. Sent by the joy of the Resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which is the event we re-experience at Confirmation, we are meant to grow in holiness and help others to do so as we journey toward the Second Coming, the Parousia.