Confirmation

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Since Confirmation is no longer conferred with Baptism and can only be received once because of the indelible mark that it imprints on the soul, it is crucial that the candidate be properly disposed when he or she receives the sacrament.  The Catechism states that the candidate should know and be practicing his or her faith, be in the state of grace, and be willing to assume a more active role in the Church (CCC, 1319). 

This means that the candidate should have at least a rudimentary understanding of what it means to be a Catholic, should be attending Sunday Mass regularly, and be frequenting the sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance/Reconciliation.  Because it is also absolutely necessary that the candidate be in the state of grace (be free of grave sin) when receiving this sacrament (as stated above), it is customary for the candidate to receive the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation very shortly before receiving Confirmation as part of the immediate preparation (CCC, 1310).
 

True to its name, the Sacrament of Confirmation confirms the life of the Holy Spirit which was received at Baptism. 

This sacrament was originally given by the bishop immediately after Baptism to show that it is a necessary “completion of baptismal grace” (CCC, 1285).  It gradually became the practice in the Western Church (though not in the Eastern Church) to wait until the person was of the age of reason before he or she could be confirmed.  Though Baptism alone is absolutely necessary for salvation (according to John 3:5), Confirmation is not on that account dispensable. 
 

As the Catechism states, “Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the ‘sacraments of Christian initiation,’ whose unity must be safeguarded…By the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (CCC, 1285).

The Sacrament of Confirmation has been traditionally bestowed by the bishop to show the Catholic’s ecclesial bond with him.
 

1316 Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds.

1317 Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life.

1308 Although Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity," we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need "ratification" to become effective. St. Thomas reminds us of this: 

Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: "For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years. "Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.