Being Inwardly Touched and Strengthened
With puberty, the soul fully arrives on earth. Outwardly, this is seen in changes such as the deepening of the voice; inwardly, a new sense of responsibility awakens – towards one’s destiny and the tasks that life will bring. The child’s once-open soul begins to form boundaries and assert independence.
Across cultures, religious traditions have recognised this transition with rites of passage – initiations that bring a spiritual dimension to the natural process of self-definition. Without such guidance, growing independence can lead to isolation. A confirmation – a strengthening – is needed to support this transformation.
How does Christianity, and The Christian Community in particular, approach this moment?
Baptism as a Precursor to Confirmation
A small child has no distinct inner space. Their moods are deeply affected by their surroundings – becoming restless when others are restless, calm when others are at peace. Even the child’s spiritual life is shaped by the atmosphere around them.
In Baptism, the first religious act, the child’s connection with Christ is not yet inwardly experienced but is established outwardly through consecrated substances. This lays the foundation for a relationship with Christ on earth.
In the early Church, adult baptism was common, combining outward immersion in water with inward baptism through Communion. For children, this second step comes later, at puberty – when an inner soul space has developed and an inner connection becomes possible.
Community and the Independence of the Soul
The process of self-definition reaches its height in puberty. Doors are marked with “Do not enter!”; signs of withdrawal appear – curt replies, closed expressions, silence. A delicate inward space is forming – no longer open like a newborn’s, yet not yet fully secure.
Many traditional societies developed initiation rituals to help young people through this passage, integrating them into the adult community. These rites often involved physical trial, even symbolic encounters with death, conferring spiritual strength but binding the initiate closely to the tribe. Such initiations left little room for true individuality.
Christianity, too, offers an initiation: Confirmation. Yet unlike ancient rites, its purpose is not to dissolve individuality into the group but to affirm and strengthen it. Confirmation deepens belonging while preserving freedom. It marks the step from childhood to youth – the threshold of adolescence.
Strengthening the Inner Space Without Overpowering It
Each person has a name, a way of distinguishing themselves from others. Yet our most personal name is one only we can speak: I.
In John’s Gospel, Christ uses this name for Himself: “I am the Bread of Life,” “I am the Good Shepherd.” In Greek, this I is strongly emphasised – His divine name is also profoundly human.
What is most personal to us is also what connects us – to one another and to Christ, who became human. In Confirmation, this connection is strengthened. Christ approaches the soul, not to overshadow its uniqueness but to empower it – ensuring that independence does not harden into self-centredness, but becomes the ground for genuine community.
This is no mere symbol. In Communion, Christ’s connection with the human being reaches into the physical body itself.
The Communion of Consecrated Bread and Wine – Connecting One’s Own Destiny with Christ
During Confirmation, which takes place within the Act of Consecration of Man, bread and wine (or unfermented grape juice, as used in The Christian Community) are transformed. Christ unites Himself with these substances so deeply that He can say, “This is my body and my blood.”
How can this be understood?
If seen purely as a material event, it seems disturbing; if taken only as a symbol, it becomes empty. But through experience we know that our body is our own because we live within it – bound to it in the deepest way. The moment we die, it is no longer ours.
In the same way, Christ unites Himself with the consecrated bread and wine so completely that His being lives in them.
For those being confirmed, this is a moment of profound connection. The individual, stepping into their own destiny, unites with the Being who carries and accompanies the destiny of humanity. Christ becomes an inner foundation – not one that dictates, but one that strengthens and frees. His presence does not confine a person to a particular path or tradition; it enables them to stand firm in themselves, even if their path leads elsewhere.
The Beginning of One’s Own Biography—And a New Relationship to Death
Until puberty, a child is not yet fully on earth. Their relationship to death reflects this: dying appears as a simple return to their spiritual home. Unless fear has been instilled in them, children do not see death as a threat, but as a transition.
With puberty, this changes. Taking responsibility for one’s own destiny means that the body becomes the soul’s dwelling. Death is no longer a return; it becomes a passage, a path.
Confirmation acknowledges this. Christ is affirmed as companion – not only through life’s joys and sorrows, but also at the moment of death. This is reflected in the service when the priest briefly reveals the black cassock, the innermost vestment, as a reminder of the mystery of dying.
Preparation for Confirmation—Through Instruction and the Sunday Service
Without preparation, the demands of Confirmation would be overwhelming. A vital part of this preparation is religious instruction – not merely learning ideas, but attuning the soul to the event itself.
Yet no lesson can replace direct religious experience – praying together, standing before the altar.
Through the Sunday Service for the Children, young people develop an intuitive relationship to stillness, ritual, and the sacred meeting at the altar. This is the best preparation for Confirmation, so that when the moment comes, they step forward not as spectators but as conscious participants.
Written by Claudio Holland.
Edited by Tom Ravetz