La Confermazione sacramento dello Spirito?

Abstract

The reform of the Rite of Confirmation following Vatican II gives particular relevance to the relationship between this sacrament and the gift of the Spirit. Having laid out the theological debate prior to the the Council, pointing out the theses which appear to have had particular relevance for the revision of the rite, this article offers a panorama of the way in which the post-conciliar literature has articulated the connection between Confirmation and the gift of the Spirit. In conclusion, having proposed a comprehension of the second sacrament as explication of the pneumatological dimension of baptism, the article proposes a rereading of the specific grace of each sacrament as the determination of the gift of the Spirit. The argumentation is carried out first and foremost in reference to the Eucharist, then in turn to the other sacraments, with a look on the Spirit’s action which exceeds the sacramental action without nevertheless losing its reference to it.