What Does “Confirmation” Mean in the Bible?
The sacrament that gives the strength of the Holy Spirit to live the faith and bear witness to it.
It can mean
- With Baptism and the Eucharist: it makes up the three sacraments of Christian initiation.
- The sign: the bishop anoints the forehead with holy chrism, with his hand, and says: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Today
The bishop gives it, with holy chrism on the forehead.
Where it appears in the Bible
Acts 8:17; Acts 19:6
What the Bible says
Acts 8:17
Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Acts 19:6
And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
Source: Catechism 1285 and 1300