By Emily Mendez, Connecting Liturgy and Life
Editor’s note: For 2026, the weekly “Connecting Faith and Life” column has been renamed “Connecting Liturgy and Life.” The column consists of reflections on Part Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which focuses on the Liturgy and the Sacraments.
cf. CCC 1297-1305
The strong driving wind, the tongues of fire and the lives blown open and changed forever often make me wonder what it would have been like to have been at Pentecost. Seeing the power of the Holy Spirit moving in the apostles, transforming them to preach the Gospel without fear, had to have been a powerful moment. Hearts were filled to overflowing and were never the same. The fellowship of the many who were baptized after hearing Peter preach must have been pure joy.
The catechism says, “It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost” (CCC 1302). Wow! In confirmation, we receive the full outpouring of the same Holy Spirit the apostles received! Confirmation deepens and strengthens our bond with God and his Church, and it sends us forth to boldly proclaim the Gospel.
Do you remember the day of your Confirmation? Did it feel like you received the Holy Spirit as the apostles did at Pentecost? Some people maybe do, but for most of us, it did not feel nearly as life-changing as the account of Pentecost from the Bible. We did not feel any different, and we did not start preaching the Gospel to anyone who would listen. Looking back, our Confirmation was maybe not transformative as it seems a Pentecost should be.
So how can this be? From sacramental theology, we know that sacraments are not just symbols; they accomplish in reality what they signify. If something so powerful is happening, why don’t we always see more evidence of it at our sacramental celebrations and in the lives of those newly confirmed?
To possibly answer this question, we can look to Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, who served the role of Preacher to the Papal Household from 1980, when he was appointed by St. John Paul II, until 2024, when he retired at the age of 90. He is still living and active, and on May 7, 2025, he gave the opening meditation, setting the spiritual tone for the conclave which elected Pope Leo XIV.
Cardinal Cantalamessa is an extremely humble man, given that for 44 years he preached to the Pope and the highest administrators of the Church. Not only is he humble, but he is joyful, passionate and filled with the Holy Spirit and teaches others to be in relationship with the Holy Spirit, too. His wisdom is worth listening to, since popes for decades have been listening to him.
Cardinal Cantalamessa says, “Catholic theology recognizes the concept of a valid but “tied” sacrament. A sacrament is called tied if the fruit that should accompany it remains bound because of certain blocks that prevent its effectiveness.”
We know this from our experience since not everyone who receives confirmation shows the fruit of the effects of the sacrament. The effectiveness of the sacrament is a cooperation between the grace of God and human freedom. Cardinal Cantalamessa says God always puts his part, but when, “finally man contributes his part — namely, he makes a choice of faith, prepared in repentance that allows the work of God to set itself free and to emanate all its strength, it is as if the plug is pulled and the light is switched on.” When this happens, he says, “The gift of God is finally “untied” and the Spirit is allowed to flow like a fragrance in the Christian life.” This “untying” brings a transformation in our lives.
For those who have been confirmed but have missed their own outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it can still happen. Sometimes it can be decades before the effects of our confirmation are evident, but when we put our part, God always puts his part. We pray that more and more people may untie the gift God wishes to give, and we can all live more fully in the Holy Spirit.