A Pray Tell reader writes:
ย Iโm catechist at the Church of Saint Paphnucius, where we celebrated confirmation recently. The bishop was not able to be present so a priest presided. He gave each person being confirmed a small slap on the cheek after anointing with chrism. I understand that this slap was in the preconciliar rite with the meaning that the newly confirmed should be a โsoldier of Christ.โ Is it still an option in the reformed rite?
Fr. Paul Turner, the go-to source on many things including confirmation, says this:
The reformed rite of confirmation eliminated the sacramentโs most famous moment: the bishopโs slap. The slap first appeared in the 13th century. Incongruously, the bishop tapped the confirmandโs cheek while saying, โPeace be with you.โ The slap inspired military imagery and fostered an interpretation of confirmation as a maturity rite. Durandus, who inserted the slap into the ritual, also thought it would serve as an exorcism and as a memory device to keep people from forgetting that they were confirmed. Its meaning was poorly understood. The removal of the slap supported the councilโs desire that confirmation be connected more closely to initiation. The slap never had anything to do with initiation, and its removal helped purify the sacramentโs meaning.
So the answer to the readerโs question is: No, the slap is not an option.
I suppose some will say that itโs not expressly forbidden so nothing prevents adding it back in. Iโm sure some will say that it is the โmutual enrichmentโ desired by Pope Benedict XVI if our stripped down reformed rites are gradually loaded back up with the accretions they acquired over the course of the centuries.
In this season weโre in of โre-Catholicizingโ and โreforming the reform,โ I think itโs more important than ever to celebrate the reformed rites as they appear in the liturgical books. Thing were omitted for a reason, and that should be respected.
What do you think? Is there a case, ever, for adding in preconciliar mannerisms? Anyone want to argue for flexibility?
awr
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