HOLY SPIRIT, PENTECOST, CONFIRMATION:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
paragraph 1285 states that Baptism, the Eucharist,
and Confirmation together constitute what are known
as the "Sacraments of Christian Initiation." These
Sacraments are necessary for saving grace. What
are the Gifts of the Holy Spirit? The Sacred
Scriptures says: "And the spirit of the Lord shall
rest upon stump of Jesse-Emmanuel: the spirit of
wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel,
and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of
godliness [piety]. And he shall be filled with the
spirit of the fear of the Lord, He shall not judge
according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove
according to the hearing of the ears." Isaiah 11:2-3
The Baltimore Catechism
explains more these
gifts: Wisdom - to desire the
things of God and to direct our whole life to the
His honor and glory. Understanding - to know
more clearly the mysteries of our Faith. Counsel
- warns us of the deceits of the devil, and of
dangers to salvation. Fortitude - the
strength to do the will of God. Knowledge -
to discover the will of God in all things. Piety
- to love god and obey Him because we love Him.
Fear of the Lord - to acknowledge the awesome
power and holiness of God and consequently, to dread
our sins.
The
Sacred Scripture tells us about the fruits of the
Holy Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is,
charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness,
longanimity [long-suffering], mildness, faith,
modesty, continence, chastity. Against such there is
no law." Galatians 5:22-23 Again the Baltimore
Catechism explains: Charity - Love of
God and our neighbor, Joy - happiness born of
the spirit, not of worldly pleasures, Peace -
with God, because we are His friends; and man,
because we deal justly and kindly with all; and
ourselves, because we have a good conscience,
Benignity - the attitude to show goodness and
kindness, Goodness - the internalizing of
holiness in ourselves, Longanimity - Patience
with God, our neighbor, and ourselves. Modesty
- Humility and purity in our behavior and
appearance, Continence - Self control and
temperance, Chastity - Purity from sexual
sins in thought, word, and deed. What are the
effects of Confirmation? According to the
Catechism of the Catholic Church. the effects
are: a full outpouring of the Holy Spirit
into the soul, a deepening of the graces given at
Baptism, and an indelible mark, a
reminder that a confirmed Christian should always
bravely profess his faith, defend his faith and
live it according to the Gospel standards.
