Teach Mormons about Catholicism (Home)
Table of Contents:
1. Prophets of God 7. Man
13. The Restoration
19. Baptism
2. One God 8. The Image of God
14. Tradition
20. Confirmation
3. Jesus Christ
9. The Fall of Adam
15. Catholic
21. Marriage
4. The Holy Spirit 10. Original Sin
16. The Church
22. Purgatory
5. The Holy Trinity 11. Faith and Grace
17. Apostle
23. Heaven and Hell
6. The Creation 12. Authority
18. The Priesthood
24. Eternal Life
20. Confirmation
Mormonism: The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost (GP
Chapter 21)
Catholicism: - Confirmation Brings An Increase And Deepening of Baptismal Grace
- The Faithful are Born by Baptism And Strengthened By Confirmation
- Baptism And The Laying On Of Hands
- Baptism For the Gift of the Holy Spirit
- Through The Power of the Holy Spirit We Are Born To New Life
- After Jesus Glorification The Person Of The Spirit Is Sent
- We Can Invoke The Holy Spirit As Our Interior Teacher
Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace: - it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!"; [Rom 8:15] - it unites us more firmly to Christ; - it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us; - it renders our bond with the Church more perfect; - it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross (CCC1303). Confirmation suggests both the ratification of Baptism, thus completing Christian initiation, and the strengthening of baptismal grace - both fruits of the Holy Spirit (CCC1289). Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the "character," which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness [Lk 24:48-49] (CCC1304). This "character" perfects the common priesthood of the faithful, received in Baptism, and "the confirmed person receives the power to profess faith in Christ publicly and as it were officially (quasi ex officio)" (CCC1305).
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 (CCC1302). Water signifies birth and the fruitfulness of life given in the Holy Spirit, fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's actions. John the Baptist, who goes "before [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah," proclaims Christ as the one who "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" [Lk 1:17; 3:16]. Jesus will say of the Spirit: "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!" [Lk 12:49]. In the form of tongues "as of fire," the Holy Spirit rests on the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself [Acts 2:3-4] The spiritual tradition has retained this symbolism of fire as one of the most expressive images of the Holy Spirit's actions. "Do not quench the Spirit" [1 Thess 5:19] (CCC696).
Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time, for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete (CCC1306). The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity (CCC1212).
A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs (CCC1319). When Confirmation is celebrated separately from Baptism, as is the case in the Roman Rite, the Liturgy of Confirmation begins with the renewal of baptismal promises and the profession of faith by the confirmands. This clearly shows that Confirmation follows Baptism. When adults are baptized, they immediately receive Confirmation and participate in the Eucharist (CCC1298).
From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion (CCC1229). In the first centuries Confirmation generally comprised one single celebration with Baptism, forming with it a "double sacrament," according to the expression of St. Cyprian (CCC1290).
Baptism And The Laying On Of Hands
In the Letter to the Hebrews the doctrine concerning Baptism and the laying on of hands is listed among the first elements of Christian instruction. The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church" [Acts 8:15-17; 19:5-6; Heb 6:2] (CCC1288). By the Apostles' imposition of hands that the Holy Spirit is given [Acts 8:17-19; 13:3; 19:6] (CCC699). The risen Christ, by giving the Holy Spirit to the apostles, entrusted to them his power of sanctifying: [Jn 20:21-23] they became sacramental signs of Christ. By the power of the same Holy Spirit they entrusted this power to their successors (CCC1312).
Bishops are the successors of the apostles. They have received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. The administration of this sacrament by them demonstrates clearly that its effect is to unite those who receive it more closely to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ (CCC1313). The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words: All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord (CCC1299).
Baptism For The Gift Of The Holy Spirit
St. Peter declares to the crowd astounded by his preaching: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" [Acts 2:38]. Always, Baptism is seen as connected with faith: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household," St. Paul declared to his jailer in Philippi. And the narrative continues, the jailer "was baptized at once, with all his family" [Acts 16:31-33] (CCC1226). This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people [Ezek 36:25-27; Joel 3:1-2]. On several occasions Christ promised this outpouring of the Spirit, [Lk 12:12; Jn 3:5-8; 7:37-39; 16:7-15; Acts 1:8] a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost [Jn 20:22; Acts 2:1-14]. Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim "the mighty works of God," and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age [Acts 2:11; 2:17-18]. Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn [Acts 2:38] (CCC1287).
Through Baptism the Christian is sacramentally assimilated to Jesus, who in his own baptism anticipates his death and resurrection. The Christian must enter into this mystery of humble self-abasement and repentance, go down into the water with Jesus in order to rise with him, be reborn of water and the Spirit so as to become the Father's beloved son in the Son and "walk in newness of life": Let us be buried with Christ by Baptism to rise with him; let us go down with him to be raised with him; and let us rise with him to be glorified with him [Rom 6:4]. Everything that happened to Christ lets us know that, after the bath of water, the Holy Spirit swoops down upon us from high heaven and that, adopted by the Father's voice, we become sons of God (CCC537). According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ's death, is buried with him, and rises with him: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life [Rom 6:3-4; Col 2:12]. The baptized have "put on Christ" [Gal 3:27]. Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies [1 Cor 6:11; 12:13] (CCC1227).
"No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" [1 Cor 12:3]. "God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!"' [Gal 4:6]. This knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit: to be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit. He comes to meet us and kindles faith in us. By virtue of our Baptism, the first sacrament of the faith, the Holy Spirit in the Church communicates to us, intimately and personally, the life that originates in the Father and is offered to us in the Son. Baptism gives us the grace of new birth in God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit. For those who bear God's Spirit are led to the Word, that is, to the Son, and the Son presents them to the Father, and the Father confers incorruptibility on them. And it is impossible to see God's Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the knowledge of God's Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit (CCC683).
We have received "power" from the Holy Spirit [Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 13] (CCC735). Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ's Passion by dying to sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life; we are members of his Body which is the Church, branches grafted onto the vine which is himself: [1 Cor 12; Jn 15:1-4] [God] gave himself to us through his Spirit. By the participation of the Spirit, we become communicants in the divine nature.... For this reason, those in whom the Spirit dwells are divinized (CCC1988). By this power of the Spirit, God's children can bear much fruit. He who has grafted us onto the true vine will make us bear "the fruit of the Spirit:... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" [Gal 5:22-23]. "We live by the Spirit"; the more we renounce ourselves, the more we "walk by the Spirit" [Gal 5:25; Mt 16:24-26]. Through the Holy Spirit we are restored to paradise, led back to the Kingdom of heaven, and adopted as children, given confidence to call God "Father" and to share in Christ's grace, called children of light and given a share in eternal glory (CCC736).
The Spirit prepares men and goes out to them with his grace, in order to draw them to Christ. The Spirit manifests the risen Lord to them, recalls his word to them and opens their minds to the understanding of his Death and Resurrection (CCC737). The Spirit gives life to those who accept him and is, even now, the "guarantee" of their inheritance [Eph 1:14; 2 Cor 1:22] (CCC1107). The Spirit is truly the dwelling of the saints and the saints are for the Spirit a place where he dwells as in his own home since they offer themselves as a dwelling place for God and are called his temple (CCC2684). "Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God," [2 Cor 6:11] "sanctified... [and] called to be saints," [1 Cor 1:2] Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit [1 Cor 6:19]. This "Spirit of the Son" teaches them to pray to the Father [Gal 4:6] and, having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear "the fruit of the Spirit" [Gal 5:22, 25] by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation [Eph 4:23]. He enlightens and strengthens us to live as "children of light" through "all that is good and right and true" [Eph 5:8, 9] (CCC1695).
After Jesus Glorification The Person Of The Spirit Is Sent
Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of "another Paraclete" (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously "spoken through the prophets", the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them "into all the truth" [Gen 1:2; Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13]. The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father (CC243). When he proclaims and promises the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls him the "Paraclete," literally, "he who is called to one's side," ad-vocatus [Jn 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7]. "Paraclete" is commonly translated by "consoler," and Jesus is the first consoler. [1 Jn 2:1] The Lord also called the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of truth" [Jn 16:13] (CCC692).
The Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son in person, once he had returned to the Father [Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:14]. The sending of the person of the Spirit after Jesus' glorification [Jn 7:39]. reveals in its fullness the mystery of the Holy Trinity (CCC244). Only when the hour has arrived for his glorification does Jesus promise the coming of the Holy Spirit, since his Death and Resurrection will fulfill the promise made to the fathers [Jn 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-15; 17:26]. The Spirit of truth, the other Paraclete, will be given by the Father in answer to Jesus' prayer; he will be sent by the Father in Jesus' name; and Jesus will send him from the Father's side, since he comes from the Father. The Holy Spirit will come and we shall know him; he will be with us for ever; he will remain with us. The Spirit will teach us everything, remind us of all that Christ said to us and bear witness to him. The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth and will glorify Christ. He will prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment (CCC729).
The Church invites us to invoke the Holy Spirit as the interior Teacher of Christian prayer (CCC2681). The Holy Spirit, the interior Master of life according to Christ, a gentle guest and friend who inspires, guides, corrects, and strengthens this life (CCC1697). The simplest and most direct prayer is also traditional, "Come, Holy Spirit." Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. Heavenly King, Consoler Spirit, Spirit of Truth, present everywhere and filling all things, treasure of all good and source of all life, come dwell in us, cleanse and save us, you who are All Good (CCC2671). The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon Christians are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (CCC1845).