Holy Spirit and Confirmation

Jesus told his apostles that after his death and resurrection he would send them the "Advocate", the "Holy Spirit", who "... will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you."Since the Holy Spirit is a Person of the Trinity, the Church teaches that receiving the Holy Spirit is an act of receiving God.

Through the sacrament of Confirmation, Catholics ask for and believe they receive the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity" and is believed to increase and deepen the grace received at Baptism.Spiritual graces are received in the sacrament as the confirmand is sealed with the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit (gifts of the Holy Spirit), i.e., wisdom (to see and follow God's plan), understanding, counsel (right judgement), fortitude (courage), knowledge, piety (reverence), and fear of the Lord (rejoicing in the presence of God; a spirit of holy fear in God's presence).The corresponding fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity (love), joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.To be licitly confirmed, Catholics must be in a state of grace, in that they cannot be conscious of having committed a mortal sin that has not yet been confessed.[90] They must also have prepared spiritually for the sacrament,chosen a sponsor[90] (who can be a baptismal godparent) for spiritual support, and selected a saint to be their special patron and intercessor.Baptism in the Eastern Catholic Churches, including infant baptism, is immediately followed by the reception of Confirmation and the Eucharist.

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