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CHAPTER: 1
SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION AND HOLY SPIRIT:
BASIC NOTIONS
“Holy Spirit” is the proper
name of the one who we adore
and glorify with the Father
and the Son. The Church has
received this name from the
Lord Himself and professes it
in the Baptism of her new
children. The term “Spirit”
translates the Hebrew word
‘ruah’ which, in its primary
sense, means breath, air,
wind. Jesus indeed uses the
sensory image of the wind to
suggest to Nicodemus the
transcendent newness of him
who is personally God’s
breath, the divine spirit. On
the other hand, “Spirit” and
“Holy” are divine attributes
common to the three divine
persons. By joining the two
terms, Scripture, liturgy and
theological language designate
the inexpressible person of
the Holy Spirit, without any
possible equivocation with
other uses of the terms
“Spirit” and “Holy”.
The following questions and
answers are capable of
revealing to us the nature of
the Holy spirit and the effect
of the Sacrament of
Confirmation.
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Define Sacraments?
Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace,
administered through visible rites,
instituted by Christ and entrusted to the
Church, by which divine life is given to us.
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Name the Sacraments.
a. Baptism
b. Confirmation
c. Holy Qurbana
d. Penance
e. Anointing of the sick
f. Holy Orders
g. Matrimony
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Which are the Sacraments
of Christian initiation?
Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Qurbana
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What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is a sacrament by which we
receive the Holy Spirit in a special way in
order to make us strong and perfect
Christians and soldiers of Christ.
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Why is it that the
Sacrament of Confirmation can only be
received once?
The Sacrament of Confirmation can be
received only once because it imprints on
the soul an indelible spiritual mark or
character for ever.
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Which are the charisms of
the Holy Spirit?
The main charisms are: - Charisms of tongue,
prophesy, teaching, preaching, healing
service, working miracles and discernment.
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Which are the seven Gifts
of the Holy Spirit?
a. Wisdom
b. Understanding
c. Counsel
d. Fortitude
e. Knowledge
f. Piety
g. Fear of the Lord.
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Which are the twelve
fruits of the Holy Spirit?
a. Love
b. Joy
c. Peace
d. Patience
e. Kindness
f. Goodness
g. Generosity
h. Gentleness
i. Faithfulness
j. Modesty
k. Self-control.
l. Chastity
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Which are the sins
against the Holy Spirit?
a. Despair that heaven is unattainable
b. The illusion that heaven can be obtained
without self-attempt c. Resisting the known
truth
d. Jealousy at the spiritual prosperity of
others
e. Obstinacy in sin.
f. Not to show any sign of repentance even
at the last moment.
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Who is the Holy Spirit?
Holy Spirit is the third person of the
Blessed Trinity, ‘the spirit of truth, the
giver of life’, con-substantial with the
Father and the Son, and ‘proceeds from the
Father and the Son’.
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How many persons are
there in the Trinity? Who are they?
There are three persons in the Trinity. They
are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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What is the similarity
between your soul and the Trinity?
Just as there are three persons in the
mystery of the Trinity there is the
indwelling presence of the Father, Son and
the Holy spirit, in my soul too.
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What is the main function
of the Holy Spirit, in the life of a person?
The main function of the Holy Spirit is the
sanctification of the person and the world
in which he lives.
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Where, in the Holy
Qurbana do we profess our faith in the Holy
Spirit?
We profess our faith in the Holy spirit
during the Holy Qurbana in the eighth
article of the Creed which says, “I believe
in the Holy Spirit”.
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From whom does the Holy
Spirit proceed?
The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and
the Son.
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Is the Holy Spirit equal
to the Father and the Son?
The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and
the Son, for he is the same Lord and God as
they are.
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When did the Holy Spirit
come down on the Apostles?
The Holy Spirit came down on the apostles on
the Pentecost day, in the form of ‘tongues
of fire’.
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Why did the Holy Spirit
come down on the apostles?
The Holy Spirit came down on the Apostles to
confirm their faith, to sanctify them, and
to enable them to found the Church.
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Which are the Sacraments
in which the Holy Spirit works?
The Holy Spirit works in all the seven
sacraments.
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How does the Holy Spirit
work in the seven sacraments?
The Holy Spirit works in the seven
sacraments by way of purification,
sanctification, unification and healing.
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How does mortal sin kill
the soul in us?
Mortal sin kills the soul in us by depriving
it of the sanctifying grace of the Holy
Spirit, which is the supernatural life of
the soul.
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What is the relation
between your soul and the Spirit?
My soul is like the spirit for it is
immortal
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Of which must you take
more care, the body you have or the Spirit
who dwells in you?
I must take more care of my soul because it
is the ‘Spirit of God’ who dwells on the
form of my soul. Hence Jesus has said, “Do
not be afraid of those who kill your body
but who can kill the soul’ and again Jesus
said, ‘What does it profit a man if he gains
the whole world and suffer the loss of his
own soul?
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What must you do to
sustain the Holy Spirit who dwells in you?
To sustain the Holy Spirit in me, I must
worship God by Faith, Hope and Charity; that
is, I must believe in him, I must hope in
him and I must love him with my whole heart.
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