Baptism and Confirmation in the Catholic Church

[maxho]

Hi,

I would like to find out more about baptism and confirmation.

Even without being initiated in the sarcament of baptism and confirmation, we can receieve the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as gifts of tongues and prophecy, etc.

Question:

1. What is the church’s stand on this?
2. And where can I obtain evidence from the bible?
3. Is the presence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit a sign that the individual is “baptised in the holy spirit”? If so, does the individual need to be baptised subsequently?

Thanks much.

 

[stephe1987]

1. I don’t think the church has a problem with people receiving gifts from the Holy Spirit, it’s just very difficult to be certain that these gifts really are what they seem to be, and not some kind of trick from demons, the occult, etc. That is why prayerful discernment is necessary, and also make sure what you are saying does not contradict with what has already been revealed (Bible, Catechism/Magisterium).

I recently read the book The Rite about demon possession, and people who are possessed can often exhibit those signs. The demon can trick a person into thinking they are receiving a prophecy (especially if it comes true, such as a person dying), and demons can speak multiple languages (it is a good indication of possession when a person suddenly speaks fluently a language they’ve never been exposed to before). The point is that we need to be very careful about these “gifts”, especially if the person who has the “gifts” was cursed and/or was involved in the occult (how almost all demonic possessions happen in the first place). A demon can also guess an object hidden in a bag… so it might not be a gift from the Holy Spirit, but something very bad.

1. I’m not sure. I’m kind of new to the Bible, this year is my first time reading it all the way through, other than that it’s just bits and pieces.
2. To my knowledge, the person still needs baptism. And confirmation. Those are graces from the Holy Spirit, and it is said that people get gifts from being confirmed, so if you don’t get those sacraments you are missing out on graces.