Receiving the Holy Spirit

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I am reading a book on Christian psychotherapy written by a Mennonite. He seems to believe that only some Christians have received the Holy Spirit. A certain counseling excercise is recommended only for clients who have been prayed with by their pastor to receive the Holy Spirit. Clients who have not done this are sent back to their pastor to do so.

At what point is a Catholic considered to have received the Holy Spirit? Are there different degrees of receiving the Holy Spirit? Would Catholics who are part of the Charismatic movement have anything different to say about this than other Catholics?

Thanks for your replies.
 
Confirmation is referred to as “being sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”.
 
The Holy Spirit is received in Baptism which is “sealed” in confirmation.

Deacon Ed
 
Deacon_Ed said:
The Holy Spirit is received in Baptism which is “sealed” in confirmation.

Deacon Ed
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Thanks…I knew that the Holy Spirit wasn’t received in Confirmation, but couldn’t come up with when it actually is received. Apparently my brain is malfunctioning. 😛
 
1ke said:
And you are reading this book because…?
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I assume, based on the OP’s profile, which lists “Christian, Buddhist, Sufi” as their religious affiliation, because it’s one more thing to muddle through.
 
kpk said:
I am reading a book on Christian psychotherapy written by a Mennonite. He seems to believe that only some Christians have received the Holy Spirit. A certain counseling excercise is recommended only for clients who have been prayed with by their pastor to receive the Holy Spirit. Clients who have not done this are sent back to their pastor to do so.

At what point is a Catholic considered to have received the Holy Spirit? Are there different degrees of receiving the Holy Spirit? Would Catholics who are part of the Charismatic movement have anything different to say about this than other Catholics?

Thanks for your replies.
Click to expand...
**Technically, one receives the Holy Spirit at Baptism but the sealment is complete with the sacrament of Confirmation. The protestant psychotherapist is not Catholic so he has no understanding of how acceptance of the Holy Spirit within the sacramental structure works. **
 
The Mennonites teach a Believers Baptism. They are Anabaptist, which means rebaptizers, from the practice of early followers of Menno Simons to rebaptize themselves as adults.
Mennonites believe baptism only has meaning when it is personal and deliberate. A person must have reached the age of accountability, which is similar to the age of discernment used for determining readiness for Confirmation in the Catholic Church.
Mennonites view water Baptism as an outer witness to an inner spiritual change acting as a public seal, promise, and commitment to the church.
Experiencing that inner change is seen by Mennonites as evidence of having received and been Baptized in the Holy Spirit. What Mennonites reject is the efficacy of the Sacraments. As Catholics, we believe that we have indeed received the Holy Spirit and entered into the covenant with God during our Baptism, even as infants. This gift is sealed with our commitment to the Faith during Confirmation. Some of us have been blessed by the release of this gift by what is commonly called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I hope this answers your question. What Mennonites share with Catholics is the belief that salvation is a lifelong process. While Catholics may speak of Baptism of Blood as martyrdom, Mennonites add the dimension of the continuous struggle against “the flesh,” and “the world.”
This information comes from a fact sheet I wrote for a required diversity class. All information has been verified with the Mennonites.
 
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