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Confirmation is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit whom Christ Jesus sent (John 16:7). Jesus instructed His Apostles that they "will receive the power of the Holy Spirit" and called upon the Apostles to be His "witnesses to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). At the Pentecost, the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), and began to spread the Word of God. The Acts of the Apostles is often called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.
The Rite of Confirmation consists of anointing the forehead with chrism and laying hands upon each candidate with the words, "Be sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit." Those being confirmed receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2-3). The Sacrament of Confirmation is the 3rd and last of the Sacraments of Initiation.
It is said that those who have been confirmed are now Soldiers for Christ.
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