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In my Second Catholic Edition RSV (RSV2CE), Acts 2:38 reads:
238 And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' "
8 14 Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; 16 for the Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Is there some reason why the Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ in Acts 2:38 conferred the Holy Spirit on the people, while the Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus in Acts 8:16 did not?
I have recently come upon this and am trying to figure out how to understand these passages.
Thank you and have a blessed week!
James Polk
{ Is there some reason why the Baptism in Acts 2:38 conferred the Holy Spirit, while the Baptism in Acts 8:16 did not? }
Eric replied:
James,
Philip the deacon in (6:1-6) was the one who baptized them (Acts 8:5, 12). But in Catholic theology, the rite of Christian initiation is completed by the sacrament of Confirmation, which is reserved to the bishop, or the mystery of Chrismation, which is reserved to the priest, and it is in this sacrament that we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. St. John Chrysostom comments:
Why were these not in receipt of the Holy Spirit? It may be that Philip kept this honor for the Apostles, or that he did not have this gift or that he was one of the seven. The last is most likely. Thus, I take it, this Philip was one of the seven, the one after Stephen, while the Philip in the story of the eunuch was one of the Apostles. Notice how the seven did not go forth. It was part of God's plan of salvation for those to go forth and for these to be lacking because of the Holy Spirit, for it was the power to work signs that they received, not the power to give the Spirit to others. This was the prerogative of the Apostles. And note (how they sent) not just anyone but the leaders, Peter (and John).
Normally, for adults, these two sacraments — Baptism and Confirmation — are administered together and conjointly constitute Christian initiation, so they are very closely connected, but in this case, they were separated because deacons cannot perform Confirmation. It's not so much that they hadn't received I any I of the Holy Spirit but that they hadn't received the Holy Spirit in the way intended, in its fullness.
The Apostles' practice of laying hands on new believers to impart the Holy Spirit, as here in Acts 8, is regarded by Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which completes Baptism and "in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church."
The Catechism emphasizes the Holy Spirit's action and the powerful effects of this sacrament.
Confirmation:
brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace.
roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!" (Romans 8:15);
unites us more firmly to Christ.
increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us.
renders our bond with the Church more perfect (cf. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 11).
gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.
Acts of the Apostles, by William S. Kurz, edited by Peter S. Williamson and Mary Healy, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013), p. 143
One can read Acts 2:38 as a reference to the whole of Christian initiation, including Confirmation, although it is certainly true that we do believe we receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism alone (see CCC 1262 below) just not in the fullest degree.
1262 The different effects of Baptism are signified by the perceptible elements of the sacramental rite. Immersion in water symbolizes not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal. Thus the two principal effects are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit. (cf. Acts 2:38; John 3:5)
Eric
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