CONFIRMATION

• The three parts of Pentecost are:

  1. Descent of the holy spirit
  2. Peters discourse
  3. Communal life of the early christians
• The communal life of the early Christians consisted of:

  1. Listening to the instructions of the apostles
  2. Gathering for prayer and breaking of bread
  3. Sharing all things in common
• Effects of the pentecost event:

  1. The disciples gained courage to begin their mission
  2. The crowd was made one by the message proclaimed by the apostles
• The first effect of the Pentecost event is that the disciples gained courage to begin their mission.
• The second effect of the Pentecost event is that the crowd was made one by the message proclaimed by the apostles.
• The whole account of pentecost shows the role of the Holy spirit in the birth and in the on-going mission of the church
• Confirmation is a sacrament administered to a baptized person by a bishop through anointing the forehead with holy chrism in a form of a cross.
• Confirmation completes the grace of baptism by sealing or confirming the baptized in union with Christ and the special outpouring of the gifts of the holy spirit
• Who ministers the sacrament of confirmation?

  Bishop
• The Holy Chrism is used as the oil
• Confirmation is important in the modern world because Christians receive spiritual strength to bear witness to Christ in the world
• Effects of confirmation:

  1. increases sanctifying grace
  2. Imprints on our soul a seal
  3. strengthens the actual grace
• The main effect of the Sacrament of confirmation is to strengthen the baptized Christian and increase the grace received at baptism toward becoming witnesses of Christ
• What is the meaning of being sealed by the holy spirit

  it means a person belongs totally to christ
• Role of confirmation sponsor

  Assists in preparing the candidate for the sacrament and helps the confirmed act as a true witness of Christ, faithfully fulfilling the obligations that he or she has undertaken
• WISDOM helps us to see the world in its true light and the value more the things of heaven.
• UNDERSTANDING – helps us to grasp better the truths of our Catholic faith
• COUNSEL – help us see and pick what is most for God’s glory and best for our salvation
• KNOWLEDGE – points out to us the path to follow and dangers to avoid
• FORTITUDE – gives us courage and strength to combat obstacles and difficulties
• PIETY – helps us to embrace all that is part of God’s service
• FEAR OF THE LORD – helps us understand that to offend God is the greatest of all evils
• Parts of the rite of confirmation:

  1. Preparation
  2. Introductory rites
  3. Laying on of hands
  4. Anointing with chrism
  5. Prayers of the faithful
  6. The liturgy of the holy eucharist
• Growing up involves meeting new responsibilities and assuming more mature roles
• Maturity exercise ranks actions like lending extra effort and time, easily giving praise and attention, being patient, not taking joy from others' mistakes, being persevering, forgiving easily, accepting defeat and failures, appreciating one’s own talents, accepting change, praying often, being willing to learn about one’s religion, being simple, sensitive to people, doing the right thing even when no one is looking, easily getting along with others, readily accepting mistakes done, being self-disciplined, showing care for people around, and giving equal treatment to the poor and the rich
• In the story of Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter’s Discourse, and the communal life of the early Christians are key parts
• During Peter’s Discourse in Acts 2: 14-41, Peter shows new courage and leads in proclaiming Jesus, resulting in the baptism and conversion of 3,000 people, marking the birthday of the Church
• The communal life of the early Christians involved listening to the apostles’ instruction, gathering together for prayer and breaking of the bread, and sharing all things in common (Acts 2: 42-47)
• The effects of the Pentecost event include the disciples gaining the courage to begin their mission and the crowd being united by the message proclaimed by the apostles
• Confirmation is a sacrament administered to a baptized person by a bishop through anointing the forehead with holy chrism in the form of a cross, completing and confirming the grace of baptism
• Confirmation completes the grace of Baptism by a special outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, seals or confirms the baptized in union with Christ, and equips them for worship and apostolic life in the Church
• The laying on of hands in Confirmation signifies the calling down of the Holy Spirit upon a person, indicating one being commissioned for a special task or in need of healing
• Confirmation is important in the modern world as it provides Christians with the spiritual strength needed to bear witness to Christ in a society that challenges the Church's faithfulness to Jesus Christ
• The effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation include increasing sanctifying grace, imprinting on the soul a seal or character that marks the individual as a soldier in the army of Jesus, and strengthening actual grace to help fight for faith and do good for others
• The main effect of the Sacrament of Confirmation is to strengthen the baptized Christian and increase the grace received at baptism towards becoming witnesses of Christ, empowering them to be public witnesses of faith
• Christian witnesses are expected to have personal knowledge, awareness, and experience of Christ in daily life, strong Christian convictions and commitment to Christ and the Church, grounding in Scriptures and Church teachings, and human leadership qualities of honesty and integrity
• The Spirit of Christ shared includes the Spirit of holiness, love, life, power, truth, and forgiveness
• Gifts of the Holy Spirit given to the confirmed:

  • Wisdom: helps see the world truly and value heavenly things
  • Understanding: grasps truths of Catholic faith better
  • Counsel: helps choose what is best for God's glory and salvation
  • Knowledge: points out the path to follow and dangers to avoid
  • Fortitude: gives courage and strength to combat obstacles
  • Piety: embraces all that is part of God's service
  • Fear of the Lord: helps understand that offending God is the greatest evil
• Every baptized person may and should receive the Sacrament of Confirmation
• Confirmation is normally received after a person reaches the age of reason