Transcript Confirmation Powerpoint - St. Joseph Church Faith Resources

St. Joseph RC Church
Holland NY
2008
Year 2 – The Sacraments
Catechism of the Catholic Church – paragraph 1285:
Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of
Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments
of Christian initiation," whose unity must be
safeguarded.
It must be explained to the
faithful that the reception of the
sacrament of Confirmation is
necessary for the completion of
baptismal grace.
Catechism of the Catholic Church – paragraph 1285:
For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the
baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church
and are enriched with a special strength of the
Holy Spirit.
Hence they are, as true witnesses
of Christ, more strictly obliged to
spread and defend the faith by word
and deed."
Jesus promised the apostles that
he would give them the courage
they needed to face any fears
about serving him.
“But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”
(Acts 1:8)
Confirmation confers the
courage and gifts of the Holy
Spirit that we need to be
witnesses to Christ in our daily
lives.
The Holy Spirit is given in both baptism
and confirmation.
In baptism, we are made members of Christ’s
body.
But at confirmation, we are given
the power of God to bear fruit in
our Christian life and to speak
before the whole world boldly, and
so draw others into the church.
The word confirmation means
“strengthening”.
The Holy Spirit comes and
strengthens those gifts we received
at baptism. The Holy Spirit brings
them to maturity.
But what is the purpose of
this strengthening?
When I was a child,” wrote Paul,
“I spoke like a child, I thought
like a child, I reasoned like a
child; when I became an adult, I
put an end to childish ways”
(1 Corinthians 13:11)
Maturity always brings with it a greater
sensitivity and responsibility toward those
around us.
That is why the sacrament of
confirmation is often referred to as
the sacrament of social action.
The strengthening and increased maturity we
receive in this sacrament are not only for our
own benefit. They are given to us by the Holy
Spirit so that we can contribute actively and
creatively to the family life of the Church and
the world.
How do you feel about talking
to people about your faith?
Other Elements
Faith
INDIVIDUALITY
DECISION
The sacrament of
confirmation is
conferred by the laying
on of hands followed by
the anointing in the
form of a cross with
chrism on the forehead.
The anointing is done with
chrism, olive oil mixed
with balsam. The oil is a
symbol of strength; the
perfume is a symbol of the
“fragrance of Christ,”
which the Christian must
spread.
The chrism
must have been
consecrated by
the bishop.
Older Catholics probably
remember the “slap on
the cheek” that used to
be part of the rite of
confirmation.
However, like many other little
ceremonies in the Church’s
liturgy, this disappeared in 1971
when the new rite of
confirmation was promulgated.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The spirit of the LORD shall rest on
him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and
might, the spirit of knowledge and the
fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in
the fear of the LORD.
(Isaiah 11:2-3)
The Spirit’s gift of
Wisdom enables us to see
things with God’s eyes.
The Spirit’s gift of
Understanding enables us
to understand God’s plan
for our life and our world.
The Spirit’s gift of Right
Judgment helps us to make
good choices – to make God’s
choices and to seek his
advice.
The Spirit’s gift of Courage
enables us to see where our real
strength lies:
God is our strength.
The Spirit’s gift of Knowledge
helps us to know which things
are important
and which are not.
The Spirit’s gift of
Reverence helps us show
our gratitude for all that
God has done for us.
Parish
Program
Sponsor
Retreat
Service
Chrism Mass
Wonder and Awe enables us to
see the beauty of God’s creation
and the beauty in
each person we meet.
Questions?