Chapter 2: Confirmation

Chapter 2: ConfirmationTHE SACRAMENTS – Source of our Life in

Christ

Anticipatory Set 1 Samuel 16:1-13

God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king of Israel after God rejected Saul, who was Israel’s first king.

Examine the illustration, “The Tree of Jesse” (p. 53), on the connection between Jesse and Jesus Christ.

1. Confirmation is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit (pp. 52-55)

BASIC QUESTIONS What is Confirmation? How is the idea of anointed present in the Old Testament, in the

Gospels, and in the life of the Christian today? When do we first see the Sacrament of Confirmation?

KEY IDEAS Confirmation completes Baptism, giving the faithful the Gifts of the

Holy Spirit so they will have the courage to boldly proclaim and live the Catholic Faith.

In the Old Testament, certain individuals were anointed on God’s command as priests, prophets, and kings. Anointed, Messiah, and Christ are synonymous terms. Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament who was anointed by the Holy Spirit and who, in turn, shares the gift of the Holy Sprit with his followers, a messianic people.

Confirmation is first recorded in Acts of the Apostles when Sts. Peter and John were to lay hands on the followers of Christ in Samaria who had only been baptized but had not received the Holy Spirit.


What motivated the Apostles to begin carrying out the mission that Christ had given them? The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Why is Baptism an initiation? It is the beginning of the Christian journey. What are the goals of the Christian journey, and where are they realized? Holiness and perfection are goals that can only be realized in eternal life.


In the Old Testament, what is the relationship between the words anointed, christ, and messiah? They all mean the same thing. What did it mean in the Old Testament to be called anointed? It meant being chosen by God to be a king, priest, or prophet. What special Messiah did the prophets foretell? The profits foretold that a descendent of David would receive the Spirit of the Lord.


What are the gifts of the Spirit that the Messiah would receive? Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord.

When do we see this prophecy fulfilled? We see this at the baptism of Christ, when the Holy Spirit rested upon him.

Who else was to receive this outpouring of the Holy Spirit? All of God’s people, beginning with the Apostles.


Guided Exercise Think/Pair/Share on the following question: What does it mean to say that Christians are a messianic people?


As illustrated by Maino in “Pentecost” (p. 54), who was with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit descended upon them? Mary, the mother of Jesus. How are the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation linked from the very beginning? St. Peter told the Jews, to whom he preached in Jerusalem, that they should repent and be baptized, and they would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” What was the effect of the Apostles’ preaching on the day of Pentecost? Some three thousand were baptized and confirmed that day.


Guided Exercise Discuss the Biblical use of metaphorical speech to describe the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

A sound like the rush of a mighty wind. Tongues as of fire.

Why do you suppose St. Luke used similes to describe the giving of the Holy Spirit. Discuss reasons St. Luke (and God) used the images of wind and fire to describe the Holy Spirit.


How do we know from the Acts of the Apostles that Baptism and Confirmation are separate Sacraments? The Apostles learned that missionaries had baptized converts in Samaria but that the converts had not received the Holy Spirit. Sts. Peter and John laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Why is Confirmation called the Sacrament of Fullness? It indicates that the Christian has reached the fullness of the graces of Baptism and has received the imprint or seal of the Holy Spirit. Why are Baptism and Confirmation called the double Sacrament? They are closely related.


When is Confirmation administered today? In the Eastern Rites, it is celebrated immediately after Baptism, even with infants. In the Latin Rite, Confirmation is celebrated after the age of reason. When adults convert in the Latin Rite, they receive Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. In the Latin Rite, why is the Sacrament of Confirmation administered by a bishop? This emphasizes the newly confirmed’s unity with the bishop and the entire Church.


Guided Exercise

Complete the following table to organize some of the names of Confirmation.


Closure Write a paragraph on Confirmation using the definition in the glossary of this chapter as your basis (p. 69).


Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 56-60.Questions: Questions: 1-12. Workbook: 1-15. Practical Exercise 1.


Alternative Assessment Free write on the connection between Old Testament anointings, Christ’s baptism at the Jordan, and the Sacrament of Confirmation, which was initiated at Pentecost.


Anticipatory Set The gifts of the Holy Spirit and their opposites.

2. Gifts of the Holy Spirit (pp. 56-60)

BASIC QUESTION What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit? KEY IDEAS Wisdom is tasting or intimately experiencing the mind and nature of God. Understanding is the ability to understand divine mysteries, such as the

nature of God and divine truths. Counsel is being instructed by the Holy Spirit as to what actions to take so

they are morally right. Fortitude is courage to defend and live the demands of our Christian life

in a hostile environment. Knowledge is a supernatural understanding that all creation, our good

actions, and all the good that has been achieved in history comes from God and is directed toward him.

Piety is seeing God as our Father and our neighbor as brother and sister. Fear of God is fear of separating oneself from God out of love for God and

dread of his justice.


What were some of the spectacular manifestations of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the early Church? People spoke languages they had never learned and were healed, and there were thousands of conversions. How does the Holy Spirit adapt himself to the needs of various times and individuals? The Holy Spirit gives individuals the gifts they need and these vary from time to time and individual to individual.


What is the relationship between Confirmation and the Cross? The gifts the Holy Spirit gives us in Confirmation help us to embrace and love the struggles we experience in life. Is Confirmation necessary for salvation? Confirmation is not necessary for salvation, but we are obliged to receive it because of the great help it gives us in living as followers of Christ.


Guided Exercise Do a paragraph shrink on the paragraph on page 57 beginning, “St. Thomas Aquinas.”


Guided Exercise Complete the following tables to better understand the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.


Closure Write a paragraph summarizing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit with an example of each.


Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 61-63.Questions: Questions: 32-46. Workbook: 16-32. Practical Exercises: 2-5.


Alternative Assessment Work with a partner to complete Practical Exercise 4, identifying one Church teaching that many non-Catholics disagree with today, and a concrete situation in which one would need the graces of Confirmation to defend the teaching.


Anticipatory Set Write a paragraph about the significance of Confirmation in the lives of Catholics, thinking about what a person might do to better prepare him or herself to receive this Sacrament.

3. The Administration of Confirmation (pp. 61-63)

BASIC QUESTIONS What are the matter, form, and minister of

Confirmation? Why does the confirmand have a sponsor and take on a

new name?

KEY IDEAS The matter of Confirmation is Sacred Chrism. The form

is the words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” as the minister traces the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of the confirmand with chrism. The ordinary minister in the Latin Rite is the bishop.

The confirmand takes the name of a saint to represent his or her new responsibility and is aided in living his or her Christian responsibilities by a sponsor.


Describe the basic elements of the celebration of Confirmation? A bishop lays his hands on the recipient and prays that God will send the Holy Spirit upon him or her. What is the matter of Confirmation? A blessed oil, called Sacred Chrism. What is the form of Confirmation? The words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit,” as the bishop anoints the candidate with Sacred Chrism on the forehead.


Who is the ordinary minister of Confirmation in the Latin Rite? The bishop. Who is the extraordinary minister of Confirmation in the Latin Rite? Priests are delegated to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation under certain circumstances, for example, when adults are admitted into the Church at the Easter Vigil. How do the Eastern Rites maintain unity with the bishop in administering Confirmation? The Sacred Chrism that the priest uses was consecrated by his bishop.


Guided Exercise Do a focused reading of the paragraph beginning, “The minister of the Sacrament” (p. 61), using the following question: How is Confirmation, administered by the local

bishop, a sign of unity and apostolicity?


Why is it appropriate that the confirmand’s sponsor be one of his godparents? The Confirmation sponsor fulfills the same role as the Baptismal sponsor. Why does the Confirmation ceremony in the Latin Rite include the renewal of Baptismal promises and the Profession of Faith? In the case of Infant Baptism, the Baptismal promises and the Profession of Faith were made in the child’s name by the parents and godparents. Now he or she can renew these promises and make the Profession of Faith on his or her own.


Guided Exercise Go on-line to read the beginning of the article on Confirmation in the 1908 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia to see similarities and differences in the administration of the Sacrament then and now. See http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04215b.htm.


http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04215b.htm

Closure Write a paragraph explaining how the present mode of celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation can be directly connected to the Sacrament as demonstrated in the Acts of the Apostles.


Homework Assignment

Reading: Pp. 63-66.Questions: Questions: 18-31. Workbook: 33-50.


Alternative Assessment Choose a possible Confirmation name—based on a saint you really admire—and explain why you chose this name.

If you have already received the Sacrament of Confirmation, write down the name you chose and explain why you chose this name.


Anticipatory Set Do a paragraph shrink on the paragraph beginning, “When Sacred Scripture” (p.63).

4. Prophet, Priest, and King in Confirmation (pp. 63-66)

BASIC QUESTIONS How are Christians kings, priests, and prophets? How do we prepare for Confirmation? What is apostolate? KEY IDEAS We are called to participate in Christ’s role as king,

priest, and prophet. We are called to prepare for Confirmation through a

period of study and discernment so as to respond fully to the graces we will receive.

To live out our Confirmation graces, we are called to do apostolate, that is, to spread the Faith through word and example.


In what three specific roles or offices of Christ are we called to participate in by reason of our anointing in Confirmation? The kingly, priestly, and prophetic offices of Christ. How do we carry out our kingly vocation? We use the gifts we have been given to cooperate in the mission of the Church. How do we come to understand our role or vocation in the life of the Church? Through prayer and discernment. What is the ministerial priesthood? Those men who receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders and are ordained to celebrate the Sacraments.


What is the primary sacrifice celebrated by the ministerial priesthood? The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What sacrifice is offered by every Christian in the exercise of their priestly mission in the Church? Each person is called to take every aspect of his or her life (prayer, work, family life, relationships, hobbies, relaxation, and even struggles, temptations, and sufferings) and to unite these to the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. When is the best time to make these offerings? There are two: one is when they occur, and the other is at Mass.


How do lay persons carry out a prophetic role in the Church? Every Christian is called to make Christ known through word and deed. What are the minimum requirements for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation? One must be baptized, have reached the age of reason (usually about seven years old), and have the intention to receive the Sacrament. What is the effect of receiving Confirmation in a state of mortal sin? The person would receive an indelible mark or seal on the soul, but would not receive the graces of the Sacrament and would be guilty of a sacrilege.


How would one repair the problem of having received Confirmation in a state of mortal sin? Make a good confession, mentioning the improper reception of Confirmation. What is the usual age of Confirmation in the United States? It is usually received during the high school years. Why is it deferred until high school? The Sacrament is deferred to indicate that the confirmand is ready to accept his or her role as a mature Christian. What are two excellent ways to prepare for Confirmation in addition to parish preparation programs? Confession and personal prayer.


Guided Exercise Work with a partner to come up with one concrete example each of how a teenager could participate in the kingly, priestly, and prophetic mission of God.


Guided Exercise Work with a partner to define the term apostolate as used in the section “LIVING OUT THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION” (p. 65).


Closure Write a paragraph summarizing how those confirmed are called to participate in the kingly, priestly, and prophetic mission of God.


Homework Assignment Reading: Pp. 67-68.Questions: Questions: 13-17. Workbook: 51-57. Practical Exercise 6.


Alternative Assessment Free write on how a true conviction of one’s divine filiation, i.e., seeing God the Father as “Abba” (Father) would aid one in practicing the apostolate.


THE END

Chapter 2: Confirmation

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