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Chapter 5
Discernment is the process of evaluating the direction of our life journey. It is a process of discovery.
Discernment includes trying to understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit and deciding to act in
cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Discernment involves evaluating how we are living up to our baptismal commitments in order to
follow Jesus, who is ‘the way, and the truth, and the life’.
In the discernment process, the Holy Spirit is our Advocate and Teacher and Guide
The seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are permanent dispositions that move us to respond to the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
WISDOM
UNDERSTANDING
COUNSEL (RIGHT JUDGMENT)
FORTITUDE (COURAGE)
KNOWLEDGE
PIETY (REVERENCE)
FEAR OF THE LORD (WONDER AND AWE)
In Confirmation the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are strengthened and perfected for our living of our
Baptism.
What Spirit guides you?
-through Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church;
-through our participation in the Sacraments and in the life of the Church;
-through the inner voice of our conscience and the wisdom of the faithful members of the Church, both
living and dead;
-through the words and good example of our friends and family;
through the ordinary events and experiences of our daily lives.
A candidate for Confirmation who has
reached the age of reason must:
Profess the faith
Be in the state of grace
Have the intention of receiving the Sacrament
Be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ
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Preparation for the Sacrament should include:
Studying the Catholic faith
Participating in the Church’s life of prayer and worship
Participating in works of justice and mercy
God called Isaiah the Prophet to bring hope to the people of ancient Israel during the period of Exile.
Through Isaiah God assured the people that he would send a messiah, an anointed one, who would
come to save them and, through them, all people.
We often read about the Messiah’s special relationship with the Spirit of God in the writings of the
prophet Isaiah:
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.
—Isaiah 11:2
Chapter 4
Who do you claim to be?
The Question of Identity
The image we have of ourselves impacts
our actions, words, attitudes and vision of life;
how we treat ourselves and others.
The fact that you have been baptized should
shape your deepest sense of self-identity.
Baptism seals, or marks, a person with the
indelible identity of a Christian.
The explanatory rites of Baptism are:
Anointing with Sacred Chrism: A sign that the baptized are now numbered in the company of the People
of God.
Clothing with a White Garment: Signifies that the newly baptized have become a new creation ‘clothed’
in Christ.
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Presentation of a Lighted Candle: A reminder that the newly baptized have been ‘enlightened by Christ’
and are to ‘walk as lights in the world’, proclaiming Jesus, the Light of the world.
Ephpheta, or Prayer Over the Ears and Mouth: A reminder that God nourishes the newly baptized to
proclaim the Gospel.
Baptism unites us to Jesus Christ, who is Priest, Prophet and King.
Jesus Christ is the great High Priest and Mediator between God and humankind.
Jesus is the final and greatest Prophet whom God sent to reveal what is and what is not of God’s reign.
Jesus is the promised King or ruler, who leads God’s people to do God’s will on earth now, as it is done in
Heaven.
Jesus’ life and teaching and his Death and Resurrection show us the way to live with justice, compassion
and peace by living the Great Commandment as he lived it.
Rights and Responsibilities
The baptized have the right and responsibility to. . .
Holiness of Life: includes the responsibility to lead a holy life and to worship and share in the spiritual
riches of the Church; includes the right to a Christian education.
Build up the Church, the Body of Christ: includes the responsibility to care for and promote the growth of
the Church; includes the right to speak up on matters concerning the integrity and vitality of the Church.
Proclaim the Gospel: includes the responsibility to spread the divine message of Salvation, promote social
justice and help the poor from their own resources.
Rights and Responsibilities of the Baptized
Our greatest baptismal right and responsibility is
‘to love’ as Jesus did. Jesus said:
‘Just as I have loved you,
you also should love one another.’(John 13:34).
Jesus taught us the Great Commandment:
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‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind . . .
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22: 36, 39)
All the laws of the Church are written to guide us in living ‘the way’ Jesus
commanded us to live; in other words, living the Great Commandment.
Chapter 3
Do we need to be reborn?
In his encounter with the Pharisee named Nicodemus, Jesus said:
‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ (John 3:3)
‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.’ (John
3:5)
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not
perish but may have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)
One enters the new People of God, the Church,
through faith and Baptism.
‘Baptism is birth into the new life in Christ.
In accordance with the Lord’s will,
it is necessary for salvation,
as is the Church herself,
which we enter by Baptism.’
─Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], no. 1277
What possibilities for ‘new life’ does your Baptism offer you?
Through the grace of Baptism we can . . .
resist the power of sin and live a new
life in Christ;
be truly free from the power of sin.
The essential elements of the Rite of Baptism:
The candidate is immersed into the water of the baptismal
pool or font three times,
or, in the case of an infant, is placed in the water and lifted out of it three times, or water is
poured
over the person’s head three times, as the minister invokes the Holy Trinity, praying, ‘I baptize you in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’
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The life giving waters of Baptism
At the well, Jesus said to the Samaritan woman:
‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again;
but those who drink of the water that I will give them
will never be thirsty. The water that I will give
will become in them a spring of water
gushing up to eternal life.’
—John 4:13–14
Baptism is the source of ‘new life in Christ
from which the entire Christian life springs forth’
These Old Testament stories prefigure the Sacrament of Baptism:
The first account of Creation: ‘. . . a wind from God swept over the face of the waters’ (Genesis 1:2). The
wind represents the Spirit of God bringing forth creation and it prefigures the Holy Spirit bringing forth
the new creation in Christ through water and the Spirit at Baptism.
The Great Flood and Noah’s Ark: The Church reads this story as prefiguring the Church (the Ark) and the
saving action of God in Baptism. As the flood waters led to a new beginning of goodness, the waters of
Baptism conquer the power of sin and bring about newness of life in Christ.
The Exodus: Crossing the waters of the Red Sea and the River Jordan prefigure our journey from slavery
to sin to freedom and new life in Christ. Through the waters of Baptism, God liberates us from the slavery
of Original Sin and personal sins.
Chapter 2
‘But who do you say that I am?’
People reacted differently to Jesus during his public life and ministry.
Some people welcomed Jesus.
Others were hostile toward him
Some viewed him as just another prophet who was claiming to have been sent by God.
Some labeled him a ‘sinner’ and a threat to Judaism.
Still others, as Paul did, changed their view of Jesus as they came to know him better.
Jesus closest disciples came to know him slowly and to believe in him for who he really was―the
Messiah of God.
Word soon spread that Jesus of Nazareth was a great preacher, teacher and wonder-worker.
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He spoke with authority and possessed a vast knowledge of the Law and the Prophets.
He demanded a deeper commitment to the Law and the Covenant.
Many Jews expected a different type of Messiah, someone who would set them free from their oppressors
and re-establish the kingdom of Israel.
Jesus did not match up
to their expectations.
The celebration of the Sacraments is at the center of the Liturgy of the Church.
Each of the Seven Sacraments brings us into a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the sacrament of
God.
Central to the celebration of the Sacraments is
the combination of signs and symbols and symbolic actions (objects, words and actions) that the Church
uses to celebrate each Sacrament.
Do you hear what I hear?
Do you see what I see?
God’s healing and sanctifying love is always at work in the world, whether or not we see it or hear it.
In the mystery of the Incarnation the Second Person of the Trinity took on flesh and became ‘see-able’
and ‘hear-able’ and ‘touch-able’ in Jesus of Nazareth.
Through his humanity, Jesus made visible God working ‘wonders’ in the world.
Jesus Christ is the sacrament of God. He is the fullest Revelation of God’s sanctifying and healing
presence with humanity.
Jesus Christ is the one true High Priest and Mediator because in him divinity and humanity were perfectly
united in one Person.
A people of prayer
The deepening of one’s relationship with God is one of the greatest desires of the human heart.
All the Sacraments work together to deepen
our encounter with God.
Prayer is essential to our relationship with God.
We raise our hearts to God in prayer,
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both as individuals and as the community
of Jesus’ disciples.
God always takes the initiative in prayer.
Prayer is our response to God’s invitation.
Chapter 1
Who do we make sense of our lives?
Everyone experiences moments that prompt them to look at the bigger picture and to question what life is
really all about.
These experiences are often linked to such life-changing events as …
the death of a friend or loved one,
the birth of a child.
Experiencing such moments can be
turning points in our lives.
How have you acted, felt or thought differently as a result of a life-changing event?
Ordinary, everyday experiences, as well as major, out-of-the-ordinary experiences, can make us aware of
God’s presence in our lives.
The sacred authors of the New Testament used the Greek term mysterion, which is the root for ‘mystery’,
to describe ‘God moments’, those times when we are aware of God’s presence in our lives.
Latin scholars have translated mysterion as both mysterium and sacramentum. It is from this terminology
that the Church gets the language of ‘mystery’ and ‘sacrament’.
This usage points to…
the mystery of God’s saving plan for humanity;
the Church’s sacramental view of reality.
A ‘sacramental view’ of reality sees God present and active in all of his creation.
God has revealed himself and his divine plan for humanity most fully in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of
God.
Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, or ‘God with us’.
Jesus is the living, ever-present sacrament of God.
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What personal experience can you recall that you now see as being a ‘God moment’ or ‘God encounter’
in your life?
Describe the difference you think it would make if you were to become more aware of God’s presence
with you in your everyday life.
Sacraments exist for people
Salvation
Salvation is the forgiveness of sins and restoration of friendship with God, which can be done by God
alone.
The‘principle of sacramentality’
God and creation are inseparable. Nothing can
separate us from the love of God.
The ‘economy of salvation’
refers to God’s activity in creating, governing
and saving the world in the person of Jesus
Christ. This divine activity is now being
accomplished through his Body, the Church.
The Catholic Church has developed liturgical rituals and traditions that celebrate and profess faith in
God’s saving presence in and with his Church.
The Sacraments are the heart and center
of the Liturgy of the Church.
Christ is present with his Church
in the Sacraments.