CONFIRMATION HOMEWORK

"To each person who receives the Spirit, it is as if he alone received Him; yet the grace the Spirit pours out is quite sufficient for the whole of mankind..."

Directions: Read the following on confirmation & faith below. Then give a response either on the tagboard or by leaving a comment. This is due on Tuesday, nov. 16 before class.

Understanding the Sacrament:
What is confirmation?

Confirmation is a sacrament through which we receive the Holy Spirit to make us strong and perfect Christians and soliders of Jesus Christ. Confirmation brings an increase in teh grace given at baptism. It makes an unforgettable spiritual mark, which is characterized by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation also strengthens the Christian so he or she can profess their faith openly.

The Graces You Receive:
Special graces are poured out to you through this sacrament. There are a variety of special graces assured for a lifetime through loyalty to Jesus and his church. Confirmation binds the one baptized more intimately to the church, which means more closely to Christ, and enables us to be more devoted to His divine person and to serve him more faithfully. Three words in the Church's defintion of confirmation brings out the unique effects of this sacrament. They are to 'witness to Christ,' and 'spread and defend the faith' On each of these three levels, Confirmation strengthens a Christian and imposes the obligation to withness, spread, and defened. Let us examine them in detail.

1. In order to be able to witness to Christ, Confirmation deepends a person's faith by making Christ better understood, more clearly perceived, and more firmly believed in as the Son of the living God who became man to redeem the world. In a word, confirmation strengthens our conviction of mind by enabling us to say with St. Paul: 'I have not lost confidence, because I know who it is that I have put my trust in, and I have no doubt at all that He is able to take care of all that I have entrusted Him until that day.' (2 timothy 1:12)

Conviction is the bedrock of courage: A convinced mind is the foundation for a courageous will. Every courageous witness to Christ was, in effect, a martyr for Christ, either by shedding his blood for the Savior in dying a martyr's death, or certainly testifying love for Christ by living a martyr's life.

2. In order to be able to spread the faith, confirmation develops our sense of mission and deepends our desire to share with others what others have so zealously passed on to us.
St. John Chrysostom is known for the statement that, on the last day, we shall be judged mainly on our practice of charity in sharing our Catholic faith.

3. In order to be able to defend the faith, confirmation does two things: It enlightens the mind of the believer to know how the true faith should be protected from danger or agaisnt assault, and it fortifies the will to want to come to the defense of the faith at no matter what cost to one' self love or ease.

The faithful are told that confirmation deepens their duty 'to witness to Christ and to spread and defend the faith.' They are also told how to fufill this triple responsibility: They are to do so 'by word and deed.'

In conclusion being confirmed means doing everything you can to practice your faith, by going to mass every sunday, praying daily, making sacarifices, receiving the sacraments(holy communion & going to reconciliation). It also means taking on a great responsibility by being an adult into the church. You are responsible in help to protect the church and becoming a witness of Christ. THis means spreading and sharing your faith by both words and action.

Hurry up now and make a response before you forget!


Now did you...

*Pray your rosary?
*Get your mass card signed?
*Pray for your prayer buddy?
*Pick out your love song to Jesus to share attached w/the lyrics to the song?

See you on Tuesday!!!