Page 10 - Gifted with the Spirit Senior High

Your Journey of Initiation
In Confirmation, you become a fully initiated member of the Church.
Senior High
4
Objectives
This lesson will help the young people
• Learn about the ini a on prac ces of the early Church and how that process has been restored in the Rite of Chris an Ini a on of Adults
• Look at the gi s of the Holy Spirit, which are received in Bap sm and strengthened in the Sacrament of Con rma on
• Con nue their explora on of how the Sacrament of Con rma on relates to their Bap sm
Key Ideas
• In the early Church, the Sacraments of Chris an Ini a on were all celebrated together to ini ate catechumens into full membership in the Church. This process has been restored in the Rite of Chris an Ini a on of Adults.
• In the Sacrament of Con rma on, the gi s of the Holy Spirit— rst received in the Sacrament of Bap sm—are increased to strengthen our resolve to live lives guided by the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit brings seven gi s: wisdom; understanding; counsel, or right judgment; for tude, or courage; knowledge; piety, or reverence; and fear of the Lord, or wonder and awe.
• Con rma on will empower young people to live out their bap smal promises.
Background and Insights
The Journey of Faith
New initiates into the early Church were usually adults. At the end of the process of preparation, catechumens celebrated all three Sacraments of Christian Initiation, usually at the Easter Vigil. They were baptized and con rmed and then received the Eucharist. For adults wishing to enter the Church today, this practice of the early Church has been restored in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, commonly referred to as the RCIA.
As the Church grew, it became more and
more dif cult for bishops to be present for all baptismal celebrations. In the Church in the West, the desire to maintain the bishop as the ordinary celebrant of Con rmation resulted in the celebrations of Baptism and Con rmation being separated.
In the Church in the East, what is today the Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches, celebration of the two sacraments remains united. The priest who baptizes also con rms. The practice of the Eastern Churches emphasizes the unity of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation, while the practice of the Roman Catholic Church emphasizes the bishop’s role in preserving and continuing the Church.
Because the young people in your group will most likely celebrate Baptism, First Eucharist, and Con rmation over the course of several years, they may not understand that all three sacraments are part of an initiation process. As a result, they are likely to view the Sacrament of Con rmation as an ending point, not as a new beginning.
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Lesson