Confirmation

Use the Pray event (found above) to pray as a family sometime during the week.
Use the Live event (found above) to live out a work of mercy as a family sometime during the week.

For the Learn do the following:

1. Watch Video at the top of the page. (if you want more resources, or are interested in learning more about the topic click on the Extra tab).
2. Click on the appropriate grade for your child.
3. Read the "relates to..." section at the beginning.  This is helpful to understand what to convey to your child is important about this lesson.  It will        help make the lesson both an intellectual and a lived lesson.
4. Read through and familiarize yourself with the sample script. 
5. Teach your child the lesson, either using your own words or the sample script.
6. Either discuss the questions with your child (best option), or have your child write out answers to the questions.
7. Have your child do the activities and/or do the activities with them.  
8. If working with a parish return the appropriate material in the way they have requested.


All Content for "The Way", Learn, is original content and copyright of the Diocese of Kalamazoo and may not be copied, reproduced, or used without prior written consent of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.   © 2020 Diocese of Kalamazoo

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit to remain with us after He ascends to His Father. The Holy Spirit is ever-present and we encounter Him explicitly in the Church.
Relates to my Faith:  The Holy Spirit has a special place among the faithful, working in the lives of souls in a state of grace and inspiring others to turn from their selfish lives and to lead similar lives themselves.

Sample Script:
Our life as a Christian begins with the sacrament of Baptism, when we become a member of our big Church family and are born into new life with Christ. But there will be some challenges that come our way when we try to live like Jesus did--sometimes it will be hard to choose to do the right thing, or maybe a friend of ours might not understand and we will want to explain to them why we want to live like Jesus. For these difficult tasks, we receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Just like exercise makes our muscles strong, Confirmation builds our spiritual muscles so that we can tackle challenges! 

Our biggest challenge that we must work hard to tackle is sin. Sin can be very difficult to tackle because it can be very easy to do! We never want to hurt our relationship with God, but sometimes we may want to do something that God or our parents don’t want us to do. Both God and our parents love us very much, and to show them we love them too we must try our best not to sin. When we are tempted, we can wrestle against our temptations to sin and win! And Confirmation gives us a special strength that is much bigger than ourselves. When we receive the sacrament of Confirmation we receive in a special way the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit comes to our aid to make us very strong, and he lives inside of us! He is there to help us, and we can always pray to ask for help when we need extra strength. 

Since we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, the symbols of the sacrament and the Holy Spirit are very similar! A symbol is not the same as a drum cymbal, rather a symbol is like a sign that points to something real. A red stop sign is a symbol that points to a real law, and shows a car driver that they must STOP! The most popular symbols of Confirmation are fire, like when the apostles had tongues of fire over them when they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) wind, and a dove, like when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove. It’s important to know that the Holy Spirit is not a bird, but that a bird reminds us of the Holy Spirit. All of these symbols point to the fact that we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation! 

Questions: 

If Baptism is the beginning of our life as Christians, which sacrament strengthens us after Baptism? 
What is our biggest challenge that we need the sacrament of Confirmation to help us with?
Who do we receive who lives in us when we receive Confirmation? 
What are symbols of the Holy Spirit and Confirmation? 

Activities:

Draw the most popular symbols of Confirmation. 

Talk with Mom and Dad about something you will want to tackle with the strength of the Holy Spirit! Don’t forget that you can begin asking for his help now!

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus' love and mercy for humanity affords us the knowledge that we are never left alone. Confirmation, like all of the Sacraments, is Jesus' presence intentionally with us to assist in keeping us in His love and mercy.

Relates to my Faith:  Confirmation gives the recipient the Gifts of the Holy Spirit which further the witness of the baptized and allow them to operate more deeply in the life of the Church.

Sample Script:
Think of your favorite hero, in one of their greatest battles. Whether it’s literally a battle of superhero vs. supervillain, or maybe your hero must overcome some great obstacle or curse, or stand up for the good--they each face difficult challenges. Our challenges may look a little different from theirs, but we have challenges to face as well. Baptism is just the beginning of our life as Christians, and we need a sacrament that will strengthen us in our battle against sin when times are tough. That is why we have the sacrament of Confirmation. 

The sacrament of Confirmation strengthens the graces that we receive in Baptism, so that when we need to be really courageous to do the right thing without worrying about what others think of us, we have what we need! Big tasks call for big muscles, and in this case big spiritual muscles! Our biggest challenge that we must work hard to tackle is sin. Sin can be very difficult to tackle because it can be very easy to do! We never want to hurt our relationship with God, but sometimes we may want to do something that God or our parents don’t want us to do. Both God and our parents love us very much, and to show them we love them too we must try our best not to sin. When we are tempted, we can wrestle against our temptations to sin and win! And Confirmation gives us a special strength that is much bigger than ourselves. When we receive the sacrament of Confirmation we receive in a special way the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit comes to our aid to make us very strong, and he lives inside of us! He is there to help us, and we can always pray to ask for help when we need extra strength. 

For an example of how the Holy Spirit can work in us, we can look at Pentecost! After Jesus rose from the dead, he continued to travel with the apostles for 40 days and then ascended into heaven to be with the Father. Though Jesus gave the apostles a mission, they could not do it on their own. They were afraid of what others would say about them or do to them, so Jesus had promised his apostles, “you will receive my power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). When the time came, it is recorded in Scripture that “suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them” (Acts 2:2-3). Both fire and wind are symbols of the Holy Spirit, they can show us that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles! After this, the apostles left the room from where they hid and began to tell everyone about Jesus and that heaven was open for all! They were no longer afraid of what anyone thought, they only wanted people to know how much God loved them! The Holy Spirit strengthens us like this when we receive the sacrament of Confirmation, and we can rely on the Holy Spirit to help us when we face our own challenges. 

Questions: 

Which sacrament strengthens us when we face challenges? 
Who do we receive when we receive the sacrament of Confirmation? 
What are two symbols of the Holy Spirit? 
What story from Scripture can show us how the Holy Spirit works in us? 

Activities: 

Read in your own Bible the story of Pentecost, from Acts 2:1 through Acts 2:12. In the apostles case, what did the Holy Spirit enable them to do? 

Draw yourself in a situation where you can ask the Holy Spirit to come to your aid!

Relates to Jesus: Jesus is the best example of courage, following the will of God fully in His life by praying and teaching, even ultimately sacrifcing His life for the lives of us all.

Relates to my Faith:  Doing what God and the Church asks of you and me is not always easy but it is the path that leads to ultimate happiness and fullness in life. The grace of courage should be prayed for and practiced so that we can grow and live our lives as God wants us to. 

Sample Script:
Who is the most courageous person you can think of? Why are they the most courageous person you can think of? What do you think of when you think of courage? Usually we think of someone noble, someone who stands up for what is right despite adversity, or someone unafraid despite what they are facing. All of us want to be courageous, but we know how hard it can be. It is extremely hard to do something different from our friends, to care about someone that most people don’t like, or to stand up in front of others. Thankfully, we have a sacrament available to us that can help us to be more courageous when we strive to follow Christ, and that is the sacrament of Confirmation! 

Baptism is the beginning of our Christian life, and in Baptism we receive graces to become adopted sons and daughters of God. When we receive the sacrament of Confirmation, those graces are strengthened! Our familial bond between us and God grows deeper, and we are better equip to tackle the challenges that come our way! Think of someone who lifts weights, and the muscles they gain through their exercise. Confirmation is like a strengthening of our spiritual muscles so that we can be strong enough to do something different from our friends if it’s the right thing to do, or to be more patient with our siblings, or resist the temptation to sin. This strength comes from the Holy Spirit himself! In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit in a special way, in that he is poured into us and remains with us! Jesus promised that he would give the Holy Spirit to us when he told his apostles, “you will receive my power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

When we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, we also receive gifts from him to help us better imitate Jesus, to live and act like he did! There are 7 Gifts from the Holy Spirit, and they are Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude, Piety, Counsel, and Awe of the Lord. Each of these are given to us, almost as if adding to our tool belt what we need in order to complete a mission. These gifts, and the Holy Spirit himself give us the courage we need in order to live as Christians! This is something to look forward to, and we can always ask the Holy Spirit for help when we need him. 

Questions: 

What sacrament strengthens the graces we received in Baptism and helps us to live like Jesus courageously?
Who do we receive when we receive the sacrament of Confirmation? 
In what special way do we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation?
What is something you would like the courage to do? Begin asking the Holy Spirit for that courage! He assists us always! 

Activities: 

Make flash cards to memorize the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Call the most courageous person you know, and thank them for being a great role model for you!  

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus confirms the role of the Holy Spirit by sending Him to be with Mary and the Apostles in the Church. The Holy Spirit is with us today, just as Jesus is, alive in the Sacraments to keep us in His love.

Relates to my Faith: The indwelling of the Holy Spirit residing inside of us makes us temples of the Holy Spirit, and this should remind us to care for ourselves and others with dignity and respect.

Sample Script:
Throughout the Old Testament many references are made to the “spirit of the Lord”.  The famous prophet Isaiah said the spirit of the Lord would come to rest on the Messiah! “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse..The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2). 

When Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist, we see the Holy Spirit resting upon Jesus, a sign to everyone that he is the Messiah! John the Baptist exclaimed, “I saw the spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him” (John 1:33). The spirit that the prophet Isaiah was talking about was the Holy Spirit! Thus Jesus received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But it didn’t end there. On the feast of Pentecost, after Jesus has already ascended into heaven, the apostles also received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when “there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them” (Acts 2:2-3). Fire is a popular symbol of the Holy Spirit, and therefore also a symbol of Confirmation.

Confirmation completes Baptism--it is a strengthening of the graces that God has already given us in Baptism. This strength comes from the Holy Spirit himself! In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit in a special way, in that he is poured into us and remains with us! Jesus promised that he would give the Holy Spirit to us when he told his apostles, “you will receive my power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus gave us the fullness of the Holy Spirit that he himself had. 

When we receive the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, we also receive the same Gifts that Isaiah listed in his prophecy about Jesus! There are seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, piety, counsel, and awe of the Lord. These provide us with what we need to imitate Jesus, our main goal as Christians! 

Questions: 

What were the gifts that Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would have? What are the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit that we receive in the sacrament of Confirmation?What promise did Jesus make to his apostles and to us? 
Confirmation completes what other sacrament? How so?

Activities: 

Draw a timeline with the different events throughout Scripture from Isaiah to you, tracing the Holy Spirit. 

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus loves us and wants to be a part of every single moment of our life. The Sacraments are intentional encounters that make the Trinity's presence evident in our life.

Relates to my Faith:  Being fully initiated in the Church opens our souls up to the divine life of grace that aides us in being holy sons and daughters geared towards living lives of holiness.

Sample Script:
If you remember, Baptism is the beginning of our life as Christians. We plunge into new life with Christ and our human nature is healed from the wound of sin. Yet even in this newness of life on earth we encounter challenges, times when we need to defend the faith, times when we must choose to do the right thing when our friends might not, or when we need to reach out to a lonely person that everyone else shuns. Though we may know the right thing to do, actually doing it can be scary when we think our friends or others will judge us for it. But carrying though is the noble thing, the courageous thing to do! And we have available to us exactly what we need to take courage in these difficult tasks; that is the sacrament of Confirmation. 

Confirmation completes Baptism--it is a strengthening of the graces that God has already given us in Baptism. Where this strength comes from is the Holy Spirit himself! In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit in a special way, in that he is poured into us and remains with us! Jesus promised that he would give the Holy Spirit to us when he told his apostles, “you will receive my power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

Jesus gave us the fullness of the Holy Spirit that he himself received in Baptism. The prophet Isaiah prophesied, “But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse..The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:1-2). This prophecy is fulfilled when John the Baptist baptizes Jesus, and exclaims, “I saw the spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him” (John 1:33). The same Gifts that Isaiah mentions, namely wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, awe of the Lord, and piety are received in the sacrament of Confirmation as well. These are the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and they are given to us by God exactly so that we can face those challenges we come across as Christians trying to imitate Jesus. We need the strengthening of Confirmation in order to meet these challenges and to bring us even more deeply into our familial relationship with God. 

Questions: 

What sacrament do we receive that helps us meet the challenges we face when striving to imitate Jesus? 
What does Confirmation complete? How so? 
What are the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit? Which one do you think you need to be most strengthened in? 

Activities:

Think of a time when it was difficult to be courageous when you knew the right thing to do. Why was it so difficult to do the right thing? Talk with your family about this time, and hear their advice for the next time you may encounter a similar situation!  

Relates to Jesus: Jesus used specific matter or materials and form or words in His teachings and works. The Sacraments follow the same line of thinking; you need specific matter and form to bring about the reality of a specific Sacrament.

Relates to my Faith: The Bishop, when confirming, uses holy oil and speaks the words of "be sealed with the Holy Spirit" to administer Confirmation and thus allow the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to come explicitly to the confirmed.

Sample Script:
When the sacraments are given, certain elements are important to each of them; they take place in a church, there’s a certain order of events and the same things are used when the sacrament is received. For example, in the sacrament of Confirmation each candidate will approach the bishop or priest with their sponsor right behind them, and the bishop will anoint the person’s forehead with oil while he says, “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” This happens at every Confirmation. If we don’t understand the meaning of these, it can seem like nothing more than a silly ritual. What’s the point of the oil and the laying on of hands by the bishop in the sacrament of Confirmation?  How is the sacrament actually conferred or given? 

When we investigate the rite of the sacraments, which are the liturgical traditions we celebrate in the church such as the rite of Confirmation I already described, each sacrament has ‘form’ and ‘matter’: the ‘form’ is the words that are said which are most important, and for the sacrament of Confirmation they are, “ Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”. Those are the words the bishop or priest says in the rite. The ‘matter’ is what is used to confer the sacrament--in Baptism it is water, in Confirmation the holy oil. The form and matter are external, physical things, but they confer the spiritual reality, which is the sacrament received. It is by the physical anointing and the words that the invisible reality, the graces and new state of our soul, is conferred.  

Confirmation completes Baptism--it is a strengthening of the graces that God has already given us in Baptism. Where this strength comes from is the Holy Spirit himself! In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit in a special way, in that he is poured into us and remains with us! Jesus promised that he would give the Holy Spirit to us when he told his apostles, “you will receive my power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit in us allows us to tackle challenges that come when we strive to imitate Jesus; some may not understand why we forgive others or pray, or others may ask difficult questions, or we may endure hard suffering and need God’s help to trust him amidst it. For these the Holy Spirit strengthens us with seven Gifts; wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude or courage, piety, counsel, and awe of the Lord. We need these Gifts that we receive in the sacrament of Confirmation in order to stay strong in the faith we were given at Baptism!

Questions: 

What happens when the sacrament of Confirmation is given? What are the words that the bishop/priest says? 
What does each sacrament have?
What is the form for the sacrament of Confirmation, and what is the matter? 
What does Confirmation complete? Who do we receive in the sacrament of Confirmation?
What are the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit? 

Activities: 

If there are any Gifts of the Holy Spirit you don’t understand the meaning of, research their meaning. Then think about which Gift you think you need the most in order to better imitate Jesus. 

Relates to Jesus:  Jesus exhorts us in Scripture time and again to love our neighbor and to care for the poor. He gives us the Beatitudes and the Works of Mercy so that we can be loving to our neighbor and show them the face of Jesus.

Relates to my Faith:  Holiness is following after the example of Jesus. We need the grace of the Holy Spirit as given through Confirmation to keep us as sons and daughters who love God and love neighbor and know the Father's voice so that when we sin and leave the path, we will be able to find our way back home to Him.

Sample Script:
We learned that when we receive the sacrament of Baptism, we receive sanctifying grace which we can act on. It allows us to better imitate Jesus by our actions throughout our whole life. When striving to imitate him, we are going to encounter some challenges. How Jesus treated others with love and respect when he lived was a shock to many, and though society changes with the times, the way that Jesus lived is still difficult for some to understand. People may ask you why you are Catholic or judge you even when you treat others well, or perhaps you will have to choose whether or not you will go along with your friends when they want to do something that you know isn’t right. These things take a lot of courage, and God knows that. He gave us the sacrament of Confirmation just so that we have what we need to face these challenges. 

Confirmation literally confirms our Baptism; it strengthens the graces we received in Baptism. In Confirmation we also receive an indelible mark, similar to the mark we receive in Baptism, yet by this second mark Jesus seals us with the Spirit, “clothing you with power from on high” (CCC 1304). This is what that power gives you: It roots you more deeply as an adopted son or daughter of Christ, meaning that familial bond between you and God is deeper. It unites you more firmly to Christ and increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in you (which are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude/courage, piety, counsel, and awe of God), and gives you strength from the Holy Spirit himself to defend the faith, and share it with others.

With this sacrament, the Church also gives us important ways of exercising the Gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit called the spiritual works of mercy, and the corporal works of mercy. The spiritual works of mercy involve giving non-tangible gifts to others, and they are: 

Teaching the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Admonish the sinner
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead

The corporal works of mercy, which involve giving physical necessities to others, are:  

Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the Sick
Visit the Imprisoned
Bury the dead

While these are gifts we can give to others, we need these ways of giving to help ourselves become holy. They teach us to love better and understand Jesus’ love for people. Though these may seem intimidating and are certainly challenging, we have all the tools to accomplish these works by Confirmation with the power that Jesus clothes us with. 

Questions: 

Which sacrament is specifically meant to help us face the challenges we encounter when we strive to imitate Jesus? 
What does the sacrament of Confirmation strengthen?
What are all of the things we receive in Confirmation, including who we receive? 
What are the corporal and spiritual works of mercy? Why do we need to take these actions? 

Activities: 
1. Ask your parents and godparents to tell you about their confirmation and have them describe to you how they live out the graces received from this Sacrament.

2. Reflect on the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. Choose two of these (one Spiritual and one Corporal) that are challenging to you and make a real effort to do these Works of Mercy.

Relates to Jesus: Jesus promised the sending of the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, who goes before us, walks with us, and strengthens us in living our life of faith.

Relates to my Faith: The Catholic Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we become these same temples through our baptism and even more so through our confirmation.

Sample Script:
Once we are given new life in Christ through Baptism, having become adopted sons and daughters of God through sanctifying grace and beginning our life as a Christian, we come to face some challenges. Has a friend of yours ever asked why you are Catholic? Has it ever been difficult to pray or talk about your faith with other people, or understand why you believe certain things? These are just a few challenges that we will face, and God knows that we face those challenges. We have a sacrament of strength available to us that we need in order to live as Christians and to face those challenges, the sacrament of Confirmation! 

When we investigate the rite of the sacraments (when they are given to us in the church), each has ‘form’ and ‘matter’: the form is the words that are said which are most important, and for the sacrament of Confirmation they are, “ Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”. Those are the words the bishop or priest says in the rite. The matter is what is used to confer the sacrament--in Baptism it is water, in Confirmation the holy oil. The form and matter are external, physical things, but they confer the spiritual reality, which is the sacrament received. Together these make the rite of Confirmation, when the anointing with chrism on the forehead which is done by the laying on of the hand, and the words are said, the person receives the sacrament. 

When we receive Confirmation we receive an indelible mark. It is like the mark you received in Baptism, yet by this second mark Jesus seals us with the Spirit, “clothing you with power from on high” (CCC 1304). Have you ever thought about that? Confirmation literally confirms baptism and strengthens the graces you received in Baptism. This is what that power gives you: It roots you more deeply as an adopted son or daughter of Christ, meaning that familial bond between you and God is deeper. It unites you more firmly to Christ and increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in you (which are wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude/courage, piety, counsel, and awe of God), and gives you strength from the Holy Spirit himself to defend the faith, and share it with others. Knowing this power that either is or will be in you soon, let it inspire you to think of how you will choose to live a little differently than you do now!   

Questions: 

For what purpose do we receive the sacrament of Confirmation? 
How is the sacrament of Confirmation conferred? 
What are the effects of Confirmation? In other words, what power does it give to us? 
What are the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit? 

Activities: 

The Church gives us the spiritual and corporal works of mercy to exercise the power of the Holy Spirit in us. What are two that you can accomplish in the next week either alone or with your family? Plan it and do it.

Corporal works of mercy:
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the Sick
Visit the Imprisoned
Bury the dead
Spiritual works of mercy: 
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Comfort the sorrowful
Admonish the sinner
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive all injuries
Pray for the living and the dead

Confirmation – Extra Page
Scripture References: John 14: 16-17, 26; Acts 2; 8:14-17

Catechism of the Catholic Church References: CCC nos.: 1285 – 1321

Videos:
Video about Confirmation Diocese of Superior, WI (catholicdos.org)
Reflections on Confirmation--Bishop Barron
Sophia Sketchpad: Confirmation
 

Extra Narrative (for deeper study)