Lesson #1 Sacraments of Initiation, Part I

Baptism & Confirmation

Adult Confirmation:Immediate Preparation

(Spring 2014)

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Opening Prayer(Mark 1:1-11)

Engage/Abordar

What are your reflections now about our Confirmation Retreat?

Explore/Investigar:

How do we as Catholics define a sacrament?

Explore/Investigar:

CFLFF, MA, 2.2.2 -Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, through which divine life is dispensed through the power of the Holy Spirit; Catholics are sanctified and the Body of Christ gives greater honor and glory to God. [CCC#1127, 1131]

CFLFF, MA, 2.2.3 - The purpose of the sacraments is to

sanctify people to build up the Body of Christ and to give worship to God. [CCC#1110, 1123, 1131]

Explain/Explicar

Essential Question(s) …for this lesson, the next lesson, and for lifelong faith formation

• Why does the Church consider Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist as the three sacraments needed for “initiation”?

• As fully initiated Catholics, what do God and the Church expect of us?

Connect/Conectar…to the Rite of Confirmation

What are the similarities between the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation? (Turn & talk with a neighbor.)

Extend & Enrich/ Extension y Enriquecimiento

“We share in the priesthood of Christ as well as his prophetic and royal mission.”

(USCCA, p. 193)

Explain how this statement echoes our responsibilities as fully initiated Catholics. What does the Church expect of us?

Evaluate/Evaluar

Exit Slip: Celebrating the Sacraments of Initiation makes us members of the Body of Christ. How does this membership challenge you in your relationship with God and others, as well as your understanding of your true self?

Self-Reflect/ Autorreflexion

• What new ah-ha do you now have about the Sacraments of Initiation, especially Confirmation?

• What do the sacraments say about our universal Church?

• What new insights about Jesus and the Paschal Mystery (Suffering, Death, Resurrection & Ascension) do you now have?

After today’s lesson, how will you better prepare yourself for celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation? Name and commit to one new action. Jot it down in your Confirmation journal.

Personal Commitment to Action/ Compromiso Personal a la Acción

Further Reading/Lecturas Adicionales

• United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Chapters 15-17, pp. 181-232.

• Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church, #251 - #294.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part II, “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery,” #1210 - #1421.

For our next lesson [#2],“Sacraments of Initiation, Part II (Eucharist),”…

Read USCCA: “The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life,” Chapter 17, pp. 213-232.

Closing Prayer(Ezekiel 36:24-28)