Lesson #4 Moral Life & the Sacrament of

Reconciliation

Adult Confirmation:Immediate Preparation

(Spring 2014)

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Opening Prayer(Matthew 5:1-12)

Engage/Abordar

We are moral beings---made in the image of God---with a free will to do what is good; if we fail and ask for forgiveness, God is merciful. (Turn and talk, sharing your thoughts about this statement.)

Explore/Investigar:

What do we mean by “conscience”?

Have you ever heard the phrase “guilty conscience”?

Explore/Investigar: The CCC states:• “Conscience is a person’s most secret core and

sanctuary, where one is alone with God and hears his voice.”

• “Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he or she is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed.”

• “Moral conscience, present at the heart of the person, assists them at the appropriate moment to choose good and to avoid evil.”

Essential Question(s) …for this lesson and for lifelong faith formation:

• How does/should our belief in God guide the way we live?

• How can we partake more fully in the forgiving love of Christ made present in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation?

Explain/Explicar

“Made in the Image of God,” p. 310

“The Responsible Practice of Freedom,” pp. 310-311

Explain/Explicar

Three Elements of a Morally Good Act:1. Objective act (what we do)2. Subjective goal or intention (why we do

the act) 3. Concrete situation or circumstances in

which we perform the act (where, when, how, with whom, the consequences, etc.)

Explain/Explicar

Small Group Activity:SCENARIO

You and coworkers harass and ostracize another coworker by not communicating pertinent information with him or excluding him from meetings. You make conditions unbearable for this person in such a way that he cannot effectively do his job. Then, your coworkers ask you to talk with him and sympathize with his feelings and ask for his forgiveness in order to find out if he has reported his discomfort in the workplace to your boss.

Explain/Explicar

The Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation 1. Contrition 2. Confession 3. Penance 4. Absolution

Explain/Explicar

Activity “The Prodigal Son”

Connect/Conectar…

…to the Rite of Confirmation: [Learning Target #3.7.23]

…to the Mass:Where during Mass do we ask God to forgive

our sins?

Extend & Enrich/ Extension y Enriquecimiento

If God forgives sins, then why does our Church have this sacrament?

Precepts of the Church [USCCA, pp. 334-335]

Evaluate/Evaluar

Exit Slip: How does the Holy Spirit guide and strengthen the living out of the Christian moral life?

Self-Reflect/ Autorreflexion

• What new ah-ha do you now have about the Holy Spirit?

• What new ah-ha do you now have about your parish and our universal Church?

• What new insights about Jesus and the Paschal Mystery (Suffering, Death, Resurrection & Ascension) do you now have after learning more about the Church’s teachings on moral life and the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation?

Personal Commitment to Action/ Compromiso Personal a la Acción

Select ONE of the following actions:1. Before next week, explain the Sacrament of

Penance & Reconciliation to a non-Catholic.2. What is one action you can take immediately to

model the forgiving love of Christ for someone in your life?

3. What are you plans for celebrating the Sacrament of Penance & Reconciliation before you are confirmed?

Further Reading/Lecturas Adicionales

• United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Chapter 18, pp. 233-247.

• Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church, #372-376; #296-312.

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part II, “Moral Conscience,” #1776 - #1802; #1422 - #1498.

For our next lesson [#5],“Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation: The Rite/ Gifts & Fruits of the Holy Spirit,”…

Read USCCA: “Receive the Holy Spirit,” Chapter 9,

pp. 101-110;“Confirmation: Consecrated for

Mission,” Chapter 16, pp. 201-211.

Closing Prayer(Psalm 103)