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The Sacraments

April 3, 2016

Ignite Catechist Handout

OBJECTIVES

To provide an opportunity for students to renew their understanding and appreciation of

sacraments in our relationship with God as Catholic Christians.

OVERVIEW

1. 4:00-5:15pm- Teen Mass

2. 5:10-5:20pm - Hospitality in the Narthex

3. 5:20-5:30 - Large Group/attendance in Church

4. 5:30- 7pm Small Group Lesson Plan

The lesson’s activities include the 6 components that should be in every faith lesson:

Community builder

Scripture

Shared experiences by adults and teens

Catholic Theology and learning

I learned statements

Putting our faith in action or lived experience.

Background for Catechists and Peers

See Slide Show on website for additional resources

A good introductory video on sacraments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmfSwi3ZKH4

1. Imagination is the essential means, humanly speaking, by which faith becomes possible.

a. Through our imagination, we can step into the world of New Testament Palestine or

walk along the mountainous paths as the shepherd takes the sheep to still waters.

b. Our imagination, fired by God’s Spirit, gives us a glimpse of God’s own vision and hope

for all creation.

c. Without God’s gift of imagination to each of us we would be stuck in the mire of each

day, unable to look ahead or behind us with awe and wonder.

Try doing a short meditation with your class. Here is a meditation you can download and play (less than

4 minutes) Free Your Mind - A Guided Meditation on Letting Go -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2VLH9zuScE

Here is a second meditation called Body & Sound Meditation – available to download on ITues. You can

also go to this link http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22 and find it. Here is a link directly to the

meditation http://marc.ucla.edu/mpeg/Body-Sound-Meditation.mp3 - this is 3 minutes long

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Here is a biblical mediation on today’s Gospel. John 20:19-31

Go to this link - http://alivenow.upperroom.org/audio-lectio/ Alive Now Audio Lectio Then scroll down to April 3

After any of the meditations ask the following 1. What was this experience like for you? 2. What words would you use to describe it (peaceful, soothing, relaxing, confusing, difficult to get into…) 3. How do you see imagination being used in meditation? 4. Why is imagination important when we are studying sacraments.

2. Principle of Sacramentality - Sacramentality is the principle that God uses visible signs to convey

His grace, which cannot be seen. This is why Catholics believe that the waters of Baptism wash

away sin, the oil used in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick strengthens us, and the bread

and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.

3. Sacrament with a little ‘s’ - "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace."

what in your life is an example of God's grace at work? We call these God sightings!

Sacrament with a big ‘S’ – the seven ritual sacraments

The Seven Sacraments

Begin class by talking about God Sightings. What has happened recently or in their life that was God

speaking to them? After everyone shares, see if their God Sightings can fit into categories of initiation,

commitment, or healing—what was God trying to say through this God Sighting? For example, if

someone was having a bad day and then saw a rainbow that awed them, that would be a God Sighting

that led to healing, like the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The seven sacraments are divided into three categories:

a) Sacraments of initiation (these three sacraments are the foundation of every Christian life) are Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.

b) Sacraments of commitment (These sacraments bestow a particular work or mission to certain members of the Church to serve to build up the people of God) are Marriage and Holy Orders.

c) Sacraments of healing (Through these two sacraments, we receive healing and salvation through the power of the Holy Spirit) are Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.

Start a discussion by relating to the teens your experience receiving special sacraments. If you are

married, you may want to begin with Marriage, as none of them will have experienced this yet. Discuss

how important your wedding day was to you and your spouse. This was not something you stepped into

without much thought and preparation. Remind them that when you receive sacraments, you enter into

them with a lot of thought and preparation. As an example, explain the Confirmation process here at

Holy Family is a two year preparation program. They will have classes for two years, have two major

service projects, attend two retreats and fulfill many other requirements before they are ready receive

Confirmation. Peer ministers could share their experiences with Confirmation, as well!

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What do you remember about the day you were baptized?

What about your First Eucharist? What do you remember about that day? Did you feel special? Why? How do you feel every Sunday when you receive this sacrament?

What about Reconciliation. What do you remember about your first experience with Reconciliation? Were you nervous and/or frightened to confess to the priest? How about now?

What was one of your most powerful experiences of Reconciliation? Why do you think it was so powerful?

How will you be different after Confirmation? What will call forth that change in you?

Explain to them that on the day they received Baptism they received a symbol or a sign. Another name

for symbol/sign is Sacrament. The Catholic Church has seven “big” symbols and many small ones. The

big ones are:

1) Baptism Through Baptism we are reborn into new life in Christ. We are joined to Jesus Christ, become members of the Church, and are reborn as God’s children. Baptism marks us indelibly and forever as belonging to Christ and can only be received once.

2) Reconciliation One of the two sacraments of healing through which we receive God’s forgiveness for the sins we have committed after Baptism. We can receive this sacrament as many times as we’d like.

3) Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. In Eucharist the faithful join with Christ to give thanksgiving, honor and glory to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. We received this sacrament every time we receive the Eucharist.(every time we attend mass)

4) Confirmation Confirmation strengthens the graces of Baptism and celebrates the special gift of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation also imprints a spiritual or indelible character on the soul and can be received only once.

5) Marriage (Matrimony) One of the two sacraments of commitment. In this sacrament a man and a woman dedicate their lives to the Church and to one another in a lifelong bond of faithful life-giving love. The couple receives grace to be a living sign of Christ’s love for the Church.

6) Holy Orders (Ordination) One of the two sacraments of commitment. The sacrament in which baptized men are consecrated as bishops, priests or deacons to serve the whole Church in the name and person of Christ.

7) Anointing of the Sick One of the two sacraments of healing. The grace of this sacrament strengthens our faith and trust in God when we are seriously ill, weakened by old age, or dying. The faithful may receive this sacrament each time they are ill or when an illness gets worse.

From the Bible: Take the opportunity before class to read through some of these Bible passages. Choose

some that you think will speak to your teens and read them in class and reflect on them on the

sacraments they reference.

Baptism See also Matthew 3:13-17, Luke 3:21-22; Acts 1:21-22; Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 4:5; Colossians

2:11-13, I Peter 3:21):

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

Gospel of Matthew 28:19-20

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Confirmation See also Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-4, 2:38, 10:44-48 "Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17

The Eucharist

Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying,"This is my body, which

will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This

cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you."

Gospel of Luke 22:19-20

Confession See also Matthew 16:18-19, Luke 24:46-47, Acts 2:38 "Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father who sent me, even so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them,"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. " Gospel of John 20:21-23

Holy Matrimony

"This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and the church. In any case, each one of you

should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband."

St. Paul to the Ephesians 5:32-33

Anointing of the Sick See also James 5:14-15

"So they went off and preached repentance. They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil

many who were sick and cured them." Gospel of Mark 6:12-13

Holy Orders See Matthew 16:18-19, John 21:15-17, Romans 10:14-15, 2 Timothy 1:6, and Titus 1:5

"Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious; and like

living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual

sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 2:4-5

Sacramental in a broader sense:

Sacraments can signify the seven key grace-filled events or experiences in the faith of Catholics. They are

celebrated by the community in formal liturgies. These sacraments are not just signs but actual realities

in which God’s grace brings believers into a closer relationship with God and the church.

The tem sacrament in its broader sense refers to other events in people’s lives that bring an experience

of connection with God. These experiences can be private as well as communal. Examples of these

sacramental moments are the making of a friendship, a weekend retreat, a powerful prayer experience,

and even a tragic or frightening event.

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Both “The Sacraments of our Church” and “sacramental moments” contain symbols that help the people

who experience them to remember and celebrate the deep meaning associated with the event.

Have the group quietly reflect on a sacramental experience in their lives. If they are comfortable have them share the experience with the group

An Object Activity: Bring in these materials to use in class or simply use this as an example as a metaphor. http://amazingcatechists.com/2012/01/an-object-lesson-for-teaching-sacraments/ This activity uses different props to clearly explain why sacraments are important. Each sacrament has its own physical metaphor. Note Sheets (go over these in class, writing the answers down for themselves will help the teens commit these to memory more than us supplying them with the completed graphic):

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