Session 2 Make-Up Packet This packed is designed to give you the teaching presented in the first Confirmation Session. If you are completing this packet it is because you missed the session at your parish and were unable or failed to attend the session at the other parish and need to review the material presented at the session. Please complete this packet and return the activity on page 5 by the beginning of the next session. If you have any questions about this packet, please contact Collin McBride: cmcbride@ola-smg.org Confirmation Session 3 The third Confirmation Session will be held on: Sunday, December 7 th at Our Lady of the Assumption Sunday, December 14 th at Saint Maria Goretti Resources -The Bible -The Catechism of the Catholic Church -Youcat (Youth Catechism) 1
Teaching and Catechesis The Church has Rules We encounter rules on a daily basis. Teens have rules at school, rules at home, and rules in sports. Virtually anywhere you go, you will encounter rules. From, no smoking, to, no running, we are constantly being told what to do or how to behave. Many people look at the Church in the same way. It s likely that by yourself you can name at least 10 rules associated with Church. What is the Purpose of the Rules? Why does the Church have rules and what is the purpose of them? Is it really just so that the Church can control people and somehow gain power in the world? When we look to the Gospel readings we don t see Jesus taking over the oppressive Roman government and establishing his dominance over people. In fact, that is exactly what the Jews were expecting in their Messiah. They believed that their savior would come and destroy their persecutors and A For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. -Mark 10:45 rule as king. Instead, Christ humbled himself as a servant and gave his life on the cross. This didn t seem to make any sense to many of the Jews. How was their savior going to establish the Kingdom of God on Earth if he was dead? Maybe we re asking the wrong questions today as well. Instead of asking, why does the Church have so many rules that don t seem to make sense? perhaps we should be asking, what is the purpose of the rules? A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. -John 10:10 First of all, Christ tells us that he hasn t to do us harm, but rather he came so that each and every person could not just have life, but live abundantly. Why would a savior who wants us to have an abundant life create so many restrictions on what we can do to be happy? The simple answer is: he didn t. Christ did not come just to make rules so we would be unhappy. Instead, Christ laid out the roadmap to heaven, which is eternal joy and happiness with God. Many have heard the words, believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Often times people have a hard time moving beyond those words though. Yes, we do need to believe that Jesus is God and our savior, but there is also another meaning that is lost in translation sometimes. In the original Greek, the root for believe stems from obey. We see how this dual meaning makes sense when highlighted in John 3:36 (on the next page). We are not only supposed to believe in Jesus, but obey him as well. 2
Line of Succession: Christ s Authority Today So how do we obey Christ by following the rules that the Church has given us? It s actually quite simple. When Christ instituted his Church here on Earth, he passed his authority on to Peter and the Apostles. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says to them, Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (MT 18:18) The Church uses this authority to uphold the commandments given to her by Christ both in word and action. Today s bishops are the successors of the apostles and have received Christ s authority from them. There is always a reason for a rule that the Church has. They aren t just arbitrary ways of inconveniencing us, but are in place for our good and to help us find the way to salvation. Just like a GPS give us directions to get us to our destination, Church teachings exist so that we can get into heaven. If we ignore the GPS and decide to take a different way, we are going to get lost. The same is true when we leave the path of discipleship and try to make it to heaven on our own. It is simply not possible. Ember Story Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. -John 3:36 One day a boy was woken up by his mother. It was yet another Sunday morning and she was bugging him to get up and get ready to go to Church. After a long week with school, work, and sports, the boy had no interest in going to Church. All he wanted to do was stay in bed and keep sleeping. Several times his mother returned to get him out of bed and every time he resisted. After much arguing, the boy finally got up, threw some clothes on, and stormed out of the house, slamming the door after him. The argument with his mother continued all the way to Church. He was so mad at his mother that he just gave up and stopped talking to her. He sat through the mass with his arms folded and a furrowed brow, steam pouring out of his ears. He did not want to be there and he did not understand why his mother was so intent on torturing him. After Church, the family headed up to visit with the boy s grandparents. They lived an hour away and the boy sat in the back seat of the car, dead silent for the whole trip. When they arrived he bolted from the car, relieved that he finally had the opportunity to get away from his mother. He refused to talk to her the rest of the day and spent his time avoiding her in any way he could. After dinner, the whole family went into the living room to play some games but the grandfather decided to sit in his study by the fire. The boy knew he wouldn t have to deal with talking about the arguments of the day with his grandfather so he decided to join the gentle, old man, knowing that he would be able to avoid his mother for the remainder of the visit. The two sat in silence for several minutes in the dim room, watching the flames flicker in the hearth, listening to the occasional pop and crack of the logs as they burned. Finally, the old mad turned his head to the boy and said, I heard you had an argument with your mother today. The boy s stomach turned over. This was the last place he thought he would have to talk about this. I just don t understand what the big deal is, grandpa. We go to church every week. Why couldn t I have just stayed in bed this one time? It s so boring anyway that I m practically asleep while I m there. 3
The old man didn t reply. He sat still for a minute and then stooped down and picked up the poker from the side of the fireplace. He prodded the fire until a glowing coal fell away and rolled onto the open floor. The boy could see it glowing in the dim room. The grandfather still said nothing and gradually, the glow from the coal began to fade, and eventually turned black. The boy swallowed as he realized what his grandfather had just taught him. You see, the man said, it s easy to think that it s no big deal to just skip a week here and there, but eventually we end up skipping more and more. We become like this coal. Sure, when I removed it from the fire it continued to glow for a while, but it didn t take long for the heat to be overwhelmed by the cold air around it and eventually, it went out altogether. We don t live in an easy world where our values are universally accepted. See now, he added, placing the coal back in the fire. Quickly the coal regained its glow and radiated its warmth once again. This is why we belong in a community of faith and why we go to church every week. When we are part of the Church, we are given the fuel and nourishment we need to sustain ourselves throughout the coming week. We are fueled and nourished by the Eucharist so that we can have the strength and grace we need to live as Christians in a cold world that doesn t always support what we believe. On the surface, going to mass every week can look like an inconvenience or just a way for the church to get your money. But Jesus Christ, who came so that we could have abundant life, would never institute such a church. In reality, we go to mass to receive the graces of the sacraments and to encounter Christ so that we can be nourished and be recharged to live as Christians for the rest of the week. If Jesus really is God, then why would we not go to mass? Similarly, the teachings of the Church exist so that we can have life and have it abundantly. The Church doesn t have rules so that we will be unhappy, but it shows us how to live and to avoid sin, which separates us from God. God, Our Father We can also think of the Church like a parent. Parents don t make rules just to make their children s lives miserable do they? Of course not. Parents have rules for the safety and wellbeing of their children. When a mother tells her son not to play in the road, it isn t because she doesn t want him to have fun, but because she knows that the road is a dangerous place and he can get hurt in the road. Instead she shows him how to play in the yard. Even though her son may wander close to the road because it looks fun and exciting, the mother will continue to lead him back away from it because she knows the peril. The Church works the same way by not only showing us how to live, but by also showing us what to avoid, which ultimately is sin. 4
Your Turn Instructions: Please answer the following questions and submit them before the beginning of the third Confirmation Session. So your work is legible, please type the responses to each question. 1. List three rules that the Church has and why you think they exist. 2. What does it mean to you that Christ came so that they might have life and have it abundantly? 3. Where does the authority of the Church come from? 4. Who are the successors of Christ s apostles today? Can you name one? 5. Some of our God-given gifts as human beings are reason and logic. Even if you don t understand a Church teaching, reason and logic can help you understand why we believe certain things as Catholics. Has there ever been a time where you have sought clarification on a Church teaching? If so, what was it about? 6. Sometimes we may be inclined to disagree with a Church teaching because it doesn t seem to follow reason and logic. Have you ever realized that a teaching the Church has that you don t understand may actually be different from what you have been led to believe? 7. Why is it so important to go to mass every week? 8. It s likely that you have heard God the Father, but have you ever considered that implication, that God acts as a parent does? In what ways does God act as a parent? Give two or three examples and explain them. 9. As you continue your journey towards Confirmation, it is your responsibility to continue to ask questions when you do not understand Church teachings or wish to know more about the Church and our faith. Do you know where to look or turn to when you have questions? Where are some places you can look for official Church teachings (hint: not Wikipedia)?s 5
References CCC 1899, 2465-2466 1899. The authority required by the moral order derives from God: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 17 2465. The Old Testament attests that God is the source of all truth. His Word is truth. His Law is truth. His faithfulness endures to all generations. 255 Since God is true, the members of his people are called to live in the truth. 2466. In Jesus Christ, the whole of God s truth has been made manifest. Full of grace and truth, he came as the light of the world, he is the Truth. 257 Whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 258 The disciple of Jesus continues in his word so as to know the truth [that] will make you free and that sanctifies. 259 To follow Jesus is to live in the Spirit of truth, whom the Father sends in his name and who leads into all the truth. 260 To his disciples Jesus teaches the unconditional love of truth: Let what you say be simply Yes or No. 261 Youcat 92 Why did Jesus call apostles? Jesus had a large circle of disciples around him, both men and women. From this circle he selected 12 men whom he called -> Apostles (Lk 6:12-16). The apostles were specially trained by him and entrusted with various commissions: He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal (Lk 9:2). Jesus took only these twelve apostles with him to the Last Supper, where he gave them the command, do this in remembrance of me (Lk. 22:19b). [CCC 551-553, 567] The apostles became witnesses of Jesus Resurrection and became guarantors of the truth about him. They continued Jesus mission after his death. They chose successors for their ministry: the bishops. To this day, the successors of the apostles exercise the authority conferred by Jesus: govern and teach and celebrate the liturgy. Youcat 140 Why is the Church not a democratic organization? Democracy operates on the principal that all power comes from the people. In the Church, however, all power comes from Christ. That is why the Church has a hierarchal structure. At the same time, however, Christ gave her collegial structure as well. [CCC 874-879] The hierarchal element of the Church consists in the fact that Christ himself is the one who acts in the Church when ordained ministers, by God s grace, do or give something that they could not do or give by themselves, in other words, when they administer the sacraments in Christ s place and teach with his authority. The collegial element in the Church consists in the fact that Christ entrusted the entire faith to a group of twelve apostles, whose successors govern the Church, with the Pope, the Petrine ministry presiding. Given this collegial approach, councils are an indispensable part of the Church. Yet even in other administrative bodies of the 6
Church, in synods and councils, the manifold gifts of the Spirit and the universality of the Church throughout the world can be fruitful. Matthew 16:18 18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 18:18 18 Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Mark 10:45 45 A For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. John 3:16-18 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:36 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him. John 10:10 10 A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. 7