Confirmation Study Guide (2018)

Confirmation Study Guide (2018) YouCat Confirmation Book = YCB What does Confirmation have to do with me? Read YCB, Chapters 1 and 12 1. What does Confirmation mean to me? Why do I want to be Confirmed? 2. Which saint did I choose and what inspired me about his or her life? 3. How have I grown in my relationship with God this year? 4. Why is Confirmation NOT graduation from the Church? Confirmation is the completion of Baptism. It is my final rite of initiation into the Church. After Confirmation, I will finally be an adult member of the Church who has been equipped for sainthood. The Holy Spirit is sealed inside of me so that I can BEGIN my life as a Catholic and, by grace, one become one of the saints in heaven. From now on, I desire to strive for holiness every day of my life, for the rest of my life. pg. 1

GLOSSARY OF IMPORTANT TERMS AND TRANSLATIONS Annunciation Ascended Assumed Create Original Sin Crucifixion Death Heaven Purgatory Hell Resurrection Trinity Pentecost Announcement of Jesus birth to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel To rise to Heaven/power by your own ability (Jesus) To rise to Heaven/power by being drawn up on God s power (Mary) To make something out of nothing The first sin, passed on from parent to child To die on a cross When the soul leaves the body The place of unity with God The place of purification prior to entering Heaven The place where God is not To rise from the dead (NOT resuscitation) Three distinct persons in one God, without separation or division The day the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and Mary Communion Church Triumphant Church Suffering Church Militant Sin Sins of Commission Sins of Omission Venial Sin Mortal Sin Particular Judgment Last Judgment Common unity or common union The saints in Heaven (canonized and uncanonized) The souls in Purgatory The people still on Earth Any thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law of God. A deliberate choice to do something we know is wrong. A deliberate choice to NOT do something we know is right. A minor violation of moral law (think spiritual misdemeanor ) A major violation of moral law (think spiritual felony ) Individual judgment of each person s life, immediately after death. Judgment at end of time on all of history, all secrets revealed. El-Shaddai YAHWEH Yeshuah Christos Kyrios Ruah Ecclesia Catholic Apostolic Sancti (Hebrew) translates as Mighty One or Almighty, is used by Abraham to refer to God. (Hebrew, pronounced: Yaw-way) it means: I AM WHO I AM, Hebrew rendering of Jesus, it means YAHWEH saves (Greek) used as the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew concept of Messiah, is rendered as Christ in English and means Anointed One. (Greek) translates as Lord (Hebrew) translates as Spirit (Greek) rendered as Church in English and means assembly(of the faithful) (Latin) translates as Universal passed on through the Apostles (Apostle = Emissary ) (Latin) rendered as saint in English and means holy persons. pg. 2

5. Recite the Apostle s Creed from Memory: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; He descended into Hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. I believe in God Creator of Heaven and Earth YCB, Chapter 2 6. Who is the God in whom Christians believe? The God in whom we believe is the Creator, or the Uncaused Cause of all that is, and although we see his handiwork everywhere in nature, he remains hidden. The argument from Cause and Effect states that for every effect there must be a cause; the greater the effect, the greater the cause must be. But if God is the cause of the universe, who caused God, we might ask? If there s another someone who caused God, then that someone would in fact be God or the ultimate Being. And who caused that someone, and so on? Eventually we have to conclude that there must be a someone, who has no cause, but is the ultimate cause of all that is, both living and inanimate. There MUST be an uncaused cause that started everything And this thing MUST be eternal and perfect which we refer to as God. 7. Why is God the Creator? There MUST be either nothing or everything. Only a forever everything can create and God is the forever everything of our existence. This forever everything is also known as the eternal first cause. There has to be something that just is to get everything started. 8. Theologically, what does it mean to create? To create means to make something out of nothing. 9. By what name does Abraham call God? Abraham calls God El-Shaddai in Hebrew, which translates as Mighty One or Almighty in English. 10. Explain how God reveals His name to humanity. God gives his name to Moses at the burning bush. God reveals He is YAHWEH which means I AM WHO I AM. 11. What does the name YAHWEH reveal about God? His name is a mystery. He is knowable, but we will never fully know Him. He cannot be restricted to a category. He is existence itself and exists eternally has always been present and He always will be present. 12. Who is God? God is merciful and gracious! God alone IS. In other words, he is Fullness of Being and every perfection all powerful, all knowing, and all present. God reveals Himself for us to see by His creation of: Goodness Truth Beauty Love pg. 3

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord YCB, Chapter 4 13. What is Jesus name in Hebrew and what does it mean? Yeshuah and it means YAHWEH saves. This name was given to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation. 14. What does it mean when we call Jesus Christ? a. The word Christ is the English translation of the Greek Christos which translates the Hebrew word Messiah which means Anointed One. b. To call Jesus Christ is to claim that He is the anointed or chosen one. Those who believe Jesus is the anointed one are known today as Christians. 15. Is Jesus the Son of God? Yes. He distinguishes his sonship from that of His disciples by never saying our Father except to command them: You, then, pray like this: Our Father. Jesus emphasizes this by making the distinction when saying my Father and your Father. 16. Is Jesus begotten of God, made, or created? a. In His divine nature, Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father. That is, He comes from the Father. Just as we come from our parents, Jesus comes from the Father. In His divine nature, Jesus comes only from the Father, therefore, He is exactly as the Father is, and namely, Jesus is God. b. He is NEITHER made NOR created. He IS the Creator. 17. Why do we call Jesus Lord? YAHWEH is such a sacred name to the Israelites, that they only use it for important moments of prayer and Greekspeaking Israelites began using Kyrios to refer to God the Father. Lord is the English translation of Kyrios and so to call Jesus Lord is to profess that He is God, I AM WHO AM. 18. If Jesus is truly Lord, what should my response be? The proper response for one who believes that Jesus is Lord or I AM WHO AM is to worship Him. Christians follow Jesus because He is Christ, and we worship Him as LORD. 19. What does it mean to say Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary? From the scriptures we know that Mary conceived Jesus in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, who overshadowed her. Jesus is conceived without human seed. The mission of the Holy Spirit is always conjoined to that of Jesus, God s Son. The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life, is sent to sanctify the womb of the Virgin Mary and divinely impregnate it, causing the Virgin Mary to conceive the eternal Son of the Father in a humanity drawn from her own. Mary remains a virgin, before, during and after the conception and birth of Jesus. In short, the eternal Son of God, who has no beginning or end in His divine nature, takes to Himself our human nature. Jesus is not half God and half human. Jesus is 100% God and 100% human. Jesus, the Father s eternally begotten Son, is one person in two natures, divine and human. 20. What does it mean to say that Jesus suffered? To claim that Jesus suffered is to claim that He fully participated in our humanity. Jesus was truly human. He had a human body and a human soul, and therefore was subject to human pain and suffering just as we are. This is important to remember when we reflect on His passion and death. Jesus possesses two natures, one divine and the other human, not confused, but united in the one person of God s Son. pg. 4

TIMELINE OF SALVATION YCB, Chapters 3, 5, and 6 21. What do we call the sin of Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit? We call the first sin of Adam and Eve Original Sin. For Adam and Eve, this was a personal sin. This sin had little to do with fruit, it was a way to opt out of God s free gift of love. It is a sin of PRIDE, as humanity is desiring to be like God and decides for ourselves what is good and evil. It is a sin of SELFISHNESS because that is when Adam and Eve noticed their own nakedness, which they hadn t noticed before because they were selfless, which reveals a human vulnerability without God which brings shame and fear. 22. How does Original Sin affect us? Original sin is passed on to all descendants of Adam and Eve, we inherit it from our parents and pass it on to our children. Original Sin is removed by Baptism but the effects of it do remain. As such, even a baptized person passes Original Sin to their children. 23. Explain how Mary & Jesus fulfill the roles of the New Adam & New Eve? The first Eve leads humanity into sin by pride, the new Eve (Mary) leads humanity into unity with God by humility. Adam & Eve Sin & Pride Chose what is right and wrong for themselves Fruit is taken from the Tree and causes sin & death Chose selfishness Denied their humanity to be like God Jesus & Mary (New Adam & Eve) Virtue of humility Accepted God s will Fruit of Mary s womb is lifted on the dead wood of the cross, a new tree Chose sacrificial love Jesus lowers himself to becoming human to embrace it 24. Why did the Word become Flesh? 1. In order to save us by reconciling us with God 2. So that we might know God s love 3. To be our model of holiness 4. To make us partakers of the divine nature 5. The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in His divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods. - St. Thomas Aquinas 25. Why is Pontius Pilate mentioned in the Apostle s Creed? Pontius Pilate is the Roman Governor of Judea at the time of Jesus crucifixion. This is a concrete historical reference as it sets the time and location of Jesus death. It shows that this is NOT a fairy tale, it happened! 26. What is the significance of Christ s crucifixion? It was for sinners (us) that Jesus accepted death on a cross. It was where Jesus offered Himself to the Father as the atonement or expiation for our sins, freely offering Himself for our salvation. It was destined for us, but Jesus dies in our place. 27. How does the Christian theologically define death? In Christian theology, death is marked by the soul leaving the body. pg. 5

28. What happened to Jesus body after His death on the cross? His body was taken down from the cross and placed in a nearby tomb. 29. After His death, what happened to Jesus soul? His soul descended into hell. There He opened the gates of heaven for all those who received His grace and had died before Him. 30. What is Hell? Hell is the place where God is not. 31. Why would Jesus go to Hell? He becomes the bridge between Heaven and the place of the dead. This Opens the Gates of Heaven and He greets the Patriarchs and the righteous as He opens the gates of Heaven. 32. What does it mean when we say that Jesus rose from the dead? Resurrection is the reunion of body and soul. When we say Jesus rose again from the dead, we mean that His human soul was reunited with His earthly body, and that His pierced and wounded body rose from the tomb of life, a new life that is immortal and incorruptible. Jesus resurrection is not merely resuscitation as would be performed by paramedics on a heart attack patient, but a new life, one without end. 33. Does Jesus ascend body and soul into heaven? Jesus ascends body and soul into Heaven (Mary is Assumed). Ascended means under one s own power which refers to a King taking his throne. Assumed means drawn up by someone else. 34. What does Jesus do at the right hand of the Father? He intercedes on our behalf and reigns as King of Heaven and Earth. The Holy Spirit and the Trinity YCB, Chapter 7 35. What are Christians referring to when they use the word spirit? Spirit is how we translate the Hebrew word ruah which translates to breath, air, wind. The spirit is the very breath and life force of every living thing. 36. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He is God and one in nature with the Father and the Son from whom He proceeds. The Holy Spirit is conjoined with the Son in His mission of accomplishing the work of salvation. 37. Is the Holy Spirit a part of God? No. God has no parts. God simply IS. The Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son are ONE. Each person of the Trinity is God in fullness. 38. Is the Holy Spirit separate from the Father and the Son? No. The Holy Spirit is a distinct Person but never separate from the Father and Son. God has no parts and therefore cannot be divided. God simply is: I AM WHO AM. 39. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Son of God? The Holy Spirit s role is to reveal God to us by making Christ known to us for to know Jesus Christ is to know God. And when the Father sends His Word, He always sends His Breathe (a.k.a, the Holy Spirit). In their joint mission, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but inseparable. To be sure it is Christ who is seen, the visible image of the invisible God, it is the Spirit who reveals Him. pg. 6

40. When do we celebrate the birth of the Church? We celebrate the birth of the Church on Pentecost Sunday. This takes place ten days after the celebration of the Lord s ascension, body and soul, into Heaven on Ascension Thursday. Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit descended on to the Apostles and Mary in the upper room. Because of this, they were no longer afraid and began to fulfill the mission of the Church (to preach the Gospel and baptize all nations). Since the Apostles were doing this for the first time on this day, Pentecost is seen as the birth of the Church. 41. What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit? The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, which all candidates will get to receive at Confirmation are: Wisdom Understanding Counsel (also called Right Judgement) Fortitude (or Courage) Knowledge Piety (or reverence) Fear of the Lord (also called wonder or awe at God s magnificence) 42. What is the central mystery of Christianity? The central mystery of Christianity is the holy trinity. The Holy Trinity is the belief that three persons, the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit, together are one God without separation, division or multiplication. 43. How many parts are there to God? NO PARTS! God is ONE, with three distinct persons! 44. How do the three divine Persons of the Holy Trinity work? The three distinct divine Persons are inseparable in their open substance, in their activity and in their will....the Holy Catholic Church YCB, Chapter 9 45. What is the Church? The word Church comes from Greek word ecclesia which means assembly. Thus, the Catholic Church is the assembly of believers, NOT the building. To explain why we call the building the church because it is the place where the assembly of believers goes to assemble. As such, it is a symbol of the assembly that meets there. 46. What are the Four Marks of the Church? One Holy Catholic Apostolic 47. What does it mean that the Church is One? The Church is one because of her Founder, Jesus Christ, and her soul, the Holy Spirit. The Church is the body of Christ on Earth. A body cannot function in pieces, but must unify diverse parts for the good of the whole body. Unity is the essence of the Church. Being one does NOT mean uniformity. The Church is one, while still maintaining a great diversity. Among the Church s members, there are different gifts, offices, conditions, and ways of life. pg. 7

48. What does it mean that the Church is Holy? Holiness is to be like God, who is different than anything else we know. So to be holy is to be different. Everything the Church does is directed toward the sanctification (growth in holiness) of humanity in Christ and the glorification of God. The Church itself is held to be unfailingly holy, but comprised of sinners on every level. 49. What does it mean that the Church is Catholic? The word Catholic means Universal The Church lives out this universality because Christ is present in her and Christ is for all humanity AND she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole of the human race. In other words, the Church is universal because she is offered for all of humanity regardless of status, race, nationality, politics, gender, etc. However, it is up to each individual as to whether or not they respond to the invitation of the Church. 50. What does it mean that the Church is Apostolic? Apostle comes from a Greek word meaning emissaries. The Church is built on the foundation of the original apostles and to be a modern day apostle means we are privileged to be witnesses chosen and sent on mission by Christ Himself. The Church hands on the good deposit of teachings that was first heard by the Church from the Apostles. The Church continues to be taught, sanctified, and guided by the successors of the Apostles (a.k.a. bishops)....the Communion of Saints www.ladyrosary.org/teen-confirmation (scroll down to article) 51. What is the communion of saints? Communion literally means common union or common unity. Specifically when we refer to communion in this way we are referring to communion IN holy things and AMONG holy persons. The word saint comes from the Latin word sancti which means holy persons. The communion of saints is the spiritual unity among all those who have been immersed into the dying and rising of the Lord Jesus Christ in the saving waters of baptism. This communion in Christ includes: 1. The Church Militant (the faithful on earth) 2. The Church Suffering (the soul in purgatory) 3. The Church Triumphant (the saints in Heaven) Communion of the faithful on earth, in purgatory and in heaven is the one body of Christ. It is the Church. 52. In what ways do the saints enter into this communion with one another? COMMUNION IN THE FAITH: We share one deposit of faith COMMUNION IN THE SACRAMENTS: All the sacraments are sacred links uniting the faithful with one another and binding them to Jesus Christ COMMUNION OF CHARISMS: Special graces are given to every member of the Church to be shared for the common good. COMMUNION OF CHARITY: None of us lives for oneself. Every act done in charity redounds to profit all AND every sin harms. 53. Why do we pray to the saints? Prayer is communication! We venerate saints, we do NOT worship them. We only worship God. Asking a saint for help through prayer is no different from asking your friend to pray for you on earth, except the saint is closer to God than your friend is. 54. Who is called to be a saint? Holiness is what we are made for. Thus, it is what EVERYONE is called to be. Every person is called to be a saint. pg. 8

...The Forgiveness of Sins YCB, Chapter 11 55. What is sin? Any thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law of God. There are 2 categories of sin: Sins of Commission: A deliberate choice to do something we know is wrong. Sins of Omission: The omission not doing of something good. 56. Are some sins more serious than others? In judging the gravity of sin, Catholic theology distinguishes between mortal and venial sins (cf. 1 John 5:16-17) 57. What are the two levels of sin? Venial Sin: A minor violation of Moral Law, similar to the concept of a misdemeanor. Mortal Sin: A major violation of Moral Law, similar to the concept of a felony. Mortal sins cause death to the soul if not forgiven. 58. What are the three conditions necessary to commit mortal sin? 1. A SERIOUS matter. The evil we do must be seriously wrong. 2. We must KNOW that what we are doing is seriously wrong. 3. We FREELY choose to do that which is evil. Emotion and passion can diminish the voluntary and free character of a sin, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the most serious. 59. Is a Catholic supposed to receive Holy Communion with serious or mortal sin on his/her soul? No. It doesn t make sense to enter into communion with God, if we have turned our back on Him in sin. This would be insulting to God and as such To receive Holy Communion with serious or mortal sin on one s soul is to commit the additional sin of sacrilege. One must first be reconciled to God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation before approaching to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. 60. What happens if a person dies having committed a mortal sin and never having asked for forgiveness? Mortal sin deprives us of sanctifying grace. If the sinner does not repent of the mortal sin and seek God s mercy by an act of perfect contrition and the absolution of the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, this lack of repentance causes the sinner s exclusion from Christ s kingdom and the eternal death of hell. Our freedom to choose to do right or to do wrong has eternal consequences. In short: They go to Hell. 61. How are we forgiven of our sins? a. First, through Baptism. It is the first and chief sacrament for the forgiveness of sins by washing away ALL sin, including Original Sin. b. Second, through Confession. Jesus rises from the dead, breathes upon his Apostles and says Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained (John 20:22-23). So the bishops of the Church, who are the successors to the Apostles, and their co-workers the priests, fulfill this command and mandate of Jesus to be His ambassadors of mercy by absolving sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. pg. 9

...Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting YCB, Chapters 8 and 10 62. What do we mean by the resurrection of the body? a. Resurrection is the reunification of body and soul. Just as death occurs when the soul leaves the body, resurrection occurs when the soul returns to the body. Resurrection, however, is more than the reviving of the body, but the raising of the body to a new and more glorious life with God. b. Christians believe, and therefore hope that, just as Christ is truly risen from the dead and lives forever, so after death the righteous will live forever with the risen Christ and he will raise them up, body and soul reunited, on the last day. 63. What is life everlasting? a. Eternal life is life which begins immediately after death. It will have no end and be preceded for each person by a particular judgment at the hands of Christ who is the Judge of the living and the dead. This particular judgment will be confirmed in the final judgment when Christ returns at the end of time. b. For the saints in heaven, eternal life is life in God. It is seeing God face to face. To use an earthly illustration, it s like gazing into the face of someone you love you never get tired of staring or gazing. Similarly, eternal life with God is one aha moment after another because God is an infinite being, we will never know Him completely, and (for the saints) heaven is endless discovery of God s grandeur and love for us. c. For those in hell, eternity is endless separation and alienation from God. Think of the crying child separated from its mother who cannot be consoled. Such is hell. 64. What are the two Judgments? a. Particular Judgment is the judgment at the moment of death. This is when our individual soul goes before God and is judged on the level that we loved. There are ONLY 3 places that we can possibly go: Heaven immediately Heaven with a period of purification, which is purgatory. Hell b. The Last Judgment: The resurrection of the dead will precede the last judgment. Then, in the presence of Christ, who is truth itself, the truth of each man s relationship with God will be laid bare. The last judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good a person has done or failed to do during their earthly life. 65. What is the meaning of the word amen in which we conclude our profession of faith? The Hebrew word Amen, which also concludes the last book of Sacred Scripture, some of the prayers of the New Testament, and the liturgical prayers of the Church, expresses our confident and total yes or agreement to what we professes in the Creed, entrusting ourselves completely to Him who is the definitive Amen (Revelation 3:14), Christ the Lord. pg. 10