7.

THE SACRAMENTS OF TRUE FREEDOM

Knowledge

The freedom offered through Confirmation

Confirmation strengthens the spiritual gifts received through Baptism. Through Confirmation, the Christian receives the special strength of the Holy Spirit, just as did the Apostles at Pentecost. It empowers the Christian to spread and defend the Christian faith by their words and actions. The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Courage, Reverence and Wonder and Awe are offered through Confirmation. Over thousands of years, the special strength of the Holy Spirit empowered martyrs to witness to their faith even to the point of death. This strength has empowered other saints to overcome fear and physical, social and other challenges they faced in the living of the Christian life. They remained faithful to the Christian community despite temptations and disillusionment at the behaviour of some other Church members.

Right Judgement

Reverence
For your information

Courage

The biblical origin of the "Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit" is found in Isaiah 11: 13 where he is foretelling the qualities of the Messiah. The seven gifts are the signs that the Messiah will be guided by the Spirit. The word "Messiah" means anointed. At Confirmation people are anointed with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is "God's first gift to those who believe." (Eucharistic Prayer IV).

Wonder and Awe

Understanding

Wisdom
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7. THE SACRAMENTS OF TRUE FREEDOM

The freedom offered through the Eucharist

The spiritual gifts or graces of all the sacraments relate in one way or another to give people true freedom. The Eucharist is needed to nourish all spiritual gifts received through the other sacraments. People may receive Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage, but the special gifts they have received remain spiritually undernourished without regularly receiving the Eucharist. The Eucharist nourishes the graces that bring people into closer personal relationship with Christ. Other effects of the Eucharist are that it nourishes spiritually, cleanses from venial sin, preserves from mortal sin, unites people within the Church, commits people to the poor and promotes Christian unity. The Eucharist frees people to develop a deeper relationship with Christ, and through him, with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. This strengthens them to: grow in the influence of Christ over their lives, and in the power of the Holy Spirit grow stronger in the spiritual gifts received through other sacraments (Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage) grow in love, goodness, mercy and justice and so overcome the spiritual weaknesses caused by venial sin, to grow closer to God and to become spiritually stronger resist temptations to break grave laws of God deliberately develop closer personal relationships with other baptised people become more like Christ in sensitivity and concern for the poor and others in need develop the same concern as Christ for Christian unity, as expressed in his prayer May they all be one

In Class Work
What are some of the strengths that result from receiving Holy Communion regularly?

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7. THE SACRAMENTS OF TRUE FREEDOM

The freedom offered through Reconciliation

The degree to which a person is free to enjoy the blessings and spiritual gifts God gives depends upon their personal relationship with their loving Creator. This relationship is seriously weakened by grievous sin. People find that saying sorry after behaving in a way that causes offence to a close friend can bring forgiveness. This does not necessarily mean that the earlier closeness in the relationship is fully restored. For this, further reconciliation is needed.

In Class Work
Suggest one scenario relevant to students your age, where further reconciliation may be needed in order to restore the closeness of a friendship. Create a role play to demonstrate how reconciliation can be achieved in this situation.

In the same way, God can forgive all sins whenever a person is truly sorry. However, to restore a close relationship with God after serious sin, full reconciliation is needed. God gives this through the Sacrament of Penance. The graces of the Sacrament of Penance bring forgiveness of sins, the restoration of a close relationship with God and the Church community, and the harmonies God originally created. The Sacrament of Penance frees people from: the spiritual weakening caused by sins the spiritual weaknesses caused by a weakened relationship with God difficulty in drawing on the spiritual gifts received through the sacraments and the other spiritual gifts Christ gave the Church feelings of guilt, regret and fear of facing personal judgement after death a weakened capacity to love, forgive and to develop the other qualities needed for genuine relationships greed, insensitivity, to the environment and the desire to exploit creation.

God can forgive all sins whenever a person is truly sorry.

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