MINISTRY OF ALTAR SERVERS PIETY (REVERENCE): with the gift of reverence,
Summer Catechism 2014 sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of
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LESSON 1: The Holy Spirit, The Paraclete
THE HOLY SPIRIT
Guide question: Who is the Holy Spirit in your life? Are
there any instances in which you had the opportunity to
encounter/experience the Holy Spirit?
No one understands the thoughts of God except the
Spirit of God."7 Now God's Spirit, who reveals God,
makes known to us Christ, his Word, his living
Expression, but the Spirit does not speak of himself.
The Spirit who "has spoken through the prophets"
makes us hear the Father's Word, but we do not hear
the Spirit himself. (CCC 687)
The Holy Spirit, whom Christ the head pours out on his
members, builds, animates, and sanctifies the Church.
She is the sacrament of the Holy Trinity's communion
with men. (CCC 747)
SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Guide question: What is a gift?
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom,
understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety,
and fear of the Lord. … (CCC 1831)
WISDOM: it is the capacity to love spiritual things more
than material ones;
UNDERSTANDING: in understanding, we comprehend
how we need to live as followers of Christ. A person
with understanding is not confused by the conflicting
messages in our culture about the right way to live.
COUNSEL (RIGHT JUDGMENT): with the gift of
counsel/right judgment, we know the difference
between right and wrong, and we choose to do what is
right.
FORTITUDE (COURAGE): with the gift of
fortitude/courage, we overcome our fear and are
willing to take risks as a follower of Jesus Christ. A
person with courage is willing to stand up for what is
right in the sight of God, even if it means accepting
rejection, verbal abuse, or physical harm.
KNOWLEDGE: with the gift of knowledge, we
understand the meaning of God. The gift of knowledge
is more than an accumulation of facts.
respect for God and the Church. A person with
reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and
comes before God with humility, trust, and love.
FEAR OF THE LORD (WONDER AND AWE): with the gift
of fear of the Lord we are aware of the glory and
majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows
that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect
knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and
perfect love.
NINE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Guide instruction: Compare yourself to a seed, which
was sowed and have grown to a tree that produces
fruits. The fruits will fall on the ground thus, sowing its
seeds to produce another tree which in God’s perfect
time, creates a forest.
FRUITS Biblical passages as reference
LOVE (1 Corinthians 13)(2 John 1:6)
JOY (1 Thessalonians 1:6)(Nehemiah 8:10)
PEACE (John 14:27)
PATIENCE (Hebrews 10:36)
KINDNESS (Romans 11:22)(Ephesians 2:7)
(2 Thessalonians 1:11)
GOODNESS Same as kindness
FAITHFULNESS (Galatians 6:1)(Ephesians 3:16-17)
GENTLENESS (1 Timothy 6:11)(2 Timothy 2:22-25)
SELF-CONTROL (2 Peter 1:5-7)
Agape denotes a really undefeatable benevolence and
unconquerable goodwill that always seeks the highest
of the other, no matter what s/he does. It is the self-
giving love that gives freely without asking anything in
return, and does not consider the worth of its object.
Agape describes the unconditional love God has for the
world.
Joy is not a human-based happiness that comes and
goes but, rather, true 'joy' is divine in its origin. It is a
Spirit-given expression that flourishes best in hard
times.
Peace is the result of resting in a relationship with God.
Peace is a tranquility, a state of rest, that comes from
seeking after God, or, the opposite of chaos.
"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence
of God no matter what the conflict". -Anonymous
Patience, which in some translations is "longsuffering"
or "endurance", is defined in Strong's by two Greek
words, makrothumia and hupomone.
Hebrews 10:36 says, "For you have need of endurance,
so that after you have done the will of God, you may
receive what is promised". We are "strengthened with
all might, according to his glorious power, unto all
patience and longsuffering with joyfulness". "With all
lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing
one another in love".
Kindness does not necessarily mean being nice, one can
be kind and not nice. Nice is defined as being agreeable.
In contrast, kindness is acting for the good of people
regardless of what they do.
MINISTRY OF ALTAR SERVERS
Summer Catechism 2014
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LESSON 2: BEYOND COMMANDMENTS
THE EIGHT BEATITUDES
Guide questions: Your parents together with you set
rules to be followed at home. What usually make up
these rules? Are these rules set to forbid you of doing
bad, or to encourage you of doing good?
The Beatitudes present a new set of Christian ideals
that focus on a spirit of love and humility different in
orientation than the usual force and exaction taken.
They echo the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus
on mercy, spirituality, and compassion.
Beatitude (keywords are italicized) Virtues
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for Humility,
theirs is the kingdom of Heaven Simplicity
Generosity
Blessed are those who mourn: for Love
they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they will Humility,
inherit the earth. Gentleness
Blessed are those who hunger and Justice
thirst for righteousness: for they will
be filled.
Goodness is defined by: the state or quality of being
good;Moral excellence; virtue; kindly feeling, kindness,
generosity,joy in being good
The best part of anything; essence; strength; general
character recognized in quality or conduct.
Faithfulness is committing oneself to something or
someone, for instance, to one's spouse, to a cause, or to
a religion. Being faithful requires personal resolve not to
wander away from commitments or promises.
Gentleness, from the greek word, prautes, which means
meekness, is "a divinely-balanced virtue that can only
operate through faith.
The Greek word used for Self-Control in Galatians 5:23
is "egkrateia", which means having command or
"mastery over", or possession of, "one's own behavior".
Blessed are the merciful: for they will Mercy,
be shown mercy. Suffering Love
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they Chastity,
will see God. Morality
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they Peace
will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted Righteousness,
for righteousness' sake: for theirs is Sacrifice,
the kingdom of heaven. Unconditional
goodness
THE WORK OF MERCY
Guide question: It is a fact that Jesus had set out the
new commandment—to love God more than anything
else and to love your neighbors as yourself. How can
you show your love for your brothers and sisters?
The Works of Mercy are actions and practices which
Christians are expected to do.
The Works of Mercy have been traditionally divided into
two categories, the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy,
which concern the material needs of others, and the
Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy, which concern the
spiritual needs of others.
CORPORAL WORKS SPIRITUAL WORKS
To feed the hungry. To instruct the ignorant.
To give drink to the To counsel the doubtful.
thirsty.
To clothe the naked. To admonish sinners.
To shelter the homeless. To bear wrongs patiently.
To visit the sick. To forgive offences
willingly.
To visit the imprisoned. To comfort the afflicted.
To bury the dead. To pray for the living and
the dead.
SIX CHIEF COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH
Guide question: As an Altar Server, someone whose
service belongs to God and His Church, what are the
things that you can do to set a good example among
your fellowmen?
The Catholic Church has the right to make laws from
Jesus Christ, who said to the apostles, the first bishops
of His Church: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound also in heaven."
This right to make laws in exercised by the bishops, the
successors of the apostles, and especially by the Pope,
who as the successor of the chief of the apostles, Saint
Peter, has the right to make laws for the Universal
Church.
To hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation.
To fast and abstain on the days appointed.
To confess at least once a year.
To receive the Holy Eucharist during the Easter time.
To contribute to the support of our pastors.
To observe the laws of the Church concerning marriage.
(Not to marry persons who are not Catholics, or who
are related to us within three degrees of kindred, nor
privately without witnesses, nor to solemnize marriage
at forbidden times.)-Original text
MINISTRY OF ALTAR SERVERS
Summer Catechism 2014
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LESSON 3: SINS AND VIRTUES
SINS
Guide questions: What do you think about sin? In your
opinion, what makes an action or an emotion sinful?
Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right
conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and
neighbor caused by a stubborn attachment to certain
goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human
harmony. It has been defined as "a word, a deed, or a
desire contrary to the eternal law. (CCC 1849)
GRAVITY OF SINS
Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a
grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from
God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by
preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows
charity to exist, even though it offends and wounds it.
(CCC 1855)
For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together
be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter
and which is also committed with full knowledge and
deliberate consent." (CCC 1857)
One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter,
he does not observe the standard prescribed by the
moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave
matter, but without full knowledge or without complete
consent. (CCC 1862)
HEAVEN AND HELL
Guide question: Having the Christian knowledge on
Heaven and hell, if you are to die, where do you want to
go?
Death puts an end to human life as the time open to
either accepting or rejecting the divine grace
manifested in Christ… (CCC 1021)
Those who die in God's grace and friendship and are
perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like
God for ever, for they "see him as he is," face to face.
(CCC 1023)
In the glory of Heaven, the blessed continue joyfully to
fulfill God's will in relation to other men and to all
creation. Already they reign with Christ; with him "they
shall reign for ever and ever. (CCC 1029)
We cannot be united with God unless we freely choose
to love him. But we cannot love God if we sin gravely
against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves:
"He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's
hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no soul; it is a middle sin, characterized by an absence or
murderer has eternal life abiding in him." Our Lord insufficiency of love.
warns us that we shall be separated from him if we fail
to meet the serious needs of the poor and the little Vainglory- is the inordinate pride in oneself or one's
ones who are his members. To die in mortal sin without achievements; excessive vanity.
repenting and accepting God's merciful love means
remaining separated from him forever by our own free THREE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES
choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from In Catholic theology, it is held that these virtues differ
communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." from the cardinal virtues in that they cannot be
(CCC 1033) obtained by human effort. A person can only receive
them by their being "infused"—through Divine grace—
SEVEN CAPITAL SINS into the person.
Seven Capital Sins Opposite Virtues
Lust- is an intense desire. It is a CHASTITY
general term for desire. Therefore
lust could involve the intense desire
of money, food, fame, power or sex.
Gluttony- is the over-indulgence and TEMPERANCE
over-consumption of anything to the
point of waste.
Greed- is applied to a very excessive CHARITY •FAITH• •HOPE• •LOVE•
or insatiable desire and pursuit of Lack of faith may give place to disbelief (as in atheism
material possessions.
and agnosticism), blasphemy or apostasy.
Sloth- is defined as a failure to do DILIGENCE
Lack of hope may give place to despair or pessimism.
things that one should do. By this
definition, evil exists when good Lack of love may give place to hatred, wrath or
men fail to act. indifference.
Wrath- may be described as PATIENCE
inordinate and uncontrolled feelings FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES
of hatred and anger. Prudence is the ability to judge between actions with
Envy- is similar to jealousy in that KINDNESS regard to appropriate actions at a given time.
they both feel discontent towards
someone's traits, status, abilities, or
rewards. The difference is the Justice also called "fairness," the perpetual and
envious also desire the entity and constant will of rendering to each one his right.
covet it.
Temperance called "restraint," the practice of self-
Pride- It is identified as believing HUMILITY control, abstention, and moderation; tempering the
that one is essentially better than appetition.
others, failing to acknowledge the
accomplishments of others, and
excessive admiration of the personal Courage is the forbearance, strength, endurance, and
self. the ability to confront fear, uncertainty, and
Other sins that may fall on the category of the Seven intimidation.
Capital sins include:

Acedia- described as the uneasiness of the mind, being

a progenitor for lesser sins such as restlessness and
instability. It can also be described as the failure to love