Confirmation – Session 3

Session 3

We receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit

Note: you will need to set aside 35–40 minutes for this time together.

Prepare

You will need:

  • a small table with a nice cloth covering it—this will be your ‘prayer table’
  • a candle—preferably your child’s baptismal candle
  • a Bible and/or crucifix
  • if possible, a pretend or symbolic gift-wrapped present
  • a journal—something to write in and keep as a memento of this time together
  • a pen or pencil.

Begin

  • We gather our symbols on the prayer table and take a few moments to look at them.
  • We light the candle, and in doing so, we remember that we are in the holy presence of God.
  • We take a moment to be still.
  • We take three deep, quiet breaths.
  • With each quiet breath, you might like to pray in your heart, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, fill my heart with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.’

Share

Today’s session is all about the gifts of the Holy Spirit—God’s precious presents!

It may be fun to share this session with all the children in the household along with the confirmation candidate.

Together, chat for a little while about the following questions:

  • Have you ever received a wrapped gift?
  • What’s the first thing you have to do to receive what’s inside?
  • How does it make you feel to receive a gift?
  • How do you feel when the gift is unwrapped?
  • What’s been your favourite gift so far in your life? Why?

Record your responses to these last two questions in your journal.

When you were baptised, you received an absolutely wonderful gift from God. You received the Holy Spirit. In turn, the Holy Spirit gave you seven spiritual gifts, and your confirmation will help you to unwrap these gifts and activate them. Are you ready?

Listen to God’s word

The gifts of the Spirit

A branch will spring from the stock of Jesse,
a shoot will grow from his roots.
On him will rest the spirit of the Lord,
the spirit of wisdom and insight,
the spirit of counsel and power,
the spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD:
his delight will be in fear of the LORD.

Isaiah 11:1–3

Reflect

There are lots of things we could say about this reading from the prophet Isaiah; much of the language is symbolic. However, for us, the most important aspect of this reading is that it clearly spells out for us what the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit are.

Isaiah is assuring us (and promising us) that if we are willing to accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit, then God will happily give them to us. Our confirmation helps us to fully live our lives, which are strengthened by these gifts.

Explore

Listen again to the reading from the prophet Isaiah and record in your journal the gifts of the Spirit listed in it.

Can you see any similarities between the gifts mentioned in Isaiah and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit depicted below?

Piety (reverence)
Knowledge
Understanding (insight)
Wisdom
Fortitude (courage)
Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe)
Right judgment (counsel)

I wonder

I wonder which of these gifts your parent(s) see in you.

I wonder

I wonder if they can give an example.

I wonder

I wonder which of these gifts you can see in your parent(s).

I wonder

I wonder if you can give an example.

Learn

As Christ was anointed Priest, Prophet, and King, so may you live always as a member of his body, sharing everlasting life.

Rite of Baptism, emphasis added

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit … complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them.

CCC, § 1831

Our Church teaches us that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are the spiritual ‘muscles’ that keep us strong in our belief in God. These gifts are both the ‘food’ and ‘life blood’ that help us to be authentic followers of Jesus.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are what help us to be constant and strong in our desire to do good in our world; to be the face of Jesus to all those we meet.

Connect

The gifts of the Holy Spirit help us to live as Jesus’ disciples, as the people of God.

Additionally, the fruits of the Spirit are signs that the Holy Spirit is alive and active within us. The fruits of the Spirit are the expression of our Christian life—the way we show others we are Christian.

Read what St Paul says to us about the fruits of the Holy Spirit:

On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control.

Galatians 5:22–23

When we unwrap and use the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives, people will experience the fruits of the Spirit that St Paul tells us of.

This activity helps you to match the gifts of the Spirit—and the possible fruit experienced as a result of these gifts—to seven examples from our daily lives.

Each example illustrates one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When you connect each example with its corresponding gift of the Holy Spirit, the dove will reveal the relevant fruits of the Spirit.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I show respect and care for the dignity of all people and of God’s creation.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I can say that I know who I am, what I need to do in the world, what my faith is asking of me and what my Church needs of me.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I realise what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I come to understand God’s plan for me in my life and when I keep using this gift to grow in my faith in God.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I go out into the world and stand up, acting and speaking boldly about who I am and what I believe about God.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I become aware of the beauty and awesome power of God’s creation and the place I have in it.

I exercise this gift of the Holy Spirit when I look at the world and the people in it with the merciful and compassionate eyes of God.

Great work!

Apply

Together, and perhaps with other members of your family over dinner, have a conversation about how you can bring the fruits of the Spirit to ‘life’ in your daily interactions with each other.

In your journal, jot down three or four promises to yourself to bring joy, patience, kindness, self-control or any one of the other fruits of the Spirit to your family and your friends. Which gifts of the Holy Spirit are being expressed here?

For example:

  • I promise to show love to my family by doing jobs around the house without having to be asked to do it. (Piety)
  • I promise to show kindness to the kid at school who doesn’t have many friends. (Understanding)

Pray