Confirmation I and II:

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Confirmation I and II:

Confirmation I and II: May 30, 2010: Trinity Sunday – Read the Gospel: Jn 16:12-13

Journal: How did you live out last week’s Gospel message? What was tough? What was rewarding?

I hate driving with people who won’t ask for directions or look at a road map. Aside from running out of gas, there’s nothing I hate more than following a route on a hunch that it’s the right way. This brings us to the second way the Holy Spirit can make a huge difference in our lives. In this week’s Gospel, Jesus promises his Apostles that “the Spirit of truth” will guide them. The same goes for us. The Spirit, in other words, is our road map. Are you willing to follow it? God could’ve sent Jesus as role model and then left the rest to us. But God knows us, loves us, and wants the best for us, so we have guidance whenever we want it. Here are some important tips to remember when you look for that guidance. First, Jesus gave the Spirit to the Apostles as a group, not as individuals. So they found the Spirit’s guidance by praying and talking together. Likewise, we need to connect with other Christians to find the Spirit’s guidance. When you have a problem or need to make a decision, pray and talk with other Christians. Talk with a priest or another spiritual guide when you need direction. Second, the Spirit’s guidance comes through the dead as well as the living. Our Christian community includes heroes who’ve gone before us, from the Apostles to modern-day folks like Mother Teresa. The Spirit guides us through their lives too. So read about them in the Bible, on the Internet, in religion books. Let their lives provide you with part of your road map. Finding God’s directions in your life isn’t always easy. It can be confusing. You’ll make wrong turns and hit some dead ends. I have. But every time I’ve reached for the Holy Spirit’s help, I’ve found direction. And looking back, I’m amazed at the journey. It’s been a great ride, and continues to be so.

Journal: Recall a time when prayer or discussion with other Christians helped you find God’s guidance. What was your situation and how did the Spirit guide you through others? Be specific.

No comments:

Catholic Church Fan Page

The Catholic Church traces its foundation to Jesus and the twelve Apostles. It sees the bishops of the Church as the successors of the apostles and the pope (the bishop of Rome), in particular, as the successor of Peter, the leader of the apostles.

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world's population. The Catholic Church is a communion of the Western Rite (Latin Rite) and 22 autonomous Eastern Catholic Churches (called particular churches), comprising 2,795 dioceses in 2008.

The Church's highest earthly authority in matters of faith, morality and Church governance is the Pope,currently Pope Benedict XVI, who holds supreme authority in the Church in concert with the College of Bishops, of which he is the head. The Catholic community is made up of an ordained ministry and the laity; members of either group may belong to organized religious communities.

The Church defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity. It operates social programs and institutions throughout the world, including schools, universities, hospitals, missions and shelters, as well as organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Internationalis and Catholic Charities that help the poor, families, the elderly and the sick.

Through apostolic succession, the Church believes itself to be the continuation of the Christian community founded by Jesus in his consecration of Saint Peter, a view shared by some historians. It has defined its doctrines through various ecumenical councils, following the example set by the first Apostles in the Council of Jerusalem. On the basis of promises made by Jesus to his apostles, described in the Gospels, the Church believes that it is guided by the Holy Spirit and so protected from falling into doctrinal error.

Catholic beliefs are based on the Bible and on Traditions handed down from the time of the Apostles, which are interpreted by a teaching authority. Those beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed and formally detailed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.Formal Catholic worship, termed the liturgy, is regulated by Church authority. The Eucharist, one of seven Church sacraments and the key part of every Catholic Mass or Eastern Catholic Divine Liturgy, is the center of Catholic worship.

With a history spanning almost two thousand years, the Church is one of the world's oldest institutions and has played a prominent role in the history of Western civilization since at least the 4th century. In the 11th century, a major split (the Great Schism) occurred between Eastern and Western Christianity, largely as a result of disagreements over papal primacy. The Eastern Orthodox churches became a separate entity from the Catholic Church in the resulting schism. Eastern Churches who remained in or later re-established communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, form the Eastern Catholic churches. In the 16th century, partly in response to the Protestant schism, the Church engaged in a substantial process of reform and renewal, known as the Counter-Reformation.

Although the Church maintains that it is the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church" founded by Jesus Christ where one can find the fullness of the means of salvation, it also acknowledges that the Holy Spirit can make use of other Christian communities to bring people to salvation. It believes that it is called by the Holy Spirit to work for unity among all Christians, a movement known as ecumenism.Modern challenges facing the Church include the rise of secularism and opposition to its stances on abortion, euthanasia, and contraception.

Welcome to Resurrection of the Lord - E Komo Mai

Tuesday, June 1, 2010