The Holy Spirit and the Life of Grace

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This session focuses on the Holy Spirit.  This is another very deep and complex topic.  For that reason, I strongly suggest that you watch both Symbolon videos in advance of our session.  Here is a link to the Symbolon webpage:

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https://watch.formed.org/symbolon-the-catholic-faith-explained/season:1/videos/the-holy-spirit-the-life-of-grace-god-s-divine-life-within-us

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Here is the handout for this week:      along with a supplemental handout on the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments:  

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Here is a nice primer on the Holy Spirit:

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I also recommend that you watch one more video from Matthew Kelly that will help you understand the personal relationship we have with the Holy Spirit.  Please follow the below link and when you get to the page watch video 8.3 (about 5 minutes):

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https://dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/program-view/session-8

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Terms to Know

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Gifts of the Holy Spirit - The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernatural dispositions or instincts that God gives to help us live as Jesus taught by responding to graces. They are listed in Isaiah 11:2. Jesus possessed these gifts in full. We receive them at Baptism, and they are increased at Confirmation. These are the seven gifts:

 

• Wisdom gives us the ability to contemplate divine mysteries

• Understanding helps us grasp the meaning of the truths of our faith

• Counsel helps us make good judgments and give good advice

• Fortitude (courage) gives us strength to endure trials, especially as we fulfill God’s will

• Knowledge helps us see everything and everyone from God’s point of view

• Piety enables us to regard God as a loving Father and to love him in return

• Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe) keeps us from sin out of respect for God’s majesty

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Fruits of the Spirit -  Jesus pointed out that a good tree bears good fruit (Matthew 7:17). His followers are to be known by the Fruits of the Spirit. These are the visible qualities that result from having a strong relationship with God and living a good Christian life. They are the first fruits of the glory we will have in Heaven. Tradition lists these twelve fruits: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

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Sanctifying Grace  - Sanctifying grace is God’s life within us, which makes us holy. It is permanent unless someone totally rejects God by committing a mortal sin. We first receive sanctifying grace at Baptism as a free gift from God.

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Justification - The process of becoming right with God, or holy. Sinners are justified by faith in Christ and good works. By being justified, we give honor to God and become heirs of Heaven.

 

Sanctification - Sanctification is “the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” It is a continuing change worked by God in us, freeing us from sinful habits and forming in us Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues. It does not mean that sin is instantly eradicated, but it is also more than a counteraction, in which sin is merely restrained or repressed without being progressively destroyed. Sanctification is a real transformation, not just the appearance of one.

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