Confirmation Class - Year 2 Instructor:

_______________

Instructor Directions
• This document contains the lesson plans and all
assignments and exams for your second year
Confirmation class. You may copy and paste the
sections into word processor documents to create your
handouts, exams, and answer keys. Do not forget to
remove the "correct answer" notation below the exam
questions before giving them to your students!
• Also included in the package are handouts and slide
presentations that are meant to be used as indicated on
the lesson plans.
• Except as otherwise indicated, copyrights to the
materials are reserved by SandPublisher, an imprint of
Sandtouch LC. Subscribers to the SIFT Curriculum
Exchange program may make as many copies of the
materials as needed to teach their respective courses.
You may also modify any of the materials as you see fit
for the purpose of teaching your courses. Please do not
use the materials in a way not authorized by the SIFT
Terms of Use or otherwise resell or incorporate these
materials into other works without authorization from
Sandtouch. We would welcome your permission
requests and feedback via email to
stlc@sandtouch.com. Thank you and God Bless!
The syllabus below is to be handed to your students on
the first day of class. It contains recommended rules for
conducting the class (e.g., assignments and grading). It
assumes the following:
• Bibles will be used during class. Students may borrow
Bibles but must return them.
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church may be used during
class, and it is recommended that students use a copy,
but this is not required. If students do not read from the
CCC, the instructor should do so.
• The plan assumes that no workbook (Sadlier, Blest are
 We, etc.) is used, but you may use one if desired or
required.
• Bibles, but no other books, will be available for use during
exams ("open-Bible exams").
• The whole second semester will be dedicated to morality
(the Ten Commandments), as in the diocese of origin.
• There is an emphasis on simultaneously teaching your
students college-entrance-exam skills such as how to
eliminate answers on multiple choice questions. You may
want to further emphasize this, both to help your college-
bound students and to encourage students who do not
seem interested in the material.
• You should consult the Confirmation curriculum for your
diocese, archdiocese or eparchy to determine if
adjustments should be made to scheduling or content. If
you want or need to change the rules, scheduling, or
content, feel free to adapt them to suit your needs.
 Syllabus

What is this class about?

• God exists, and He loves you. He created the world and
everything in it to be good, including humans.
• But man turned against God, and did his own thing, so sin
and death entered the world. Sin leads to more sin, and
so we were left with a valley of sin separating us from our
original friendship with God.
• But God revealed that this had been His perfect plan all
along: He intended to make a new creation, better than
the first. So God permitted sin to exist, so that we could
be redeemed.
• How could we possibly be redeemed? Nothing we could
do could repay the debt of our sins. So God himself came
down from heaven and became a man, Christ Jesus. To
pay the infinite debt of our sins, He died on a cross. He
rose again, and this was the beginning of the new
creation.
• Jesus has called us to make a new world. Through the
Sacraments, we become members of the Body of Christ
and receive supernatural tools to bring about His new
creation.
• The Sacraments of Christian Initiation are Baptism,
Communion (the Eucharist) and finally Confirmation. You
are one year away from becoming a soldier for Christ.
This class will explain the treasure of your Catholic Faith,
the central mysteries of the faith and how you can be an
instrument of the charity of God.
What is the format?
• We meet every _________ at _________. Each class is about
an hour. There is no class on holidays, during Holy Week
and the Christmas holiday, etc. Please check this syllabus
to see when we don't have class.
• The class is set up like a college class. We discuss the
previous day's assignment, have Bible or workbook
readings, a lecture and a discussion, then hand out the
assignment for next week.
 The first half of the class is "Bible and Doctrine." We will
discuss the central doctrines of Christianity -- the divinity
of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the
Atonement and the Resurrection.
• A. Our readings will be from the Bible and the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
• B.We may use a workbook, in order to supplement the
Bible readings.
• C.We will have discussion questions from this syllabus.
These are not graded.
• The second half of the class is "Sacraments and Morality."
In addition to the Bible readings, you will get handouts or
workbooks on Confirmation and morality and we will do
readings from those. The discussion questions are in the
workbooks/handouts.
• The assignments are not graded, but I do review and
check them.
• Yes, there are exams, usually every 4 weeks. They have 5
or 6 multiple choice questions. There is also a final exam
at the end, which is about 20 questions. You need to get
60% correct on each exam to pass it. If you fail an exam,
you can retake it. Retakes will be scheduled at the end of
class.
How to use this syllabus
• The first part of the class tracks the Nicene Creed. Since
325 AD, it has been the unified statement of faith for all
Christians.
• "CCC" stands for Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a
compilation of everything the Church teaches. We also
track the CCC in our lessons.
• Each class has a theme, which is the lesson you need to
take away from the class. You should read the Bible and
be able to see both the theme and the portion of the
Creed we are discussing in the Bible.
How to read the Bible
• The Bibles we have need to be returned at the end of the
class. If you want to use your own Bible, note that there
are a few readings from the Old Testament books which
Martin Luther (a non-Catholic Christian) removed from the
 Bible, and two places where the King James and New
International Version (non-Catholic Bibles) have changed
things around with regard to Baptism and the Eucharist. If
you do not have a Catholic Bible, then you can borrow the
class Bibles. Please don't lose them!
• Use the table of contents to locate the book you have
been assigned, then find the chapter number. If you do
not understand what is going on, you may wish to flip
back a few chapters.
Note that there are FOUR books named John in the Bible.
• A. The Gospel of John, which is just "John." It is
between Luke and Acts.
• B.The First Letter of John, or "1 John." It is between 2
Peter and 2 John, near the end.
• C.The Second Letter of John, "2 John" which is right
after 1 John.
• D.The Third Letter of John, "3 John" which is right after
2 John and before Jude.
 Session 1: God
Nicene Creed ¶ 1-2 (available at
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/)
• Theme: We can see that God exists and is with us by the
use of our reason, by examining the world He made out
of nothing. (CCC 290-295)
• No readings.
Session 2: The First Creation / Original Sin (part 1)

Nicene Creed ¶ 2-3

• Theme: Creation--all material things--are inherently
good because God made them to be so. Man is made in
the image of God and is therefore good. (CCC 295-301)
• Bible: Gen. chapter 1
Questions
What was the first thing that God created according to
Genesis?
• A. Let there be: Light.
Science tells us that the universe consists of matter and
energy and that matter, energy, and light are equivalent
(E=mc^2). What, then, is the cause of all of the light,
matter and energy in the Universe?
• A. God -- who is the uncreated first cause of the
Universe. This makes Him the cause of everything!
Genesis discusses the process of creation as a series of
"days," of "evenings and mornings." However, God did not
actually divide the night and day, or create the sun and
moon, until the third "day." So, how long is a "day" to God?
• A. As long as He wants it to be. God is not required
to obey the laws of nature which He created although
He usually does. Modern science holds that the world
was created over the course of billions of years,
which is a blink of an eye to God! (see 2 Peter 3:8 and
Psalm 90:4).
What about the Big Bang theory?
• A. The Big Bang was actually discovered by a
Catholic Priest, Msgr. Georges Lemaître. He obviously
saw no problem with it, because the Big Bang was
energy or light and that is exactly what God said that
He created first!
Did God create evil (is there any mention of anything
being evil or bad in Genesis chapter 1?)
• A. No. Man created evil by driving God out of man's
life.
What is the relationship between man and God? How is
man like God, and how is man different than God?
• A. Man is made in the image of God, is blessed by
God, and has been given stewardship over creation.
Man is not equal to God nor is man made to
eventually become equal to God. Man has been
made to serve God and to live in harmony with God.
Session 3: The First Creation / Original Sin (part 2)

• Theme: God loves man, and He gave man free will. But
man chose to put his will above God's, and so, sin and
death entered the world and has been imputed to every
generation. (CCC 302-324)
• Bible: Gen. chapter 3; Psalm 51; 1 Cor 13; 1 John 4
Questions
What does it mean to love someone? Consider what is
written in the Bible and how your parents have loved you.
• A. 1 Cor. 13: Love is patient, kind, not arrogant or
rude -- and it does not insist on your own way.
What does St. Paul say about love and power? What is the
relationship between love and power?
• A. Without love, nothing we can do can gain
anything. Everything we do has to be oriented
towards love, otherwise we accomplish nothing, and
only make things worse.
Why did Adam and Eve choose to go their own way?
• A. They were tempted to do so by the devil. The
devil promised them something that they could never
have, and that the devil had no power to give; but
they gave in to this fantasy.
Have you ever been tempted by someone who was trying
to use you for their own good?
• A. This is a personal question. We are often subject
to temptation as others tell us we must give in in
order to "fit in." Examples of temptations include to
gossip, to use alcohol or drugs, to listen to songs or
watch television that are not wholesome, or to wear
clothes or get tattoos that that glorify evil things.
Someone who is pressuring you to do these things is
not acting out of love.
Why do you think that everyone makes mistakes
sometimes? Consider what is written in Psalm 51. Can
mistakes be forgiven?
• A. It is part of our nature, a result of our original sin
(in sin did my mother conceive me...) However, as the
psalm clearly states, God is always willing to forgive.
Session 4: Christ and the New Creation (Practice Exam)

Nicene Creed ¶ 3-4

• Theme: God knew that man would fall. He chose to
redeem man by becoming man himself--the man Christ
Jesus. God revealed Himself to us in Christ; now we
can see and touch God. (CCC 422-424, 461-469) The next
five days are about Jesus, and one of them is also about
His Mother--for the two are closely connected.
• Bible: Matthew Ch. 11; Gospel of John ch. 1; Hebrews
ch. 1; Jude
Practice Exam
1. Where did evil come from?
• A. God created evil along with the rest of the world.
B.Man turned against God, causing evil to enter into
the world.
• Correct answer
• C.Evil has always existed.
• D.Because God is good, and evil exists, God does not
exist.
2. Is it possible to know that God exists by our senses
and reason alone?
• A. No, we cannot know that God exists.
• B.No; while we cannot know that God exists on our
own, we know that God exists because He has
revealed himself to us.
• C.No, because everything is relative depending on
one's experiences, one cannot come to know God.
D.Yes, we can understand that God exists by reason
alone, though we cannot know anything else about
Him unless He reveals himself to us.
• Correct answer
3. What is love?
• A. To be recognized as popular.
• B.An emotional bond.
C.A relationship that is patient, kind, understanding,
and completely self-sacrificial.
 • Correct answer
• D.A relationship in which people will do whatever the
other person wants.
4. What is temptation?
• A. When I feel like I have to do something that is
against my conscience.
• B.When I feel like treating someone unfairly in order to
get ahead.
• C.When someone tries to get me to do something that
is wrong.
D.All of the above.
• Correct answer.
5. What is the Old Testament?
• A. Records made by archaeologists.
• B.Writings of the Church.
C.God's instructions written down by the Jewish
patriarchs and prophets.
• Correct answer
• D.Sayings of Jesus written down by His disciples.
6. How do we learn to personally know God?
A. By looking to what He has told us in the Sacred
Scriptures and Tradition.
• Correct answer.
• B.Through the natural sciences.
• C.By taking college classes.
• D.By debating with other people until we find the truth.
Questions
Are we able to observe God with our own eyes?
• A. No (John 1:10)
How then are we to know anything about Him?
• A. God must declare Himself to us (John 1:18).
When He reveals himself to us, this is called Divine
Revelation. Divine Revelation is recorded in the Bible
and in Sacred Tradition. We'll talk more about both of
them later.
How did God declare Himself to the fathers of the Jews in
the old times?
• A. Through the prophets and the Jewish patriarchs
(the founders of the nation) such as Abraham and
 Moses. Their writings are recorded in the Old
Testament.
How did God fully reveal Himself to us?
• A. Through His Son Jesus Christ, who gave
authority to His Apostles to teach in His name and to
share the Good News of man's redemption.
Why are there no more prophets?
• A. The Prophets continued until John the Baptist
(Matt. 11:13), but now God has spoken definitely
through His Son Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1). The
deposit of faith has been handed to us once for all,
and there is no further need for prophets (Jude).
Session 5: The Holy Trinity and Divine Revelation (Exam
#1)
Nicene Creed ¶ 8-11
Exam # 1 (to be given at the beginning of class)
1. What is the New Testament?
• A. The new covenant which God has made with
man through Jesus Christ.
• B.The writings of the Apostles, inspired by the Holy
Spirit
C.Both A and B.
• Correct answer
• D.Neither A nor B.
2. Why can we now learn to know God as a human being?
A. Because He has revealed Himself as a person to
us
• Correct answer
• B.Because we made statues of Him
• C.Because we give offerings
• D.Because we have earned His favor
3. Why did God permit original sin?
• A. Because He respects our free will.
• B.Because He intended to sanctify us through His Son,
and this required us to fall first.
C.Both A and B.
• Correct answer
• D.Neither A nor B.
4. How do we know that God exists?
• A. Through reason, including science
• B.Because He has revealed Himself to us
C.Both A and B
• Correct answer
• D.Neither A nor B
5. Who was the last of the prophets?
A. John the Baptist
• Correct answer
• B.Elijah
• C.Jesus
• D.Moses
6. Is God always willing to forgive our sins?
A. Yes, if we are contrite (truly sorry) and want to
change
• Correct answer
• B.It depends on if we are good people
• C.No, sin cannot be forgiven
• D.There is no such thing as sin
• Theme: God is one God in three Persons; God is the
uncreated First Cause, hence, Jesus is not a creature,
but the Son of God, God Himself, and the Creator. The
Trinity is a truth that can only be known through
revelation, not reason. (CCC 232-266)
• Bible: John ch. 14; John ch. 20; Hebrews 10; 2 Cor. 3
Questions
Is Jesus God?
• A. Yes. He is the living Word of God, and has been
one with the Father since before the beginning of
time (John ch. 1). If you have any doubt about that,
put yourself in the shoes of Thomas, who saw the
wounds on the hands of the risen Christ and said:
"My Lord and my God!" (John ch. 20)
Is the Holy Spirit God?
• A. Yes. The Holy Spirit is the Lord (2 Cor. 3). It is the
Holy Spirit who witnesses to us the New Covenant
through Christ Jesus (Heb. ch. 10). In Confirmation
you receive the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and
so we will be talking about Him more later.
How can God be One God if He is Three Persons?
• A. That's a mystery that we can never hope to
completely understand. So here is a question for you:
how water can be water if water is also liquid water,
ice, and water vapor? It doesn't make sense to our
human minds, but it's still true. All of those three
states of matter are still water though they are
completely different in touch, taste, feel, etc.
How did Thomas put the Lord to the test? Is it a good idea
to do this?
• A. Thomas refused to believe that Jesus had risen
until he saw the wounds in the Lord's hands. We
often say or think something like this: "God, if you are
out there, then give me something." This is always a
bad idea, since God knows what we really need and
we don't. We are to do the will of God, and in turn, we
will receive what He promised. (Heb. 10:32-36). We
will talk more about God's promise to us through His
Son, Jesus Christ, over the next few days.
 Session 6: The Blessed Virgin Mary

Nicene Creed ¶ 12
• Theme: Because the man Jesus is God, His Mother is
the Mother of God. To acknowledge the divinity of Jesus,
we must acknowledge the holiness of His Mother, who is
the model for Christian life. (CCC 964-970)
• Handout: Rosary
• Bible: Ps. 136; Isaiah 7; Isaiah 9; Luke 1; Rev. 12
Questions
The prophet Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would come and
govern the world--and that he would be called "Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace." What does this say about Mary?
• A. She is the Queen Mother of the King, her Son
Jesus Christ. Recall the vision of Heaven in
Revelation 12 where Mary is wearing a crown of 12
stars.
Mary's soul magnifies the Lord, who has saved her, and
yet she is also to be called blessed. What does this say
about her role in the Kingdom of God?
• A. She is to be honored alongside her Son (but is
not to be worshipped, being a creature, even though
she is the Mother of the Creator).
Is repetitive prayer, like the Rosary, pleasing to the Lord?
• A. It must be, since Ps. 136 is even more repetitive
than the Rosary, and the Bible was written by God
through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (Some
people attack the Rosary as being repetitive, but
Christ never condemned all repetitious prayer, see
Matt. 6:7 and Matt. 26:44.)
 Session 7: The Incarnation
Nicene Creed ¶ 11-12
• Theme: As He promised (Gen. 3:15), God redeemed us
from our debt of sin. He did so by sending His only Son,
who became a man while still remaining fully God. He
redeemed us in this way to show His love for us. (CCC
457, 461-63)
• Bible: Luke 2; Matthew 3; Mark 5; John 11; 1 John 4.
Remember that John and 1 John are not the same book!
Discussion
Jesus is God and King of Kings, yet he was born in a
humble manger, and the first to hear of Him were poor
shepherds. What does that say about us as we relate to
God?
• A. We are completely unworthy to receive Jesus!
And yet, He came to us anyway--out of self-sacrificial
love.
Jesus was presented in the Temple as an infant. He then
returned to the Temple as a boy and taught the rabbis
(Jewish masters of the Scriptures) how to be closer to
God. How does this relate to our search for knowledge
about God?
• A. Jesus was more informed about God than even
the masters--we know this is because He is God
Himself. But consider that Jesus followed the Jewish
law before He fulfilled and surpassed it. To come
close to God, it is necessary for us to do as He did: to
obey His law and to seek Him out where He dwells
(even as the Son sought out the Father in His House.)
Jesus did a lot of miracles, healed many people and even
raised the dead. Imagine how the people who were
healed, and the families of Lazarus and the little girl felt.
What would you do if God offered to raise YOU from the
dead?
• A. You should respond with love! God has indeed
offered to do this for you, so we are to love God.
 Session 8: The Crucifixion (Practice Exam #2)
Nicene Creed ¶ 15-16
• Bible: Luke 9, Mark 14, John 18-19
• Theme: To pay the debt for our sins, God became man,
suffered and died. He rose again, the first fruits of His
new creation. (CCC 599-605, 618-623)
Discussion Questions
Why did Jesus choose to die? He could have just declared
our forgiveness, after all--why go through the trouble of
becoming man and experiencing the worst parts of
humanity?
• A. The Lord's Passion is both an expression of
God's love for us and a call for us to take up our
cross daily and follow after Him, to conform our lives
to the will of God.
Consider how Christ was treated by the Jews and by
Pilate's men. If the Master was treated this way, how are
his servants (that's us) treated today?
• A. Not very well. But Christ expects us to take up
our cross daily and follow after Him -- regardless of
how the world treats us. When we switch to
discussing morality next semester, we'll look at this
in more detail.
Mary was at the foot of the cross when her Son died. Her
heart was truly pierced by this event (cf. Luke 2:35). How
do we share in the cross of the Lord?
• A. By our baptism, we are joined to the death of the
Lord, and to His Resurrection. We also become a
priestly people able to offer our own sufferings
through Jesus. Our own sufferings fulfill the Lord's
call to imitate Him and to bear our own crosses
(insignificant though they are in comparison with His)
with joy.
Practice Exam #2
1. Why did Jesus tell Peter to put his sword away and not
to resist the Jews and Roman soldiers?
• A. Because He knew that Pilate would acquit him
• B.Because He had taught His disciples to turn the
 other cheek.
• C.Because He knew that He was to die for the life of
the world.
D.Both B and C, but not A.
• Correct answer
2. Which of these prayers is NOT used in the Rosary?
• A. Our Father (Pater Noster)
• B.Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina)
• C.Fatima Prayer
D.Come, Holy Spirit
• Correct answer
3. Which of these is the correct list of the Mysteries of
the Rosary?
A. Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, Glorious
• Correct answer
• B.Joyful, Shining, Passionate, Glorious
• C.Joyful, Witnessing, Sorrowful, Triumphant
• D.Joyful, Cheerful, Passionate, Glorious
4. Many of the Israelites were punished when they
attempted to enter or touch the sanctuary or tabernacle
of God. We are not punished when we do the same in
church. Why?
• A. Because our churches were built by men.
• B.Because what we have in the tabernacle is not as
holy as what they had.
• C.Because our churches are not in Israel.
D.Because Jesus paid for our sins and bridged the gap
between God and man.
• Correct answer
5. Who were the first human beings to hear of God's
promise to send a Redeemer?
A. Adam and Eve
• Correct answer (Gen. 3:15-16)
• B.Abraham and Sarah
• C.Moses's audience
• D.Isaiah's audience
6. Who told Mary that she would bear Jesus as her son?
• A. Michael
B.Gabriel
 • Correct answer
• C.The Holy Spirit
• D.Pontius Pilate
Session 9: The Resurrection and the Ascension (Exam
#2)
Nicene Creed ¶ 17-22
• Bible: Luke 9; John 20; 1 Cor 15, 2 Timothy 2
• Theme: The Resurrection of the Lord is the completion
of His teachings and the center of our faith. His
conquest of death is the principle and source of our own
future resurrection from the dead. (CCC 648-658)
Discussion Questions
1. What does it mean to "die with" Christ? How do we
share in the Lord's suffering and death?
• A. Primarily through our baptism. However, we also
bear our own sufferings in obedience to the Lord's
command to take up our cross daily and follow Him.
2. Does salvation from hell require endurance until the
end of our lives?
• A. It does, as stated in 2 Timothy. However, we are
not in this alone, but have the assistance of God and
the prayers of the saints. Further, our suffering can
also benefit those around us, as Paul said in that
book.
Exam #2
1. Which Persons of the Trinity are fully God?
• A. The Father only
• B.The Father and the Son, but not the Holy Spirit
• C.The Father and the Holy Spirit, but not the Son, who
is man
D.The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
• Correct answer
2. Which of these prophets stated that Jesus would be
the Son of God AND born of a virgin?
A. Isaiah
• Correct answer
• B.Moses
• C.John the Baptist
• D.A and B, but not C.
3. What have we done to deserve salvation through
Jesus Christ?
• A. We have studied all about Him.
• B.Our ancestors were chosen to be saved.
• C.We go to church every Sunday.
D.Nothing -- it is a gift freely given by God.
• Correct answer.
4. Why did Jesus experience agony and pain if He knew
that He was to die for the sins of the world?
A. Because He is both man and God, and so, like all
humans, He felt emotions.
• Correct answer
• B.He was not aware of what would happen to Him.
• C.He thought that He would be released by Pilate.
• D.He thought that Elijah would save Him.
5. What events are celebrated in the Joyful Mysteries of
the Rosary?
HINT: The Joyful Mysteries are chronologically the
first events.
• A. The Passion, Death and Resurrection of the Lord.
B.The Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation,
and Finding of the Lord.
• Correct answer
 • C.The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, the
Coming of the Holy Spirit, and the Assumption and
Coronation of Mary.
• D.The Agony in the Garden, Scourging, Crowning with
Thorns, Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion of
the Lord.
6. What is meant by the "Incarnation?"
A. God became man and was born of the Virgin
Mary.
• Correct answer.
• B.God sent an angel to be born of the Virgin Mary.
• C.God was represented by the man born of the Virgin
Mary.
• D.God sent a prophet to be born of the Virgin Mary.
 Session 10: The Holy Spirit & The Church Today
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds
from the Father and the Son,who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the
prophets.
And one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
• Theme: Christ promised not to leave us alone, but to
send the Holy Spirit. The Spirit acts in our lives and in
the Church. CCC 683-686, 811, 813, 830, 855-836
• Bible: John 14, 1 Tim 3, 1 Cor. 12, Phil. 2
Discussion Questions
According to the Gospel of John, what is the role of the
Holy Spirit?
• A. To continue the teaching of the Lord; to teach us
and to lead us into righteousness.
The Bible promises that the Church will be the pillar and
ground of the living truth. In light of what you know about
the Holy Spirit, what does that mean?
• A. The Holy Spirit guides the Church in truth so that
the Church will not teach error in matters of faith and
morals.
Why are different gifts of the Holy Spirit given to different
people?
• A. Each Christian is a member of the Body of
Christ--which is the Church--and God wills that the
Church be built up by each person doing his or her
part. So that we can do our part, we are each given
different gifts of the Spirit (charisms). Although some
gifts are "higher" than others, each of them (and
each of us) is necessary and ordered by God.
Are individual Christians allowed to disagree with one
another over the teachings of the Lord?
• A. No. The Bible clearly states that the Church is
supposed to be of one mind and one teaching. For
political reasons and because of misunderstandings,
different communities have broken off from the
Church over the years. These divisions are sad and
wrong. We need to work to share the teachings of the
Church in order to foster understanding and unity
among Christians.
 Session 11: Sacraments Part 1: Salvation and the
Sacraments, Baptism
Nicene Creed ¶ 27-30
• Theme: What must we do to share in the resurrection of
Christ? He commanded that we be baptized, have faith
in Him, and keep His commandments. He also set up a
living Church to teach us and to minister to us by
dispensing the Word and Sacraments. CCC 161-162, 774,
1116; then 1222, 1131, 1229-1233, 683-686, 1322
• Bible: 1 Cor. 4; Mark 16; Romans 6; 1 Cor 12; 1 John 5;
Rev. 21-22; 2 Peter 1
Discussion Questions
What is a sacrament?
• A. A sacrament is a sign and instrument through
which the Holy Spirit shares the divine love (grace)
with us. Sacraments are not symbolic, but rather,
they are "efficacious signs" which accomplish what
the Lord has said that they will do. The Bible refers to
the sacraments as "mysteries" because the way they
work is beyond our understanding. (The Eastern
Catholic and Orthodox churches still call them
Mysteries.)
Who administers the sacraments? Does a minister have to
be without sin to administer the sacraments?
• A. As 1 Corinthians says, the ministers of the Lord,
our spiritual fathers, the ministers of the Church (also
called elders, presbyters, and ministers, but today
called priests) are responsible for dispensing the
Mysteries. Notice that St. Paul says that a priest
should be faithful, but that he himself is not justified.
The power of the sacraments does not depend on the
faithfulness of the minister since they draw their
power from Jesus, who established and ordered them
to be performed.
So, how are we saved from eternal damnation?
• A. The Lord said that one who believes and is
baptized will be saved. However, faith alone is not
enough. (James 2:24). We must live out our faith
 through good works as we are moved by the Holy
Spirit.
Why do we have to be joined to Christ's death in order to
be saved? How do we do this?
• A. Baptism joins us to the Body of Christ, which is
the Church--this makes baptism the first Sacrament
of Initiation into the Church. In Baptism we share the
Lord's death so that we will also share in His
resurrection.
Why did God tell us to keep the commandments if He has
already paid the price for our sins? (This is VERY
important and is the cause of a lot of confusion.)
• A. Because we can reject our fellowship with
Christ, and thus lose our salvation, by committing a
deadly sin, called a mortal sin. (see Hebrews 10:25-
31, which explains that "forsak[ing] the assembly"--
skipping Sunday Mass without a just reason--is a
mortal sin). Christ has offered eternal life to those
who endure in HIs love to the end. That means we
must live as He and His Spirit tell us to live. But He is
always willing to forgive if we approach Him
sincerely and want to change.
What is the difference between a sin that is mortal and
one that is only venial?
• A. A mortal sin is one that is committed over grave
matter and with full consent of the will and intent to
do the sin. Mortal sins cut us off completely from the
love of the Lord. The Bible gives partial lists of what
constitutes grave matter in the last two chapters of
Revelation and elsewhere (e.g. fornication, murder,
idolatry, perjury). Mortal sin can also be forgiven, but
only through the Sacrament of Penance or through
perfect contrition, if Penance is not available to us.
The reason why we need the priest's help to get back
to a right relationship with God is that by committing
the mortal sin, we have cut ourselves off from
Christ's sacrifice--"there no longer remains a
sacrifice for [our] sins..." (Hebrews 10:26)
How do we avoid committing sins?
• A. As stated in 1 Peter, we should persevere in good
works. First of all, we should receive the Sacraments
regularly, then we should love our neighbor as
ourselves.
 Session 11: Sacraments Part 2: Eucharist
• Theme: Baptism initiates us in Christian life, but we
must be continuously be nourished by the grace of God.
This is accomplished first and foremost by Holy
Communion, in which Christ is truly present and in
which we receive His Body and Blood. (CCC 1406-13)
• Bible: John 6; Acts 2; 1 Cor. 10 and 11
Discussion Questions
In Acts chapter 2, the Apostles regularly met on the Lord's
Day (Sunday) to pray specific prayers and to break bread.
What is this ritual?
• A. It is the Mass. The Bible does not tell us what
those prayers are, but the Church has maintained
them in the Apostolic Tradition. The Mass has been
celebrated every Sunday since the very beginning of
the Church!
Many non-Catholic Christians say that the Eucharist is not
the Body and Blood of the Lord. How do we know that it
is?
• A. From the Bible in John 6, you know that the Lord
promised to feed His people with His own Body and
Blood, and that when he was questioned about this,
He did not retract or clarify His statement--even
when people started to leave Him! You also know
from 1 Corinthians 10 and 11 that St. Paul told us that
the Eucharist is a sharing in the Body and Blood of
the Lord, and that he warned his congregation that
profaning the Eucharist is the same as profaning the
Body and Blood of the Lord. He would not have issued
this warning if the Eucharist was just a symbol that
had nothing to do with our salvation!
In light of what He said about giving His flesh as true food
and drink for the life of the world, what did Jesus mean
when He said that "the flesh is of no avail" and "it is the
Spirit which gives life?"
• A. When Jesus says "My Flesh," He is referring to
His Body and the sacrifice He has made for the
atonement of our sins. When Jesus says "the flesh,"
 He is referring to humans' carnal, sinful nature. Non-
Catholic Christians sometimes misunderstand this
text and use it to attack the Eucharist. But we know
that is wrong--If the Lord's Flesh was of no avail, His
sacrifice would not have atoned for our sins, and
there would be no point to Christianity.
It is written: "Let a man examine himself" before receiving
Communion. How do we do this?
• A. This is the purpose of the Confeitior prayer ("I
confess, before Almighty God...") that we say at the
beginning of the Mass.
• ---------- First Semester ends here. -----------
Assignment for January: Read Isaiah 11, Galatians 6 and
Acts 2.
 Session 12: Sacraments Part 3: Confirmation
• Theme: The Holy Spirit plays a personal role in YOUR
life, and He will give you His gifts at your confirmation.
CCC 691-701, 1294, 1300-1305.
also CCC 729, 732
• If you would like to go in-depth on the Fruits of the Holy
Spirit, review the Catechism cites in the discussion
questions below.
• Bible: Is. 11; Gal. 6; Acts 2
• If you wish to use a Morality book, distribute it today
Discussion Questions
Let's review: So, what exactly is the Holy Spirit?
• A. The Holy Spirit is God, the third Person of the
Trinity. The Holy Spirit declares and makes known
the other two Persons and their divine will. (See
John 16).The Spirit has done this by inspiring the
prophets and the Bible, by founding the Church and
giving the Apostles authority to teach Sacred
Tradition, by inspiring and interceding in our prayers,
and by giving us charismatic gifts. It is the Spirit that
acts in the sacraments, putting us in communion
with Christ. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to adopt
us; that is, to make us children of the Father through
Christ Jesus. (See CCC 688-90).
What are the Sacraments of Christian Initiation and what
do they do?
• A. Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation.
Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ;
the Eucharist sustains us in grace, and Confirmation
gives us the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit that
began at our baptism.
What do we receive from the Holy Spirit at Confirmation?
A. There are three kinds of gifts that the Holy Spirit
gives:
Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which help us to make wise
decisions about important matters, understand the
meaning of life, advise and help others to do right,
be strong to uphold and do what is right, to know the
teaching of God and our true destiny, to give true
worship and praise to God, and to fear offending God
who is our loving Father. The gifts are
• Wisdom helps us to know God and the highest
good. They are listed in Isaiah 11:1-2.
• Understanding is the gift that helps us to know
what our faith in God means.
• Counsel allows us to choose what is good.
• Courage allows us to be strong in our faith.
It is also called "Fortitude."
• Knowledge is the gift that helps us to be certain
of God's love for us.
• Piety helps us to respect the goodness and power
of of God.
• Reverence is the gift that helps us to act out of
our love for God.
It is also called "awe," "wonder," or "holy Fear"
or "Fear of the Lord."
Fruits of the Holy Spirit, which result when we
exercise the Gifts in our lives. We must cooperate
with the Holy Spirit's guidance to produce these
Fruits. They are listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
• Charity: Charity is true love, the kind of self-
sacrificial love that Christ displayed for us on the
Cross. Without the fruit of charity, we cannot
truly say "I love you" to our families--for those
called to marriage, that means your future spouse
or children. This is why the Church requires you to
be confirmed before you can marry. Without the
Holy Spirit, we cannot bring forth true love, and
without charity we are nothing. (CCC 1826).
• Joy: Joy comes from charity. Joy is true
happiness, the kind of happiness that we deeply
need to be fulfilled. It is completely different from
"pleasure," the bodily satisfaction we get from,
for example, eating. Pleasure is temporary and it
can lead us to do things that are wrong, and it
will never satisfy us. True love brings forth true
happiness. (CCC 1829)
• Peace: Peace does not just mean an absence of
violence, it also means the harmony and unity
between God and man, and between man and his
neighbor, won by the Prince of Peace on the
Cross. (CCC 1829, 2305).
• Patience: The fruit of patience helps us to trust in
God for all of our needs. It means we can
understand that we will obtain all we need
through God. Of course we must also put in our
own efforts, but we understand that we do so with
His help and with the understanding that we must
put aside our own wants when they are not in line
with God's will--and that we will remain with God
even when the world offers an "easy way out."
(CCC 227, 2046).
• Kindness: This means being gentle and
understanding with one another. It is patience as
applied to our neighbors. Consider who God has
been patient with us despite all of our
shortcomings. So must we be to each other, and
this is a fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in us.
(CCC 257, 2346).
• Goodness: Allows us to reflect the nature of God,
Who is the complete Good. We do this through
following God's law written on our hearts. (CCC
1954)
• Generosity: Encourages us to put others first, and
to give of ourselves for their needs as Jesus
taught us. (CCC 1937)
• Gentleness: Restrains our anger and bodily
desires so that we will respect the dignity of
God's creation (CCC 2416)
• Faithfulness: Allows us to entrust ourselves
wholly to God and His promises. (CCC 1064)
• Modesty: Encourages patience and moderation in
loving relationships, and confines sexuality to its
proper place. For example, one will choose
modest clothing that is not revealing. (CCC 2522)
• Self-Control: Restores to our souls the ability to
control our bodies so as to avoid sin (CCC 400,
 1730)
• Chastity: Allows us to bring our sexuality into our
humanity rather than allowing it to control us.
(CCC 2337, 2346).
Charisms, or Charismatic Gifts (CCC 800)
• These are graces of the Holy Spirit that
contribute to the building up of the church.
• Ministers of the Church who are in Holy Orders
(priests, bishops and deacons) have spiritual gifts
by virtue of their office. For example, priests and
bishops can confect the Eucharist and give
absolution of sins by the power of the Holy Spirit,
and the Pope is protected from teaching error in
faith and morals by the Holy Spirit.
• Everyone can have charismatic gifts. These
include healing, teaching, speaking and
interpreting tongues, leadership, teaching,
stewardship, and more. (For biblical lists of
charismata, see 1 Cor. 11, Rom. 12 and Eph. 4).
Some charismata are extraordinary, but most of
these gifts are humble and often go unnoticed. All
charismatic gifts must be discerned to determine
that they are genuine. The proper authority to
make these determinations is the bishop or a
designated priest.
How do we know that we are producing the Gifts of the
Holy Spirit in our lives?
• A. Our personality changes for the better. The Holy
Spirit produces marks in our lives as we change to be
more like Christ. (See Rom. 12:9-20). We will know
that we are producing these Fruits in our lives when
we are more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind,
good, generous, gentle, faithful, modest, self-
controlled, chaste, and pure. The Gifts and the Fruits
help to perfect the three Theological Virtues in our
lives: Faith, Hope, and Love (or Charity). The greatest
of these is Love. (1 Cor. 13:13)
Session 13: Morality part 1 (Practice Exam #3)
• Bible: Ex. 19, Matt. 5
Discussion Questions
What does it mean to be happy?
• A. Society says that happiness and pleasure are the
same things, but this is wrong. Pleasure is not evil
but becomes evil when sought for its own sake.
Morality has to be part of the equation--and so does
God.
How do we know that morality is necessary to be happy?
A. This is not just a "Catholic" or "Judeo-Christian"
position. Since the beginning of civilization,
scientists, theologians and philosophers have all
found that morality is necessary to achieve
happiness. Consider:
• Philosophy. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle
reduced all human needs to the pursuit of happiness
and stated that ethical character was necessary to
achieve happiness.
• Government. The United States Declaration of
Independence states: "We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, and are
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness." This country's founding document
states that divinely-ordered morality is necessary to
achieve happiness.
• Psychology. Abraham Maslow proposed that humans
achieve happiness by pursuing a hierarchy of needs--
first humans satisfy basic bodily needs, then safety
needs, then belonging, esteem, and finally "self-
actualization." A component of self-actualization is
morality. According to the founders of the United
States (and the Catholic Church), morality comes
from God, and so--even under Maslow's model--"self-
actualization" cannot actually be achieved without
reference to God.
Why can't the world make us truly happy?
• A. Because worldly things pass away. Money is
wasted, stolen, or diminished by inflation or
depreciation; cars get old and break down; houses
get creaky and fall apart; food is eaten once, then it
goes to your waist and coronary arteries... and so on.
 We often want all of these things for the sake of
having them and not for serving our family,
community or God. That is human nature, but it will
never make us happy and is wrong. But with help
from the Holy Spirit, we can become better stewards
for God's kingdom, which will make us truly happy.
So how can we become happy?
• A. There is a God-shaped hole in our hearts. He
created us that way. We need to be close to (in
communion with) God in order to be complete and to
have true happiness. This union will ultimately let us
see God face to face in Heaven and enjoy His perfect
knowledge and perspective. This union is called the
Beatific Vision (which means "beautiful" or
"blessed"). This is our eventual, final goal in life and
it must be our priority!
How can we draw closer to God?
• A. Remember at the beginning of the class, when
we discussed the issue of whether God exists? We
know that He does, but in order for us to learn more
about Him, communicate with Him and grow closer
to Him, He has to take the initiative. He does so by
forming covenants with man, like he did with the
Israelites and as he does with the whole world
through the New Covenant. Next time you go to Mass,
listen to what the priest says about covenants at
each Eucharist.
What does morality have to do with covenants?
• A. A covenant is a contract. There are requirements
(morality) that go along with the benefits of the
covenant (union with God). Our special covenant
relationship means that we (like the Jews) have an
insight into what pleases God which non-Christians
lack.
Do non-Christians/non-Jews have to be moral, then?
• A. Yes. Even though they do not have a covenant
relationship with God, even they should know from
the things that God has created that certain things
are good and bad. Every society, Christian or not,
knows that murder and stealing is wrong, that
marriage and the family are good, and so on. That
these understandings have developed in EVERY
culture is not an accident! God "wired" us to be
moral creatures.
 Session 14: Catchup Day (Exam #3)
Exam #3
Which of the following statements about Purgatory is NOT
true?
A. Purgatory is a "second chance" for people who
did not merit heaven.
• Correct answer (because it's NOT true)
• B.Purgatory is temporary; everyone who is there will
eventually go to heaven.
• C.The purpose of purgatory is to remove our
attachments to worldly things so that we will be
worthy to see God face-to-face.
• D.Purgatory is referred to in the Bible, although not by
that name.
What is the purpose of the Eucharist?
• A. To present the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary to
the Father.
• B.To provide us with spiritual nourishment so that we
will be more like Christ and less like the world.
• C.To express and strengthen the unity of all Christians.
D.All of the above.
• Correct answer.
Which of these is the correct list of the Sacraments of
Christian Initiation?
A. Baptism, Communion and Confirmation
• Correct answer
• B.Baptism, Communion and Holy Orders
• C.Baptism, Communion and Confession
• D.Baptism, Confirmation and Confession
What is the difference between a venial sin and a mortal
sin?
• A. A mortal sin involves grave matter and is
committed with full knowledge and intent.
• B.A mortal sin cuts us off completely from God; a venial
sin only weakens our connection to Him.
• C.Only venial sins can be forgiven.
D.A and B, but not C.
• Correct answer.
 So, what is so special about the Catholic Church?
• A. The Church teaches everything that the Lord
taught to the Apostles.
• B.According to the Bible, the Church is protected by the
Holy Spirit from teaching error in matters of faith and
morals.
• C.She is the original Church. All of the other Christian
communities are offshoots of the Catholic Church.
D.All of the above.
• Correct answer.
Which of the following statements about Confirmation is
true?
• A. Confirmation strengthens the outpouring of
God's grace that we received at our baptism.
• B.Confirmation increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in
us.
• C.Confirmation is necessary for salvation.
D.A and B, but not C.
• Correct answer.
• Discussion Questions: We will discuss the questions
from Practice Exam #3, reviewing the first semester.
 Session 15: Morality part 2: Sin
Discussion Questions
What is sin?
• A. Any act or failure to act that goes against the
will of God. Remember that God created the world to
be good, and that he commanded everyone to treat
one another as they would like to be treated. When
we sin we miss the mark--we fail to treat other
people as we want to be treated, or we fail to treat
God or what He created with the respect that we
should.
What's so wrong with sin, anyway?
• A. Sin damages our relationship with God. But
that's not all. Sin also hurts other people besides the
sinner. Sin takes freedom away. We often get
decieved into thinking that sin and freedom are the
same thing. That's a terrible lie and that is one
reason there is so much crime today. (Consider drug
abuse and how it causes addiction and isolation.)
Why are we driven to sin?
• A. Because of the first sin committed by Adam ad
Eve, humans lost their unity with God. Now, humans
are born disconnected from God and with a tendency
towards sin called concupisence. Baptism restores
that connection but the concupisence remains
because we have free will.
Why is there evil in the world?
• A. It is also consequence of the original sin
committed by Adam and Eve. Their sin upset the
balance of the world. Now evil is all around us, from
temptation to natural disasters.
How do we recover from and avoid sin?
A. We can't do this alone. We need help from God.
This help is called grace, a sharing in the divine life
of God. There are several means of grace which
restore our life:
• The Sacraments, first of all Baptism and the
Eucharist. Christ has promised to give us life
through them.
• Prayer. God told us He would give us what we asked
for in faith. Prayer is how we ask for grace and our
"daily bread," what we need to live. There are
devotional tools called sacramentals, such as
Rosary beads, scapulars, crucifixes, etc. These
devices do not have any power to give grace by
themselves, but they encourage us to pray and help
us to share in the fruits of the prayer of the Church.
 Session 16: Morality part 3
Discussion Questions
What is freedom?
• A. Freedom is the ability to do what is right, the will
of God.
Isn't freedom the power to do whatever I want?
• A. We should want what God wants for our lives.
God knows what we need--better than we do. If we
take our freedom and then use it to do things that are
against God's will (that is, sin), that is an abuse of
our freedom, and we and the world suffer for it.
How do I know God's will for my life?
• A. A well-formed conscience will help us avoid
doing what is against the will of God. We form our
conscience with help from God, our parents, and the
Church.
What should I do with my freedom?
• A. We should love God. He loved us enough to
create us and bless us with everything we have.
Because He loves us we should love him back, and
share this love with the whole world. That is the
essence of the Christian life.
What is friendship? What do you like to do with your
friends?
• A. Friendship is about trust. No matter what we like
to do with our friends, we talk to them.
How do we make friends with God?
• A. Surely we need to talk to Him and spend time
with Him! We talk to Him through prayer and spend
time with Him through the Eucharist and
contemplation.
How do we connect with God through the Eucharist?
• A. Obviously by participating in the Mass, but there
is more. Have you ever attended Eucharistic
adoration?
How do we connect with God through contemplation?
• A. To contemplate means to think of someone or
something. When we speak of contemplating God we
mean that we block out time to devote our thoughts
to God. This can be done anywhere. And there are
many ways: reading the Bible or other spiritual
books, or just spending time in silence. Have you
considered dedicating some time in your schedule to
contemplate God, or going on a retreat, or dedicating
time to Scripture or other spiritual reading?
 Session 17: Morality part 4 (Practice Exam #4)
Practice Exam #4
• Fill in the following blanks in this prayer.
• Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy ___(1)___.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our ____(2)____
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we ___(3)___ those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into ___(4)____
but deliver us from evil. Amen.
1. Which word goes in spot 1?
• A. Faith
• B.Word
• C.Justice
D.Name
• Correct
2. Which word(s) goes in spot 2?
• A. Just wage
• B.Needs
C.Daily bread
• Correct
• D.Weekly Mass
3. Which word goes in spot 3?
• A. Judge
• B.Love
C.Forgive
• Correct
• D.Cow
4. Which word goes in spot 4?
• A. Suffering
B.Temptation
• Correct
• C.Sorrow
• D.Joy
5. When is it right to listen to your conscience?
• A. If your conscience has been well formed.
• B.If you are being told to do something that your
conscience tells you is wrong.
• C.When there is something that the Church teaches
that I don't agree with, I should go with my
conscience.
D.A and B, but not C.
• Correct
6. How do we get to know God better?
A. By spending time in prayer, adoration, or
contemplation.
• Correct
• B.By talking to others.
• C.By listening to music.
• D.By doing well in school and earning lots of money.
Discussion Questions
In the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), what do we ask of God?
• A. We ask Him to give us our daily needs (family,
friends, food, shelter...), to forgive us for our sins and
to help us to forgive others, and to protect us from
evil.
Will we be forgiven if we don't forgive those who do us
wrong?
• A. No. The Bible is clear on this point (Mt 18). It may
seem impossible to forgive our enemies, but
forgiveness is ultimately from God and He will help
us to forgive through His grace.
What else do we do when praying the Lord's Prayer?
• A. We give honor to God by designating His name as
sacred and asking that His will be done In our lives
and throughout heaven and Earth.
In the Hail Mary ( Luke 1:28, 1:42, and 1:43; see also Luke
1:48, and 1 Tim. 2:1-4), what are we saying to Mary?
• A. We are asking her to pray for us to the Father
through her Son. (This is called an intercession.) We
are also calling her blessed as Scripture commands
us to do.
Why would we want someone else to pray to the Father for
us? Shouldn't we just ask Jesus to pray for us?
• A. Jesus is the only mediator between man and God
(see 1 Timothy 2:5) but that doesn't mean we shouldn't
ask other people to pray for us. He permits and
commands us to do so. As you saw, the Bible
requires us to pray for one another. We can benefit
from the prayers of other people because the prayer
of a righteous person is great in its effects. (James
5:16) Christ shares His mediation through His saints,
as we see at His throne in Heaven (Revelation 5:8 ).
We are not supposed to go it alone. Even the apostles
asked their followers to pray for them. (Col. 4:3, 1
Thes. 5:25, 2 Thes. 3:1, Heb. 13:18).
 Session 18: Information about Lent
Please review your handout for more information about the
Lenten season.
On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday: "Fasting is
obligatory for all who have completed their 18th year
and have not yet reached their 60th year. Fasting allows
a person to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may be
taken, not to equal one full meal. Abstinence (from
meat) is obligatory for all who have reached their 14th
year. "
• One full meal, two smaller meals. The two smaller meals
should not add up to the one full meal.
• No snacking between meals. Liquids are allowed between
meals, though. For example, you can drink milk, but not
milkshakes.
• No meat. Meat includes chicken, but not fish.
On other Fridays during Lent: "Fridays in Lent are
obligatory days of complete abstinence (from meat) for
all who have completed their 14th year." Unlike on
AW/GF there is no limit on the amount of food you can
eat.
• No meat. Meat includes chicken, but not fish.
• Accidental Lenten fumbles do not need to be confessed.
If you knew you were breaking the fast by eating that
burger, though, you should go to confession.
• If your health would be affected (e.g. you are diabetic,
allergic to fish, etc.) then you do not have to observe
the Lenten fast, but your must ask your pastor if there is
another penance that you could do instead.
• Session 19: Morality part 5 (Ten Commandments
Presentation #1)
• Session 20: Morality part 6 (Ten Commandments
Presentation #2)
 Session 21: Discipleship
• Theme: Jesus has called YOU to be a disciple for Him.
What does this mean? How will you respond? (CCC 541,
787, 730, 425, 1816, 618, 243, 725)
• Matt. 28:18-20
 Session 22: Review part 1 - Bible and Doctrine
The following is a "cheat sheet" for the Bible & Doctrine
portion of the class (1st semester) except for the
Sacraments, which we'll cover tomorrow (see below).
God and Creation
How do we know that God exists?
A. From creation and from what He has revealed to
us.
• Science states that every effect has a cause, even
the first effect in time (i.e. the Big Bang). The cause
of that effect must be outside of time, and only God
is outside of time; therefore God exists.
Creation is covered with the fingerprints of God. The
world and everything in it has been carefully
designed by God, using the forces of nature that He
created.
• This includes evolution--you can believe in both
evolution and creation, so long as we understand
that the human soul was uniquely created by God
and did not evolve from anything.
Revelation means the information that God has
given to us about Him. Science and creation tell us
that God exists, but for us to know more about God,
He must reveal Himself to us. Revelation consists of
two parts:
• Sacred Scripture, also called the Bible, which are
those parts of revelation which were written
down under the inspiration of God. The Bible
consists of the Old and New Testaments.
• Sacred Tradition, which are those parts of
revelation other than Sacred Scripture. Not
everything that Jesus taught was written down in
the Bible, and this is clear from the Bible itself
(see, for example, John 20:30 and 2 Thessalonians
2:15). Nothing in the Sacred Tradition contradicts
the Bible, but the two stand together as sources
of truth.
How do we know that God is good? Why does evil exist?
A. From the first chapter of Genesis we see that
 everything that God created was good. From the third
chapter, we learn that it was man who caused evil to
enter into the world.
• The first sin committed by Adam and Eve is called
the "Original Sin." Originally, we were united with
God, but this sin caused our relationship to Him to
break down. Further, it changed the world by
introducing death and evil into creation.
• God did not prevent the first sin from being
committed because He created man to have free
will, which He would have to take away to prevent
sin. This would be more evil than allowing man to
sin. Further, God intended to redeem man from his
sin through Christ and so His plan was to put us in a
better place than we were before.
God created everything that exists, but He did not create
evil. How can this be?
A. Evil does not exist. Evil simply means the
absence of good. By sinning, man and demons
tamper with creation and drive away what is good.
Once there is no good, there is evil--not before.
• Ask any physicist if cold exists. If they are worth
their Ph.D. they will tell you that cold does not exist--
it is the absence of heat. Darkness does not exist
either; it is the absence of light. Evil is the absence
of good--same concept.
The Bible and the Covenants
How can we regain our relationship with God?
• A. First, God must reveal Himself to us. He does
this through revelation (see above). Above all, He
forms covenants with man. A covenant is a special,
personal relationship that goes beyond a simple
contract. Marriage is an example of a covenant. In
marriage, the husband and wife give themselves to
each other completely.
What kind of covenants has God made with man?
A. First, there was the Old Covenant between God
and one nation, Israel. Then, God made a New
Covenant with the whole world. Both covenants ask
the people to follow God's commands in order to
 obtain the forgiveness of their sins, and so to regain
their companionship with God. The New Covenant did
not replace the Old Covenant, but rather fulfilled it,
making it complete.
• (Another word for covenant is testament. That is
why the Bible consists of two testaments.)
How are sins forgiven?
• A. In both covenants, sins were forgiven through
sacrifice. In the Old Covenant, the Israelites
sacrificed animals, grains, incense, and other
created things to God in order to atone (make up) for
their sins. However, Israel continued to sin (just like
the rest of us) and their sins far outweighed the value
of their sacrifices. God then decided to provide the
perfect sacrifice to take away all sin--Himself.
 Session 23: Review part 2 - Sacraments
• In this session, review the materials for sessions 10-12
with special emphasis on the Gifts and Fruits of the
Holy Spirit.
 Session 24: Final Exam
Final Exam
• This exam is OPEN BIBLE. You may use the Bible (and only
the Bible) to help you answer some of the questions.
Beware of the 1-hour time limit; you do not have time to
look up every cite to the Bible. Remember to answer easy
questions first; if a question seems hard and you cannot
eliminate all of the answer choices, skip it and move on to
an easier question, then come back later if you have time
to answer the hard questions.
• PART I. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
CATHOLIC FAITH
• Congratulations! You have been accepted to your dream
college. You've just finished unpacking and furnishing your
dorm. Now it's time for dinner. You head to the student
union, but have a random encounter along the way...
1. Fundamentalist Cowboy walks up to you, recognizes
that you are a Catholic, and tells you: "Don't you realize
that Christ's work was finished on the Cross, and that
your precious 'sacraments' are idolatry?" You respond:
• A. Not everyone who calls Jesus their Lord will go
to heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
• B.According to the Bible, Baptism washes away sins
(Acts 22:16) and is necessary to enter the kingdom of
heaven (John 3:5, 1 Peter 3:21). It's so important that
Jesus commanded it to be done. (Matt. 28:19) He
wouldn't have made that command if He didn't expect
us to live up to our part of His work.
• C.You're right, all I have to do is confess with my lips
that Jesus is Lord. (Rom. 10:9) There is nothing that I
can do to merit salvation, even if the Lord has told
me to do it. (Isa. 64:6)
D.Both A and B, but not C.
• Correct answer.
2. Cowboy is not too pleased with your defense of the
Faith and quickly changes the subject. "Well, you're still
an idol-worshipper," he says, "because you call Mary the
'Mother of God.' Don't you realize that she is only the
mother of the man Jesus?" You respond:
• A. Jesus is more than a man. JESUS IS LORD and
GOD. (John 1; 20:28) It is because of His Divinity that
His sacrifice on the Cross paid for our sins. (Heb. 1).
No one who calls Jesus just a "man" is a Christian.
• B.Mary is the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Luke
1:43)
• C.Mary is the woman of Revelation chapter 12, who
gave birth to a King who is to rule all the nations for
all eternity.
D.All of the above.
• Correct answer.
3. Cowboy turns red as a cherry, gets out his fancy Bible
(and reads it for the first time), and turns to Matthew 6:7:
"And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the
[pagan] Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard
for their many words." He then calls you a pagan because
you pray the Rosary. He points to the beads in your hands
and calls you an idol worshipper again. You respond:
• A. Jesus did not condemn repetitious prayer--He
condemned empty pagan prayer. If He was
condemning all repetitious prayer, he would not have
allowed the Holy Spirit to write Psalm 136 or for the
angels in Heaven to pray the Sanctus repetitively
(Isaiah 6:3, Rev. 4:8). Not to mention His own
repetitious prayer during the agony in the garden
(John 17).
• B.God permits holy objects to be used in His worship,
such as holy water (Num. 5:17), statues (Num. 21:9, 1
Kings 6:29), Elisha's bones (2 Kgs. 13:20-21), Paul's
handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12) and Jesus's cloak (Matt.
9:20-22). Why not the Rosary?
• C.The First Commandment doesn't forbid idolatry
anyway, so what's your point?
D.A and B, but not C.
• Correct answer. "Thou shall not have strange gods"
clearly does forbid idolatry and the making of idols,
but not the making of religious statues (or other
statues), which was done with God's approval all
throughout the Bible.
4. Cowboy blows steam out of his ears and yells at you,
telling you that the Bible is the "Word of God" and the only
rule of faith for Christians. He further accuses the
Catholic Church of adding to/removing from the "Word of
God" (Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19). You respond:
• A. Nowhere in the Bible does the Bible claim to be
the "Word of God." It is the Church that declared the
Bible to be the Written Word of God. The Bible says
that Jesus is the Word of God (John ch. 1), and Jesus
gave the Apostles authority to speak for Him (Luke
10:16). It was the successors of the Apostles—the
Catholic bishops—who determined what biblical
books were the written Word of God. That's OUR
Bible, give it back!
• B.Nowhere in the Bible does the Bible claim to be the
sole rule of faith. Although all Scripture is inspired by
God (2 Tim. 3:16), the Bible does not say that ONLY
Scripture is inspired by God or even WHAT Scripture
is so inspired. St. Paul commands us to hold to the
teachings of the Apostles, whether or not those
teachings were written down as Scripture (2 Thes.
2:15). The Bible actually teaches the opposite of
what you say, Mr. Cowboy. Your reign of terror is over.
• C.The Church has never added or removed anything
from the Bible. It was Martin Luther who removed the
deuterocanonical books from the Bible.
D.All of the above.
• Correct answer.
5. Cowboy is thoroughly confused. He calls Commie
Atheist to his defense. Commie says: "I can prove that this
Bible over which you are arguing is a hoax. The Bible is
full of contradictions. The same God that you worship as
the Prince of Peace was responsible for wars and a lot of
death." He borrows Cowboy's Bible and points out the
Hebrew conquest of the Caananite people (Judges ch. 1).
You respond:
• A. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The
sins of the Canaanites included sacrificing their own
children to false gods (Deut. 12:29-31). God chose to
execute His judgment through the Israelites in order
 to prevent the Caananites from committing further
crimes against humanity. So there is no
contradiction.
• B.Because Jesus has atoned for our sins, God no longer
punishes people outright, but gives them a chance to
repent of their sins and be reconciled to God and
their neighbor through Jesus Christ. Thus, instead of
condemning, we must now forgive. (Matthew 5:44).
War is justified only as a last resort. So there is no
contradiction.
• C.God has provided that justice is to be given out on an
"eye for an eye" basis. (Lev. 24:19–21, Exodus 21:22–
25, Deut. 19:21). This is still true today. Therefore,
there is no contradiction.
D.Both A and B, but not C.
• Correct answer. Answer (C) might have been correct
under the then-effective Divine Law, but the "lex
talonis" has been superseded by the New Covenant
and Jesus's command to love one another.
6. Commie laughs at you, then resorts to "science" in
order to "educate" you. He tries to convince you that the
Universe came from a singularity (the Big Bang) and that,
since time began with the Big Bang, nothing could have
come before it, therefore nothing could have caused it,
therefore God does not exist. You respond:
• A. God created the universe in seven 24-hour days,
therefore, time began at the beginning of the first
day.
• B.Even if you are right, the scientific method is built on
causality. The Big Bang, and even time itself--like all
other physically observable events--must have a
cause. That cause is God. And oh, by the way, the
man who discovered the Big Bang was a Catholic
priest, Msgr. Georges Lemaître.
• C.Even if you are right, the scientific method is built on
causality and something that does not have a cause--
namely, God--cannot be disproven by science.
D.Both B and C, but not A.
• Correct answer
7. Cowboy (finally) realizes that Commie is a communist
atheist, and the two get into an argument. You slip away
and enter the student union, where a group of students is
gathered around a lady who is choking. You do not know
the Heimlich maneuver, and someone has already called
911. The lady is wearing a cross necklace. There is no
priest available, but there is a glass of water on the table
next to the lady. Now what?
• A. Baptize her with this formula: "If you are not
already baptized, I baptize you in the Name of Jesus
the Lord." Then pour the whole glass on her.
B.Baptize her with this formula: "If you are not already
baptized, I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Don't forget to
pour some water over her head at each Name.
• Correct answer.
• C.Baptize her with this formula: "I baptize you in the
names of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit." Don't
forget to pour some water over her head at each
Name.
• D.Do nothing.
8. Thankfully, the police show up and an officer is able to
clear the victim's throat. Now able to breathe easy, she
thanks you and is escorted to an ambulance. You finally
get into the cafeteria line. Since you have decided to
enroll early, it is a Friday in Lent. You are not sick or
anything, just hungry. But there is no fish being served:
only moo-cow, bawk-bawk, and pasta with meat sauce.
How will you satisfy your appetite and why?
• A. Eat what they offer you without complaint.
• B.Fasting is a good and righteous thing. (Matthew 6:16)
Eat the chicken and be done with it.
C.Fasting is a good and righteous thing. (Matthew 6:16)
Eat the pasta but hold the sauce.
• Correct answer
• D.Fasting is a good and righteous thing. (Matthew 6:16)
There's nothing you can eat, so go hungry.
You sit down with a group of students. One of them is
fumbling with her Rosary beads. She wants to know which
mysteries are proper for Friday. So, which are they?
• A. Luminous
 B.Sorrowful
• Correct answer
• C.Joyful
• D.Glorious
Another student notices the girl with the Rosary beads.
He sighs and says, "Why don't you Catholic people just
accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?" You
respond:
• A. Salvation is not by faith alone. (James 2:24)
Merely acknowledging Jesus as Lord is not sufficient
for salvation. (Matt. 7:21)
• B.Uh, have you ever heard of the Nicene Creed? We
accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior at every Mass.
• C.He who believes, is baptized (Mark 16:16) and
perseveres in good works according to God's grace
will be saved. (James 2:24)
D.All of the above.
• Correct answer.
After the student leaves in disgust, the girl explains that
she is actually a Methodist but is interested in becoming
a Catholic. She tells you that John Wesley, the founder of
Methodism, taught that God sanctifies people in part
through the good works that they perform. She wants to
know if the Catholic Church also teaches this. Well?
• A. No. The Church teaches that the merits of Jesus
are imputed to us because of our faith, so we do not
have to do good works.
• B.Yes, but the good works are not our works. The action
of the Holy Spirit given at Baptism makes people new
creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17), and we are
expected to cooperate with God by allowing God to
perform good works through us. (1 Peter 2:5)
• C.Yes. In fact, it is not enough to simply call Jesus our
Lord, since God will judge us on the basis of our
works. (Matthew 7:21)
D.B and C, but not A.
• Correct answer.
The girl has some questions for you about the Eucharist.
She wants to know if the Eucharist is different from the
 "Breaking of Bread" referred to in Acts, and the "Lord's
Supper" mentioned in 1st Corinthians. What do you think?
• A. "Eucharist" literally means "breaking of bread" in
Greek.
• B."Eucharist" literally means "thanksgiving" in Greek.
• C.The Eucharist is the Lord's Supper.
D.B and C, but not A.
• Correct answer.
The girl is not comfortable with the Catholic Church's
description of the Mass as a sacrifice. She says that the
final sacrifice was performed by Christ at Calvary. That's
true, but...
• A. Through the Mass, Christ makes His perfect
sacrifice present throughout time so that we,
together with all Christians--past, present and
future--can share in the Body and Blood of the Lord.
(1 Cor. 10:16)
• B.Malachi (1:11) prophesied that a "perfect offering"
would be made by all nations, by all times, and in all
places. Calvary only occurred in one place, at one
time. When Jesus said, "This is My Body," He meant
what He said--He made His Body present to us under
the form of bread so that we can offer Calvary to the
Father.
C.Both A and B.
• Correct answer.
• D.Neither A nor B.
•
PART II. THE SACRAMENTS
You explain to the girl that Christ established a Church to
continue His earthly ministry of reconciliation after He
ascended into heaven. That ministry of reconciliation is
accomplished by preaching the Gospel, but also by
certain rites which are called:
• A. Ordinances
• B.Canons
C.Sacraments (or Mysteries)
• Correct
• D.Missals
Which of these is the BEST description of a sacrament?
• A. A symbolic ritual that reminds us of something
that Jesus did for us
• B.An efficacious sign established by Jesus to be done
in the Church by His name, so that He can heal them
with His grace
• C.A means by which people can receive God's grace
and presence in their lives
D.B and C, but not A
• Correct answer
You start to tell the girl about the church of your
childhood. You remember that there are stained glass
windows in the church that depict the Seven Sacraments.
Each window represents only ONE Sacrament. Which
Sacrament does this window represent?

• A. Eucharist
• B.Confirmation
C.Baptism
• correct answer
• D.Sea World
Which Sacrament does this window represent?

A. Matrimony
• Correct
• B.Confirmation
• C.Baptism
• D.Penance
Which Sacrament does this window represent?

• A. Baptism
• B.Confirmation
C.Holy Orders
• Correct
• D.Matrimony
Which Sacrament does this window represent? (PLEASE
don't get this one wrong!)

A. Confirmation
 • Correct
• B.Anointing of the Sick
• C.Matrimony
• D.Penance
Which Sacrament does this window represent?

• A. Penance
• B.Baptism
C.Eucharist
• Correct
• D.Anointing of the Sick
Which Sacrament does this window represent? Hint: It is
one of two sacraments that require anointing with oil.

A. Anointing of the Sick

• Correct answer
• B.Eucharist
• C.Penance
• D.Matrimony
Which Sacrament does this window represent? (This one
is hard, but if you have eliminated all of the others, you
know which one this has to be.)

A. Penance (Confession)
• Correct
• B.Baptism
• C.Eucharist
• D.Confirmation
Which Sacraments are necessary for salvation (entry into
Heaven)?
• A. Baptism, if it is available, because Jesus said:
"Unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you
shall not enter the Kingdom of God."
• B.Eucharist, if it is available, because Jesus said:
"Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you
shall not have life within you."
• C.Confirmation
D.A and B but not C.
• Correct
•
PART III. THE GIFTS AND FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Gifts are listed in Isaiah 11:1-2. The Fruits are
listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
What is the Gift of Wisdom?
A. It helps us to know God and the highest good.
• Correct answer
• B.It is the gift that helps us to know what our faith in
God means.
• C.It allows us to choose what is good.
• D.It allows us to be strong in our faith.
What is the Gift of Courage?
• A. It is the gift that helps us to be certain of God's
love for us.
B.It allows us to be strong in our faith.
• Correct answer
• C.It is the gift that helps us to act out of our love for
God.
• D.It helps us to respect the goodness and power of of
God.
What is the Gift of Understanding?
• A. It allows us to choose what is good.
• B.It allows us to be strong in our faith.
C.It is the gift that helps us to know what our faith in
God means.
• Correct answer
• D.It helps us to respect the goodness and power of of
God.
What is the Gift of Piety?
• A. It allows us to choose what is good.
• B.It allows us to be strong in our faith.
• C.It is the gift that helps us to be certain of God's love
for us.
D.It helps us to respect the goodness and power of of
God.
• Correct answer
The first group of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are:
A. charity, joy, peace
• Correct answer
• B.fortune, justice, understanding
• C.truth, fairness, pacifism
• D.plurality, diversity
The next group of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are:
• A. helpfulness, thriftiness
B.patience, kindness, goodness
• Correct answer
• C.felicity, perpetua
• D.baptism, communion, penance
The next group of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are:
• A. eucharist, marriage, holy orders
B.generosity, gentleness, faithfulness
• Correct answer
• C.baptism, matrimony, penance
• D.thanksgiving, labor, trustworthiness
The last group of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit are:
• A. happiness, success, truth
B.modesty, self-control, chastity
• Correct answer
• C.lexus, mercedes, porsche
• D.success, wealth