CONFIRMATION STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Where is everything that God has revealed contained?
Everything that God has revealed is contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
2. What else do we call the Gospel?
We also call the Gospel the Good News, because it proclaims to humanity liberation from sin, grace, salvation, and the dignity of being a child of God; it reveals the meaning of life.
3. What short summaries of the truths of faith do you know?
I believe in God the Father, or the Apostles' Creed, and the so-called Six Truths of Faith.
4. How do we know that God exists?
We know of God's existence:
a) from the existence of the world and the great order within it
b) from the conviction of all peoples
c) from our own conscience
d) from Divine Revelation
5. Who is God?
God is an infinitely perfect Spirit, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is Lord, King, Judge, and above all a good and merciful Father.
6. Why are the Three Divine Persons one God?
The Three Divine Persons are one God because they have the same nature, that is, the same perfections.
7. What is Providence?
Providence is God's care for the world.
8. Who are the Angels?
Angels are spirits who have intellect and free will but do not have bodies.
9. What is a human being, and why were humans created?
A human being is God's most perfect creature on earth, a unity of body and immortal soul.
God created human beings to know, honor, love, and serve Him, and thereby attain eternal happiness.
10. What is the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church is:
a) The community of Christians who, under the leadership of the Pope, strive for salvation by professing the same faith and receiving the same sacraments
b) The People of God, chosen by God to fulfill a special task: to teach about God and to be a sign of God
c) The Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, a living organism whose head is Christ and whose members are the baptized, united with Him through divine life (grace) and mutually responsible for one another.
11. What is the purpose and mission of the Church?
The mission of the Church is to continue Christ's saving mission, to build the Kingdom of God on earth, and to lead all people to union with God in eternity.
12. Through whom does Christ give life to and strengthen His Church?
Christ gives life to and strengthens the Church through the Holy Spirit.
13. Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the third Divine Person, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
14. When did the Holy Spirit descend upon the Apostles, and when does He descend upon a person?
The Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, in the form of tongues of fire.
The Holy Spirit descends upon each person at Baptism and fills us in a special way in the sacrament of Confirmation.
15. What role do bishops and priests fulfill in the Church?
Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, and priests are the bishops' co-workers. United with the Holy Father, they fulfill the teaching, priestly, and pastoral offices in the Church.
16. What is a virtue, and what is a theological virtue?
A virtue is a lasting disposition to perform good deeds.
The theological virtues relate to God and perfect our relationship with God. They are: faith, hope, and charity.
17. What is God's grace?
God's grace is a supernatural gift that God grants us for salvation.
We distinguish between:
sanctifying grace
actual grace
Sanctifying grace gives supernatural life and makes us children of God. We receive it at Baptism and lose it through mortal sin.
Actual grace is God's help in performing good deeds.
18. What is a sacrament?
A sacrament is a visible sign instituted by the Lord Jesus that gives us God's grace.
19. What is Baptism?
Baptism is the first and most necessary sacrament. It washes away original sin, gives divine life (grace), and makes us members of the Church.
Without it, one cannot receive the other sacraments or be saved.
20. What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is the sacrament in which the Holy Spirit strengthens Christians to profess their faith courageously, defend it, and live according to it.
It bestows graces:
it increases sanctifying grace
it imprints on the soul an indelible mark of being a follower of Christ
it gives the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit
it gives the grace to profess the faith courageously.
21. What does it mean to defend your faith?
a) to be able to answer objections raised against it
b) to be critical of those who seek to ridicule the faith
c) not to give grounds for attacks on the faith by living a bad life
22. How should you prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation?
Pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit
Learn the most important truths of faith
Develop piety, diligence, a strong will, and kindness
Choose a patron saint
Ask someone to be your Confirmation sponsor
Cleanse your soul of sins
23. For what purpose did the Lord Jesus institute the Blessed Sacrament?
In order to:
a) offer Himself for us in Holy Mass
b) be our food in Holy Communion
c) remain constantly among us
24. What is Holy Mass?
Holy Mass is the making present of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
25. When do we participate well in Holy Mass?
When we are present throughout the entire Mass, pray with the priest, and offer ourselves to God together with Jesus. We participate fully when we receive Holy Communion.
26. What is the sacrament of Penance?
The sacrament in which the priest, acting in the place of Christ, forgives sins committed after Baptism and helps us become better people.
27. What is the Anointing of the Sick?
The sacrament in which a seriously ill person receives special graces for the soul, relief in suffering, and sometimes restoration to health.
28. What is Holy Orders?
The sacrament that gives the authority to proclaim the Word of God, celebrate Holy Mass, and administer the sacraments, as well as the grace to perform these duties worthily.
29. What is the sacrament of Matrimony?
The indissoluble union of a baptized man and woman, whom Christ sanctifies and enables to fulfill their marital and family duties.
30. What are sacramentals?
Blessed objects, as well as consecrations and blessings instituted by the Church for the good of soul and body.
31. Explain the meaning of the gifts of the Holy Spirit
the gift of wisdom
the gift of understanding
the gift of counsel
the gift of fortitude
the gift of knowledge
the gift of piety
the gift of fear of the Lord (detailed explanations in the text).
32. Patron saint – why you chose this patron saint, and their life story.
33. The basic catechism (and the ability to explain it):
The 10 Commandments of God
The 7 deadly sins
The 7 sacraments
The 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit
The 6 truths of faith
The 5 precepts of the Church
The 5 conditions for a good confession
The 4 cardinal virtues
The 3 theological virtues
The 2 commandments of love
I believe in God
34. Who administers the sacrament of Confirmation?
The sacrament of Confirmation is administered by a bishop or, in extraordinary circumstances, an authorized priest.
The most important rites of Confirmation:
a) the laying on of hands by the bishop – a sign of the descent of the Holy Spirit
b) anointing the forehead with sacred chrism and the words:
“Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”
What is sacred chrism?
A mixture of olive oil and balsam consecrated on Holy Thursday by the bishop in the cathedral.