GIFTED
Our Confirmation Retreat (Designed for a 3 day weekend retreat)

The ‘Gifted’ programme will enable our young people to explore the gifts of the spirit bestowed on them in confirmation. As well as exploring the lives of the saints who use the gifts for God’s glory.

The Holy Spirit converts the heart to Jesus. The Holy Spirit makes it easy for the mind to accept and believe Divine Revelation. The Holy Spirit causes maturing in faith so that the understanding of Jesus and His message becomes more profound” (Kelly, 1993).

Gifts of the Holy Spirit
“The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. With these the Holy Spirit “endows” Christians, in other words, he grants them particular powers that go beyond their natural aptitudes and gives them the opportunity to become God’s special instruments in this world.” (YOUCAT, 310)

Wisdom
“Wisdom is not some kind of secretive babble, nor is it a collection of sentimental sayings. Instead it is precisely the gift that transcends human wisdom and human counsels, the ability to distinguish between the divine from the human. The gift of wisdom should enable us to recognise God and acquire a loving nature” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)

Understanding
“Understanding is the gift that helps us to understand our faith. Each of us should seek to penetrate further into the truths of Christianity and learn to distinguish them from passing human knowledge and earthly attitudes.” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)
“it is a grace which only the Holy Spirit can infuse and which awakens in a Christian the ability to go beyond the outward appearance of reality and to probe the depths of the thoughts of God and his plan of salvation.” (GA Understanding)

Counsel
“With the gift of counsel is a question of decision making. Often enough we find ourselves at a crossroads in life and do not know which way to go. We are confronted with means that are meant to serve a good end- but are these means good in themselves? We need constantly to scrutinise our own actions and those of our fellowmen: Is the spirit at work in them the Spirit of Jesus or that of another?” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)

Fortitude
“Fortitude is not about being a macho or alpha male but, rather, about applying a genuine athlete’s outlook to the realm of faith as well. Single-mindedness, self-discipline and training will lead to victory over the evil one. It is much easier, less challenging and more “acceptable”, so to speak, to go with the flow, to think and live in the way that the prevailing fashion or public opinion dictates. Faithfulness and strength of will are needed here – qualities we cannot supply alone and unaided.” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)

Knowledge
“The gift of knowledge is the gift of discernment: What is more plausible? What can I know? Modesty is also a scholarly virtue.” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)

Piety
“Piety has nothing to do with preaching from the pulpit or praying in a convent; rather, it has to do with respect: for God and his laws, for nature, for our elders, for the feelings of others.” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)

Fear of the Lord
“The beginning of wisdom” It means a respect- indeed a reverence- for the divine that far exceeds all respect for created things. God is the Creator; God is the Lord over life and death, and God is the Supreme Judge for all eternity. Understanding this sheer difference of degree and taking account of its importance” (YOUCAT Confirmation Handbook)

“Fear of the Lord, instead, is the gift of the Holy Spirit through whom we are reminded of how small we are before God and of his love and that our good lies in humble, respectful and trusting self-abandonment into his hands. This is fear of the Lord: abandonment in the goodness of our Father who loves us so much.” (GA Fear of the Lord)

Universal Call to Holiness
“All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity. All are called to holiness: ‘Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’” (CCC, 2013)

“The purpose of our life is to be united with God in love and to correspond entirely to God’s wishes. We should allow God “to live his life in us” (Mother Teresa) That is what is means to be holy: A Saint” (YOUCAT, 342)

Discernment
“That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth. It is exercised under the guidance of the sacred teaching authority, in faithful and respectful obedience to which the people of God accepts that which is not just the word of men but truly the word of God. Through it, the people of God adheres unwaveringly to the faith given once and for all to the saints, penetrates it more deeply with right thinking, and applies it more fully in its life. (LG, 12)