In the sacrament of confirmation abishop seals the Christian with thegift of the Spirit of God. The Spiritwho acts in us is the same Spirit whoin the beginning stirs nothingnessinto life. This is the same Spirit whoraises up leaders and speaks throughprophets in Israel and who movesJesus to begin his mission. With new brainpower in the high

school years comes increasing abilityto name our experience. We putexperiences and goals into words.What we can’t put into words we maybe unaware is happening. The workof finding words to describe ourexperiences—of naming our feelings,longings, gifts, and dreams—goes onthroughout our lives. The Old and New Testaments hold

memories of how the Spirit has actedin the lives of our ancestors in faith.We inherit their stories to help usname the Spirit’s activity in us. From our ancestor Jacob we learn

that we must wrestle with God and

struggle with ourselves to become thepersons we want to be.Jacob is a younger twin with no

right to inherit his father’s land orreceive his blessing. But Jacob isshrewd. He gets his twin, Esau, to sellhis birthright for a meal of lentil stew.Later with his mother’s help Jacobtricks his nearly blind father intoblessing him instead of Esau. Jacob’sname means he supplants, he tricks.

J acob goes north to find a wife.He sees a young woman namedRachel, bringing her father’s

sheep to a well. To marry her,Jacob works for Rachel’sfather seven years. Butthe trickster getstricked. Rachel’s fathergives Jacob her oldersister Leah to marryand demands thatJacob work seven moreyears to marry Rachel.Jacob has twelve

sons and a daughterwith his wives Leah andRachel and their servingwomen, Bilhah andZilpah.To support his large

family, Jacob tricks hisfather-in-law. As wages,Jacob asks for the spottedand striped goats and theblack sheep. Then hecarefully breeds theflocks so his animalsmultiply and growstrong.When God urges

Jacob in a dream toreturn to his homein the south with allhis flocks, he sets out.His father-in-law chases

Jacob and accuses him of stealing hisdaughters and flocks. Jacob insists hehas worked 20 years for all he has.They work out a peaceful covenant.Jacob must still face his brother.

Messengers bring news that Esau iscoming with 400 men. Jacob praysand reminds God, “You said, ‘Returnto your country.’ …Deliver me fromthe hand of my brother.” Jacob sendsdroves of sheep ahead as gifts to hisbrother and has his family cross theriver to camp for the night. Then:

Jacob was left alone. A manwrestled with him until daybreak.

When the man saw that hedid not prevail againstJacob, he struck him onthe hip socket; andJacob’s hip was put outof joint as he wrestledwith him. Then he said,“Let me go, for the day

is breaking.” But Jacobsaid, “I will not let you gounless you bless me.”

So he said to him,“What is your name?”And he said, “Jacob.”Then the man said,‘You shall no longer be

called Jacob, but Israel,for you have striven with

God and with humans andhave prevailed.” Then Jacob

asked him, “Please tell me yourname.” But he said, “Why is it thatyou ask my name?” And there heblessed him. So Jacob called theplace Peniel, saying, “I have seenGod face to face, and yet mylife is preserved” (Genesis32.24-30).

� What does this story aboutJacob tell you about yourself?

MOVING in theSPIRIT 2

SCRIPTURESCRIPTURE

How theSpiritActs

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Julie Delton

When the judge Samuelanoints the shepherdboy David with oil tomake him Israel’s king,“The Spirit of God camemightily upon David fromthat day forward” (1Samuel 16.13-14). Davidleads his people in battleand worship, unites the12 tribes, writes psalms ofpraise we still pray, andrepents when he sins.God promises to be withDavid’s descendants as aroyal house forever (2Samuel 7.9-17). None of his

descendants reign asmightily in the Spirit asDavid. The prophetIsaiah laments thefaithless rulers of his day.He also trusts God willnever give up on Israelbut will someday send aleader greater thanDavid—the messiah.The Spirit will anoint thisleader with gifts formaking wise and fairdecisions.

The Spirit of the Lordshall rest upon him,the spirit of wisdom and understanding,the spirit of counsel and courage,the spirit of knowledge and awe in God’spresence.His delight shall be awe in God’s presence.

Isaiah 11.1-3

is the gift of thinking andreflecting on experience. People withunderstanding think things through for themselves

and act on their experience and insights.

Understanding

is a gift people build upthrough practical experience. A wiseperson knows what to do in many

situations and can place happenings in thebig picture. A wise believer sees the peopleand events of human history fitting togetherin the large plan of God’s love for us.

Wisdom

is the strength to do what isn’talways easy, to stand up for the unpopular,to speak the truth, to put one’s self on the

line to do what is right.

Courage

is a gift for honoring God andothers. The pious person reveres and worshipsGod. The pious person respects every

neighbor with the respect we want for ourselves.

Reverence

is the gift of revering God, notfearing God. It is the gift of awe at

God’s life-giving and life-sustainingpresence in creation and in us.

Awe in God’s Presence

In the sacrament of confirmation thebishop prays that these same seven gifts ofthe Spirit will come upon each Christian.These gifts help us name and discern thestirrings of the Spirit within our spirits;they help us make wise and fair decisions.

Read below about each of the Spirit’s sevengifts. Then think of a challenge you face inyour life, such as choosing what college toattend or helping your class or youth groupdeal with an issue. Write in the spaces wayseach gift of the Spirit can help you.

Raisesup

Leaders

The HOLY SPIRIT...

is a gift for seeking outthe facts and information necessary tomake wise and fair decisions and for

developing practical and technical expertise.

Knowledge

is a willingness toconsider the insights and understandings ofothers about a problem and to plan with them.

Right Judgment

The gift of awe in God’spresence?

The gift of reverence?

The gift of knowledge?

The gift of courage?

The gift of right judgment?

The gift of understanding?

How can the gift ofwisdom help me?

Gives SevenGifts

Poferl

In Mark’s gospel the Spirit ripsopen the heaven to come uponJesus at his baptism. A voice fromheaven claims Jesus is “my Son.”This scene pictures Jesus blessedwith the Spirit and beloved by God.It shows us Jesus living incommunion with God. In Jesus Godbecomes one of us to make knownwith a human heart and humanhands that God is love.

In those days Jesus came fromNazareth of Galilee and wasbaptized by John in the Jordan.As he was coming up out of thewater, he saw the heavens tornopen and the Spirit descendinglike a dove on him. A voice camefrom heaven, “You are my Son,the Beloved; with you I am wellpleased.”

Mark 1.9-11

In his gospel Luke sees the Spirit ofGod at work in Jesus from beginningto end. In Luke’s first chapter Maryasks the angel how she will conceive achild when she knows no man. Theangel answers, “The Holy Spirit willcome upon you and the power of theMost High will overshadow you;therefore the child to be born will beholy; he will be called the Son of God”(Luke 1.35). Only Luke has Jesus say ashe dies on the cross, “Father, into yourhands I commend my spirit” (Luke23.46).In chapter four Luke pictures Jesus

as God’s prophet anointed to bringgood news to thepeople. In this sceneJesus reads from theprophet Isaiah andthen identifieshimself as the onewho fulfills thesewords—

Anoints Jesus for Ministry The baptism story has three

symbols—a tear in the heavens, adove, and a voice. A symbol pointsto something else, making visible aninvisible reality. A flag symbolizesthe spirit of the people of a country.

� What do you think the tearsymbolizes? The dove? The voice?

Mark’s gospel echoes stories fromIsrael’s holy writings to express whoJesus is.

� See 2 Samuel 7.14 and Psalm 2.7-9to find whom God addresses as “myson.” See Genesis 22.2 to find abeloved son. How is Jesus like thisson?

� See Isaiah 42.1 to find someone inwhom God is well pleased. If Jesusis like this person, who is he?

The Spirit acts in Jesus tobring the poor good news. Ifthe Spirit acts in us the sameway, the Spirit will urge us toidentify people who needhealing and justice and respondto them.

� How can I expect the Spiritwill act in me?

Anoints Jesus for ProphecyWhen Jesus came to Nazareth,where he had been brought up,he went to the synagogue onthe sabbath as was his custom.He stood up to read, and thescroll of the prophet Isaiah wasgiven to him. He unrolled thescroll and found the place whereit was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord isupon me, because the Spirit hasanointed me to bring good newsto the poor, to proclaim releaseto captives, and recovery ofsight to the blind, to let theoppressed go free, to proclaim ayear of the God’s favor.”

He rolled up the scroll, gaveit back to the attendant, and satdown. The eyes of all in thesynagogue were fixed on him.Then he began to say to them,“Today this scripture has beenfulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4.16-21

EDA

Nihil Obstat: J. Michael Byron Imprimatur: +Harry J. Flynn, Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis, April 10, 2007. Copyright © 2014, by Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, 1884 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States ofAmerica. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN 1-885996-35-7.

“My dad left when mymother was pregnant withme. My scout master, mypastor, friends of thefamily were role modelsfor me, but you can’treplace the father figure. Istarted to bond with my scoutmaster, and I know he respectedand liked me, but when his own soncame around, I saw how differently hetreated him. I had to deal with it.

“For nine months when I was 14, Icried myself to sleep every night. Inthis time I found the best father inthe world, and that’s Jesus Christ,

God. I’ve turned to himmany times.

“I went to Boy Scoutsevery Monday night.The guys in the troopmight not have really

liked me, but theytreated me aspart of thegroup. Ichanged. Ayear later I had

10,000 friends.But I would not

have survived withoutGod. I put my life in his hands.

“It’s amazing how God works in mylife. For some reason I told my weight-lifting partner about my crisis at 14. Itturns out that he was going throughalmost the exact same thing. Hisparents were both sick, and he had noone to talk to.”

� How is what Paul writes to theRomans like Chris’s experience?Like your own?

The apostle Paul writes to theChristians in Rome about how theSpirit cries out in them. ReadRomans 8.14-17 below. Then readChris Morris’s story at right.

Who Are We?

For all who are led by the Spiritof God are children of God. Foryou did not receive a spirit ofslavery to fall back into fear, butyou have received a spirit ofadoption. When we cry, “Abba!Father!”, it is that very Spiritbearing witness withour spirit that we arechildren of God, and ifchildren, thenheirs, heirs ofGod and jointheirs withChrist.Romans 8.14-17

� What is an insight yourclassmates or family haveappreciated you sharing?

Name Ways theSPIRIT Acts in Us

� What is one waysomeone you know isheld captive, forexample, by drugs orfear or not knowing alanguage? What isone way you can help?

� What is one way you canbe a prophet who works toend an oppression, such aschild labor?

� What isone wayyou canbring goodnews tosomeonewho ispoor?

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