Session 2: Sacraments

Download Leader’s Guide: Going Deeper


Opening Prayer:
Loving God, send your Spirit to open our hearts to Jesus. 

Guide us to a deeper conversion.

Grant us a greater appreciation of the beauty and truth of our Catholic faith.

Give us the courage and confidence to joyfully share our faith with others.

May your church be a beacon of light for all who seek your loving presence.

Be with us now as we explore the Sacraments. 

Mary, faithful Mother of God, intercede for us.

We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

One God, forever and ever. Amen.


Scripture: 
Mark 8:22-26

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything? Looking up he replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.

The Gospel of the Lord:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Opening Song Suggestions:
Open My Eyes by Jesse Manibusan

OR

Open My Eyes by Hillsong

1. Were you surprised to hear Dr. Pitt refer to the sacraments as the “kiss of God?”           How would you describe a sacrament to a friend?
2. Dave Cushing said: “Sacraments must be experienced to be understood.”                          In what way does your experience reflect the truth of this statement?
3. Many respondents spoke of sacraments and sacramentals.                                             What experiences of this sacred reality have touched your life or changed your life?

1. Have you ever participated in or attended an adult baptism?                                              What emotions did it evoke in you or the newly baptized?
2. What do you remember from your Confirmation? How have you experienced one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, awe and wonder?
3. Who is one person who seems to be led by the Holy Spirit?
4. How has your life experience deepened your awareness of Baptism’s reality that we are baptized in water, fire, blood, and tears?

1. How could you relate to Trina’s experience of receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation? What are your feelings when approaching this sacrament? How have you felt a burden lifted from you through the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
2. What has been your experience of the Sacrament of Anointing, whether as a recipient or an observer?
3. How does the Sacrament of Anointing make you feel “good to go?”
4. When have you been present to a dying person? How did the experience affect you/your loved ones?

1. How have you been called to “lay down your life” through your specific vocation?         What do all the vocations have in common?
2. What is attractive about the community of religious life?
3. If you are a married person, how has your love changed? What difference does it make for a marriage to be a sacrament? How does it change the purpose of the marriage?
4. How does the single life free one for service in the world? How can we make single persons feel more included and respected in the church?

Conclusion: 
The seven sacraments are pivotal to embracing the fullness of our Catholic faith, for both the individual person and the Christian community.

• What did you learn about the sacraments?
• What did you like best about the session?
• What is one thing you will share with someone at home or in your sphere of influence?
• What difference does it make to believe in and celebrate the sacraments?

Closing Song Suggestions: 
Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher

OR

You Are My God by Tony Melendez

Prayer in Thanksgiving for the Gift of the Sacraments:
Loving God, you have called each of us to be holy.

Thank you for the sacraments, which deepen our relationship with you.

Grant us a deep desire to experience your grace through the sacraments.

Help us to be a sacramental people by bringing God’s love to each person we meet.

May we cleanse, reconcile, heal, feed, and love others in your name.

Mary, and all the saints in heaven, intercede for us. 

We make this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.

One God, forever and ever. Amen.