Ideas for Confirmation Student Penance Service needed

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Patty_RM

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Anyone have a short to the point Penance Service with individual Confession to share? Would appreciate a fresh new one.
Patty RM
 
Here is one I recently put together for our Conf program:

O Holy Spirit, please guide our hearts and minds. Help us to recall my sins so that I may confess them and commit to being a better person. Guide me as I examine my conscience. Help me recognize my faults, do better in the future, and avoid sin from this day forward. Help me form my will; make it strong so that I am able to say no to all things that corrupt my soul. I want to please You and be a better Christian. I want to be an example to all my friends and loved ones. Amen.

Scripture: Saint Luke’s Gospel – Chapter 15, verses 1-7

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable. "Who among you having one hundred sheep and loses one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who says I am sorry than over ninety-nine people who do not need to say I am sorry. The word of the Lord.

We are all sheep. Sometimes we wander away from our shepherds (parents, teachers, God). Usually we do not intend to hurt ourselves or others, but often times we do. When we wander away (sin) we are lost. Since God is in everything that is good, when we sin we move away from Him and the others we hurt. At one point we will all be shepherds. We need to make sure we are good shepherds and leading people away from God.

Examination of Conscience

The First – You shall have no gods before me
Do I love God more than things – money, clothes, popularity, appearance?
Do I set aside time to talk to God?
Do I stand up for my faith when challenged?

The Second – You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain
Do I use the Lord’s name casually, without even thinking?
Do I use cuss words to look tough or cool?

The Third – Remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy
Do I go to Mass on Sundays and holy days?
Do I receive the Eucharist respectfully?

The Fourth – Honor your mother and your father
Do I honestly speak with respect to my parents or about my parents?
Do I go behind my parents’ back when I want to do something that they disapprove of?
Do I recognize and appreciate the sacrifices that my parents make for me?
Do I take differences of opinion to my parents for discussion? Or do I turn them into fighting matches?

The Fifth – You shall not kill
Have I put myself in danger by drug, alcohol, or tobacco use?
Do I stand up for the right to life, especially for the elderly, sick, and unborn?

The Sixth and Ninth – You shall not commit adultery
  • You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife
    Do I respect the dignity of my body?
    Do I dress attractively, yet modestly (not to attract attention to my body)?
    Do I keep my mind pure by avoiding inappropriate movies, video games, magazines, websites, etc.?
The Seventh and Tenth – You shall not steal
  • You shall not covet anything that is your neighbors
    Do I respect others’ private property?
    Do I cheat at school or pressure others to help me cheat?
    Am I jealous or greedy? Or am I thankful for God’s gifts to me?
 
Here is part of the talk I give to our 2nd graders that would work as well. This year’s 8th grade Confirmation class was the first 2nd grade I presented this to. I brought up some of the points to them this year and it still “worked” with them.

Who here likes to give gifts? I really enjoy going shopping to pick out gifts for people I love. But what gift can we give to God? He must already have everything. The one thing that I am sure he would like us to give him is a clean heart. If we have a lot of sin on our heart, it would look like this present . Not too nice. Dirty, ripped, messy. Would you give someone a gift that looked like this?

After you go to confession, your heart and looks like this . Isn’t this an awesome present? This is one of those presents that your mom would take her time to unwrap. She would even save the bow. At some places, you have to pay extra money to have a gift wrapped like this. Here in God’s house, it is totally free. All you have to do is ask for it. God is so wonderful. He has given us life and he gives us everything we really need. Doesn’t he deserve a present like this from us – especially when you meet him at your 1st Holy Communion in two months. On that day, he will fully enter into your heart with no sin to get in the way.
 
Thank you Dave for responding. I like the first one, I think it will work just fine.
Patty RM
 
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