Skills

Building on yesterday's lesson on Confirmation, recall that the sacrament strengthens us with the Holy Spirit. The Church names seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, drawn from Isaiah 11:2: wisdom, understanding, counsel (right judgment), fortitude (courage), knowledge, piety (reverence), and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe before God). These gifts make us ready and willing to follow the promptings of the Spirit in living the Christian life. As you begin this Skills day in Advent, ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom to use your studies well. Begin with a brief prayer: 'Come, Holy Spirit.'

Last week you learned that dependent clauses cannot stand alone. This week we name two important jobs dependent clauses do. An adjective clause (also called a relative clause) modifies a noun or pronoun — it does the work of an adjective, telling us WHICH ONE or WHAT KIND. Adjective clauses usually begin with a relative pronoun: who, whom, whose, which, or that. Worked example: 'The cathedral that rose at Chartres has famous blue glass.' The adjective clause 'that rose at Chartres' modifies the noun 'cathedral' (which cathedral?). Another: 'St. Francis, who loved poverty, founded the friars.' The clause 'who loved poverty' describes Francis. An adverb clause modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb — it does the work of an adverb, telling WHEN, WHERE, WHY, HOW, or UNDER WHAT CONDITION. Adverb clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions: when, because, although, since, if, while, after, before, until, as. Worked example: 'Pilgrims traveled far because they sought the saints' relics.' The adverb clause 'because they sought the saints' relics' modifies the verb 'traveled' (why did they travel?). Another: 'When the sun shone, the windows glowed.' ('When the sun shone' tells when.) The quick test: if the clause describes a noun, it's adjective; if it tells when/where/why/how, it's adverb.

Pilgrimage knit medieval Europe together with a web of holy roads. Three destinations stood above all others. First, Jerusalem — the holiest goal, the city of Christ's death and resurrection, though distant and dangerous (the desire to secure it helped spark the Crusades you will study next week). Second, Rome — the city of Sts. Peter and Paul and the pope, drawing pilgrims to the tombs of the apostles. Third, and most uniquely medieval, Santiago de Compostela in the far northwest of Spain, believed to hold the relics of the apostle St. James (Santiago). The roads to Santiago — the Camino de Santiago, 'the Way of St. James' — drew pilgrims from across Europe, who wore the scallop shell as their badge and walked for weeks or months. Other great shrines included Canterbury in England (the tomb of St. Thomas Becket, the goal of Chaucer's pilgrims) and Walsingham. Pilgrimage roads became Europe's arteries: along them traveled not only pilgrims but merchants, news, songs, and ideas, and great Romanesque churches rose to shelter the travelers. Today you will map this sacred geography, tracing how faith literally drew the roads of Europe. Notice how all roads, in a sense, led toward Rome and Jerusalem — the spiritual centers of Christendom.

You learned to tell adjective clauses from adverb clauses and mapped the holy roads of Europe. A quick check secures both before tomorrow's writing work.