Living in God and so Confirmed

Confirmation at Bruder Klaus

Bern, 1 July 2018

Isaiah 61:l-3a, 6a, 8b-9

Acts 2:1-6, 14, 22b-23, 32-33

Mark 5:21-43

Praise be Jesus Christ!

Dear Confirmands!

One of the instructions for the Sacrament of Confirmation says that what we hope for you from this outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit is that you would become more like Jesus. We, your parents, family and friends, fellow parishioners, we all pray that you would be witnesses before the entire world to the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. O, that you would be strengthened in your faith for the sake of the life of Christ’s Church, His Mystical Body!

If you listen to those words with an open heart, well, the possibilities just kind of take your breath away. Faith life, Catholic religion is something vital and at the center of what living in the world and for God is all about.

“The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord, a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all those who mourn and to give them for ashes a garland; for mourning robe the oil of gladness, for despondency, praise.”

“Membership” is not a word we us to describe how we are part of the Church. That word should never come out of our mouths when we are talking about our relationship to Church. In our case, being part of Christ’s Body, through Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist and the other Sacraments means finding ourselves in the very midst of things, at the heart of what counts, for the sake of the life of the world. I repeat: “…to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord…”

Our baptismal calling and yours, which is now to be strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation, is a call to lighten up the dark corners of this sad world of ours. We do that by really being Christ, being one with Him for others, family first. For married couples, for parents, that means being the first and best ones to share the good news of God’s love with your children. If mom and dad’s prayer, every day, morning, noon and nighttime, at home with even the tiniest children, is not there, well, how can the next generation comprehend the power and presence of God in our lives? The Lord of All loves each and every one of us; He calls us by name and so naturally we respond.

This was the message to those who gathered on that first Pentecost, drawn by all the noise and commotion coming from the Upper Room. They came running to hear St. Peter’s words. He proclaimed:

“Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know.”

In the light of these words of Peter and of other passages in Scripture telling us about the Apostles, about the first Christians and about the many and great saints of the Church over the course of these two millennia, I often ask myself just what being like Jesus for the sake of the life of the world might mean. It certainly means being loving and good toward others, being helpful, serving. But should not miracles, portents and signs also mark my life as a baptized and confirmed Catholic, as a person who is one with Jesus? Why not?

From today’s Gospel: the lady in the crowd was healed just by touching Jesus’ garment. "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!” He said. Jesus took her by the hand and back she came from the dead to life. The “miracles, portents, and signs” do not stop with Jesus. The Acts of the Apostles are full of incidents just like the two just mentioned. We know of people healed and raised up by saints, friends of God, in every generation.

Our wish, our prayer for you is that Pentecost would do a repeat in your lives, that the Sacrament of Confirmation would put you over the top, enabling you, like St. Peter and the other Apostles, to be a wonder worker. For the sake of the spectacle? The excitement? No! But rather because of the calling which is ours in Baptism now here confirmed: “…to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord…”

Not all that long ago, I had a conversation with a man, with a rather impressive theological background, who taught the confirmation class in his home parish. He asked me for my definition of what Confirmation does in those who receive it. I replied in terms of it bringing about a more complete sharing or immersion in the life of the Most Blessed Trinity. He did not seem impressed for reasons that were hard for me to understand. I think he expected me to emphasize the popular notion of Confirmation as membership, the notion of the Sacrament as a milestone, marking a coming of age in the Church. I guess, he somehow thought that you had to be 18 years old to be confirmed, because some kind of an adult choice was involved. Sorry, sir, but the more Catholic choice in terms of Confirmation would be better sooner, better younger. We have no time to waste for in Confirmation we are empowered  “…to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord…”

In my personal prayer today, I beg God on behalf of all who can hear my voice, that whether through the laying on of hands and anointing in Confirmation or through a grace of conversion, which stirs up that Gift of the Holy Spirit in your life, that you might become a source of light and life for all whose lives you touch or who reach out like the lady in the Gospel to touch you. Be like Christ!

“Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among you, as you all know.”

Praised be Jesus Christ!

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI