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September 15, 2020In many ways it is a habit of human nature to take things for granted – from the simple to the most profound. Sometimes it is because things can begin to feel routine, other times it is because we have not taken the time to adequately reflect on deeper meaning and purpose. I have often found that the Sacrament of Confirmation is a prime example of this.
Many of us experience Confirmation as that thing we are working toward throughout our religious education experience. Sadly, Confirmation is often experienced as a graduation from learning and growing more in our faith. The tragedy in this is that our pilgrimage on the earth, our journey deeper into the faith does not end at Confirmation. In a very real sense, it is only the beginning.
While Baptism give us new life, Confirmation empowers and strengthens us to live that life. Specifically, we are charged with the task of being witnesses of Jesus Christ. Strengthened by the Holy Spirit, the confirmed Catholic has a greater obligation to faithfulness in defending the Church and evangelizing others to the fold of Christ. Part of the beauty of this call to be soldiers of Christ, as the Baltimore Catechism referred to it, is that God does not leave us to our own strength. By the grace of the Holy Spirit he gives us the means by which to be his witnesses! There is more to say, but, in Confirmation:- We are strengthened against sin, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit are strengthened in us;
- We are given the strength to courageously and confidently profess and defend the faith, even unto death, and transform the world around us through the joy of the Gospel;
- We are empowered to speak boldly about the Gospel and about truth to be a witness of Christ in this world.
When I share this with others who have already been confirmed, I often hear something to the effect of, “But I don’t feel like that.” Or, “I didn’t feel any different after Confirmation.” This is where we need some time to reflect on what has taken place. How we feel about the sacraments, what we perceive, does not change the reality of what has taken place. However, the fruitfulness of the sacrament does have a lot to do with our cooperation and openness to the grace that God has given us.
Catholics, by virtue of your baptism you are agents of evangelization tasked with advancing the kingdom of God and renewing the world around you with the joy of the Gospel. You are called to be a witness of Christ, to follow him, and make disciples. You have been given the grace and power of the Holy Spirit to do this in your own unique way, wherever the Lord has placed you. If you feel unprepared for this task, consider Peter. He denied the Lord three times and was afraid. After Pentecost he went about as a bold witness. That same grace and promise is available to us. When my oldest daughter was Confirmed recently, I wore my Captain America tie. She asked me, “Why?” of course. It was intentional and a teaching moment. “It’s because this is the superhero sacrament. God is giving you a special strength to be his witness in the world.” If you have been Confirmed, remember, he that began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. Seek his face in prayer; be open to the grace you have received in Confirmation. Stir up the gift! The world is in need of the love and power of Christ; now more than ever, we need bold and faithful witnesses.