THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN
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The Good News ....The Gift of the Holy Spirit Confirmation
Homily My dear Brothers and Sisters: Almost 2000 years ago, large numbers of people were going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost. The Apostles were gathered in a room. The doors were closed because of fear of the large crowds. The Apostles recalled that fifty days earlier, large crowds came up for the paschal celebration. It was on that occasion that Jesus was arrested, condemned and crucified. Would these large crowds now bring them a similar fate? Were their lives threatened? Remember, the Apostles were just ordinary people like us. They had faith - but they also had fears. In this uncertain context, the Apostles prayed. Then, in the midst of their prayer, they heard a great noise and they saw fiery tongues above each other. They remembered what Jesus had said: “I will send My Holy Spirit and He will confirm everything that I have taught you.” At that moment, 2000 years ago, the Apostles were radically changed. They threw open the doors of that room where they were and they went out into the crowds of people whom they had feared and began to proclaim the Good News of Jesus! Today, Pentecost 2004, large numbers of people have come here to celebrate the Feast. You have come from many parishes in the city as well as parishes, large and small, from near and far. Some of you have had to drive for many hours. I am so grateful for your presence and your faith. In that spirit of faith, like the Apostles, we pray and we remember the remarkable and glorious promise of Jesus. By faith we know that His promise is fulfilled. The Holy Spirit of God comes into our midst in a very special way today. Through the imposition of hands and the anointing with the Sacred Chrism, each one of the Confirmation candidates will be sealed with the Holy Spirit and given His seven-fold gifts. Candidates, in that moment of your Confirmation, you will be radically changed. You will still be the same person with your own uniqueness, with your weaknesses as well as your talents. But you will now also have the fullness of the Holy Spirit to inspire you, to encourage and to assist you. The Holy Spirit does not take away your freedom. Rather, He enables you to reach your full potential as you remain responsible. God never forces. He simply calls. He invites. He helps and waits for our free response. In order to respond to God, we need to follow a plan - not just any plan - but the beautiful plan God has for each of us. We see the importance of following a definite plan even in our everyday ordinary situations. For example, one week ago, the bishops of this region were in Rome for our official five-year report and visit to our Holy Father. I had arranged that at the completion of these meetings, I would have an absolutely free day! Nothing was scheduled. Nothing was planned. Therefore, after I celebrated Mass at the Tomb of Saint Peter and ate a good breakfast, I set out to explore that ancient city without a plan. I would just wander around. I had wanted to do something like this for a long time - to move around freely - and without any plan or obligation. It didn’t take long, however, to realize that whenever I came to an intersection, I had to decide - would it be right or left or straight ahead? Then I found a small tourist map designating a series of early churches with special artistic appeal. I followed the directions to one of them and was pleasantly surprised. I had discovered a real treasure that I might not have ever found if I had simply wandered aimlessly. I then followed the map for the rest of a very happy and enriching day. I tell you this little episode because I know that many times young people think they can go through life without a plan. They feel that their parents and certainly the Church are too restrictive. As young people, you want freedom and success. You desire pleasures and happiness. You seek recognition and love. This is all part of our human longing but if there is no plan, if there is no basis in reality, it all remains wishful unfulfilled dreaming. The reality is that God has a plan for you. That’s why He sent His Son Jesus to our world. And Jesus said: “I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Life.” This is what our Catholic faith is all about. It is about the eternal Son of God Who lived, suffered and died for us. It is about Jesus Who continues to be with us in many ways but most spectacularly in the sacraments we celebrate and receive. Young people about to be confirmed, hold fast to your Catholic faith for it is a special gift from God. Your Catholic faith needs to be learned and nurtured and practiced. Sometimes this is hard, even very hard, but it is well worth it. When some of Jesus’ disciples grumbled and complained, He challenged them. He said: “Take up your cross and follow Me.” He said this because He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Precisely because Jesus knew that we would often find it hard to follow Him and His plan, He made a great promise. He said: “I will send My Holy Spirit and He will confirm all that I have taught you.” He fulfilled that promise on the first Christian Pentecost when He sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. Once again, today, Jesus fulfilles that promise as He sends His Holy Spirit to help you discover and follow the plan God has for you. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Follow Him always and you will not be disappointed. You will not be lost. This beautiful life of faith began in each of us at the time of our baptism when we were re-born. For that reason, a Profession of Faith is part of the baptismal ceremony. When you were baptized, most of you were just little babies, incapable of expressing yourselves. Therefore, your parents and your sponsors made that profession for you. But today, you are no longer little babies. You are now young people, growing up and maturing, who have made a decision to follow Jesus with the help of His Holy Spirit! Therefore, before I and the other bishops and abbots administer this Sacrament of Confirmation, the Church requires you to renew the vows of Baptism and to do so publicly, joyfully and enthusiastically. There-fore, at this time, I ask the candidates for Confirmation and only the candidates to please stand. |