Wonder and Awe of the Conformation Celebration

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Alleluia! Alleluia! Last night I had the glorious honor of being a part of the Wonder and Awe of the Conformation Celebration for more than 120 newly confirmed Catholics. St. Ignatius church was on fire with the Holy Spirit as it rained down upon the people of the congregation. You could see the radiance of his glory and splendor in each and every child as they were sealed with the chrism oil by Bishop Vasquez. Many of you who read this message are currently pursuing the sacrament of Confirmation while others have already received it. Confirmation has been said to represent a lot of things, but most importantly Confirmation affirms your commitment to a Christian and to form a relationship with God. The Gospel reading last night was from John 15:18-27 which talks about our relationship with God. Jesus tells us that our relationship with God the Father will be a sacrifice and that others may condemn us for who we are. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation we are called to stand firm in our faith. "When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” In our beginning we were baptized and now through our confirmation we become a beacon of light directing others to this relationship with God. Those of you who are preparing for confirmation need to ready yourself for this new relationship with God. Those of you that have been confirmed need to stand strong in the Glory of the Church, be proud to call yourself Christian; to call yourself Catholic. Jesus tells us that “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.” Tonight your fellow brothers and sisters have made a choice to be a Christian and a fully active member of the one catholic (universal) and Holy church; to be called Christian by the blessing of the Holy Spirit that rained down upon their souls. Bishop Vasquez talked about this commitment as a commitment of Love. He quoted the encyclical “Deus Caritas Est“ or “God is Love” written by Pope Benedict XVI.

“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16). These words from the First Letter of John express with remarkable clarity the heart of the Christian faith: the Christian image of God and the resulting image of mankind and its destiny. In the same verse, Saint John also offers a kind of summary of the Christian life: “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us”. We have come to believe in God's love: in these words the Christian can express the fundamental decision of his life. Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Saint John's Gospel describes that event in these words: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should ... have eternal life” (3:16). In acknowledging the centrality of love, Christian faith has retained the core of Israel's faith, while at the same time giving it new depth and breadth. The pious Jew prayed daily the words of the Book of Deuteronomy which expressed the heart of his existence: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your might” (6:4-5). Jesus united into a single precept this commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbor found in the Book of Leviticus: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (19:18; cf. Mk 12:29-31). Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 Jn 4:10), love is now no longer a mere “command”; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us.

Last night, 120 plus Brothers and Sisters in Christ had a special encounter with God through the grace of the Holy Spirit. They met God through the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit came down from heaven through the Catechists, through the parents, through the sponsors and through everyone who had been confirmed in the past to light the way for the confirmation candidates. Now they are asked to respond to this gift by sharing the Holy Spirit in them with others. They are now asked to beacons for the Holy Spirit and to share their faith with others.

A Simple Prayer Most Heavenly Father, you are Love and I Love You. May the Holy Spirit fill my heart and my soul so that I can be a beacon of light to others. May those that received the Sacrament of Confirmation be a testament to the Christian Faith. May their testament keep the way of the Lord lit forever.

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon