On May 28th we will celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. It is through this celebration that we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. As we were told in our Gospel, “He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth.”
Following the Resurrection and Ascension of the Lord we see the importance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. It was the Holy Spirit that sent the apostles forth to evangelize throughout the world. We see documented for us in Sacred Scripture many conversions which were made in the Lord’s Name. Today we were told from the Book of Acts that people were baptized and “then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”
I believe that the sacrament of confirmation is one of the most misunderstood sacraments of the Church. So often the definition for confirmation that is given, even among catechists, is far different from the reality. Confirmation is not an adult acceptance of the Catholic faith. We became Catholic at our baptism and that can never be taken away if we choose to practice our faith or not. To put it simply, confirmation is to receive the gift of the Holy Spirt.
One is only baptized once, one is only ordained once, and one only receives the sacrament of confirmation once. Despite this we continue to receive the outpouring of God’s grace beyond the day we received the sacrament. If a child is confirmed as an infant, in second grade, fifth grade, in high school, or even older the grace received remains the same. This is also true with the other sacraments of the Church that we prevail ourself to. In the end it is about what God is doing for us through the sacrament.
Through the reception of confirmation one is sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ. To be confirmed sends one forth as a solider of Christ in order that we may do God’s will in the daily struggle against sin. In confirmation we receive the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is these gifts which assist us in the daily living out of our faith.
As we prepare for the coming of Pentecost let us rejoice with the Holy Spirit always. May the Holy Spirit continue to come upon us in order to sanctify our heart. May we rejoice in the sacrament of Confirmation that we have been given and allow those sacramental graces to continue to be found at work in our daily life. It was these graces that came upon the apostles and sent them forth to bring Christ to the world.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of you love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth.
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