Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the Fifth Sunday of Easter. In preparation for next weekend's celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, I focus on the gifts that are being prepared for the Confirmandi and the gifts that have already been given to us.
There are twenty-two students in this parish who are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation next weekend. Their family and friends will be gathering to celebrate this special day in their lives. Those who are present will see the Bishop tracing a cross on the forehead of each of the Candidates while he says aloud: Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, the young adult standing before the Bishop will reply: Amen. Then he will greet each one of them with the words: Peace be with you, and if all goes well, they will reply: and with your spirit. The visible signs of this grace-filled moment are few but we believe that there is something much greater happening within the hearts of each of those who is Confirmed. At the moment of Baptism, each child begins a life in faith. At that moment, the gifts of the Spirit are already present in our hearts, but they are awakened within us in a special way on the day of Confirmation, and from that day onwards, each of us is strengthened by these gifts so that we can be witnesses for Christ in the world.
This same awakening of the Spirit’s gifts was true for the Apostles. On the day of Pentecost, they received these gifts so that they in turn could go out into the world to spread the good news, but God was also at work in the hearts of those who heard them preaching. We see evidence of this within the heart of Saul. Even though he had once been persecuting the early Christians, God changed his heart and called him to become one of the disciples. This was not only surprising for him; it would have been even more surprising for the disciples. When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples (Acts 9:26). He had had a change of heart, but the disciples did not know that, so naturally they were reluctant. In fact, since they knew about his past and the fact that he had persecuted the Christians, they were afraid of him. It was only because the Spirit was active in Saul’s heart that he was able to convince them that he was no longer an enemy, but rather a companion of theirs. In fact, he became an ardent preacher – to the point where he himself had to be protected from those who wanted to harm him (cf Acts 9:29).
God is preparing the young people in our parish and equipping them with the courage to be able to proclaim their faith too. This is one of the gifts that the Spirit awakens in our hearts. As we continue to grow into adulthood, the Spirit’s gifts also help us to grow in our understanding of the special plans that God has for each of us. All we need to do every day is remember that God lives in our hearts and that we are connected to him like the branches of an enormous vine (cf Jn 15:1).
As we become more and more aware of the Spirit’s gifts alive in our hearts and active in our lives, we are increasingly aware of the ways God makes himself known to us. The scriptures refer to our awareness of God’s presence as the fruits of the Spirit. The more we are aware of Jesus’ presence in our lives, the more we are aware of the Spirit at work within us. This presence of Jesus and the work of the Spirit are pure gift. Nothing we do could ever earn this gift, but we are the ones who benefit from these gifts, and it’s up to us to share these gifts with others who we meet.
Let us pray this week for the young people who are preparing to celebrate Confirmation next weekend, and let us love, not merely in word or speech, but in truth and action (1 Jn 3:18), and let us marvel at the gifts of the Spirit in action.
I am the vine; you are the branches
There are twenty-two students in this parish who are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation next weekend. Their family and friends will be gathering to celebrate this special day in their lives. Those who are present will see the Bishop tracing a cross on the forehead of each of the Candidates while he says aloud: Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, the young adult standing before the Bishop will reply: Amen. Then he will greet each one of them with the words: Peace be with you, and if all goes well, they will reply: and with your spirit. The visible signs of this grace-filled moment are few but we believe that there is something much greater happening within the hearts of each of those who is Confirmed. At the moment of Baptism, each child begins a life in faith. At that moment, the gifts of the Spirit are already present in our hearts, but they are awakened within us in a special way on the day of Confirmation, and from that day onwards, each of us is strengthened by these gifts so that we can be witnesses for Christ in the world.
This same awakening of the Spirit’s gifts was true for the Apostles. On the day of Pentecost, they received these gifts so that they in turn could go out into the world to spread the good news, but God was also at work in the hearts of those who heard them preaching. We see evidence of this within the heart of Saul. Even though he had once been persecuting the early Christians, God changed his heart and called him to become one of the disciples. This was not only surprising for him; it would have been even more surprising for the disciples. When Saul had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples (Acts 9:26). He had had a change of heart, but the disciples did not know that, so naturally they were reluctant. In fact, since they knew about his past and the fact that he had persecuted the Christians, they were afraid of him. It was only because the Spirit was active in Saul’s heart that he was able to convince them that he was no longer an enemy, but rather a companion of theirs. In fact, he became an ardent preacher – to the point where he himself had to be protected from those who wanted to harm him (cf Acts 9:29).
God is preparing the young people in our parish and equipping them with the courage to be able to proclaim their faith too. This is one of the gifts that the Spirit awakens in our hearts. As we continue to grow into adulthood, the Spirit’s gifts also help us to grow in our understanding of the special plans that God has for each of us. All we need to do every day is remember that God lives in our hearts and that we are connected to him like the branches of an enormous vine (cf Jn 15:1).
As we become more and more aware of the Spirit’s gifts alive in our hearts and active in our lives, we are increasingly aware of the ways God makes himself known to us. The scriptures refer to our awareness of God’s presence as the fruits of the Spirit. The more we are aware of Jesus’ presence in our lives, the more we are aware of the Spirit at work within us. This presence of Jesus and the work of the Spirit are pure gift. Nothing we do could ever earn this gift, but we are the ones who benefit from these gifts, and it’s up to us to share these gifts with others who we meet.
Let us pray this week for the young people who are preparing to celebrate Confirmation next weekend, and let us love, not merely in word or speech, but in truth and action (1 Jn 3:18), and let us marvel at the gifts of the Spirit in action.
Je suis la vigne; vous êtes les sarments
Il y a vingt-deux étudiants qui se préparent pour la célébration du Sacrement de la Confirmation la fin de semaine prochaine. Leurs familles et leurs amis se réuniront pour célébrer cette journée spéciale avec eux. Ceux qui seront présents verront l'évêque traçant une croix sur le front de chacun des candidats pendant qu'il dira à haute voix: Sois marqué de l’Esprit-Saint, le don de Dieu. Espérons que les jeunes adultes debout devant l'évêque répondra, chacun à son tour: Amen. Alors il saluera chacun d'eux en disant: La paix soit avec toi, et si tout va bien, ils répondront: et avec votre esprit. Les signes visibles de ce moment de grâce sont simples, mais nous croyons qu'il y a quelque chose de bien plus grand qui se passe dans le cœur de chacun de ceux qui sont confirmés. Au moment du baptême, chaque enfant commence une vie dans la foi. A ce moment-là, les dons de l'Esprit sont déjà présents dans leurs coeurs, et ils sont fortifiés en eux d'une manière spéciale le jour de la Confirmation, et à partir de ce jour, chacun est renforcé par ces dons afin d’être témoins du Christ dans le monde.
Ce même réveil des dons de l'Esprit était également en évidence pour les apôtres. Le jour de la Pentecôte, ils ont reçu ces mêmes dons afin qu'ils puissent à leur tour aller au large pour répandre la bonne nouvelle, mais Dieu était aussi au travail dans le cœur de ceux et celles qui ont reçu la bonne nouvelle. Nous voyons cette action dans la vie de Saül. Même s'il avait déjà persécuté les premiers chrétiens, Dieu a changé son cœur et l'a appelé à devenir l'un de ses disciples. Ce n'était pas seulement surprenant pour lui; cela a été surprenant encore pour les disciples. Quand Saül est venu à Jérusalem, il a tenté de rejoindre les disciples (Actes 9,26). Il avait eu un changement de cœur, mais les disciples ne le savaient pas, alors ils étaient naturellement réticents envers lui. En effet, connaissant son passé et le fait qu'il avait persécuté les chrétiens, ils avaient peur de lui. C'était seulement parce que l'Esprit était actif dans le cœur de Saül qu'il était capable de les convaincre qu'il n'était plus un ennemi, mais plutôt un de leurs compagnons. En fait, il devint un ardent prédicateur - au point où il devait lui-même être protégé contre ceux qui voulaient lui faire du mal (cf Actes 9,29).
Le Seigneur est en train de préparer les jeunes de notre paroisse et leur donner le courage de proclamer leur foi. C'est l'un des dons que l'Esprit éveille dans nos coeurs. Alors que nous grandissons jusqu'à l'âge adulte, les dons de l'Esprit nous aident également à croître dans notre compréhension des plans particuliers que Dieu a pour chacun de nous. Tout ce que nous devons faire chaque jour, c'est de nous souvenir que Dieu vit dans nos coeurs et que nous sommes branchés à lui comme les branches d'une vigne énorme (cf Jn 15,1).
À mesure que nous devenons de plus en plus conscients des dons de l'Esprit vivant dans nos coeurs et actifs dans nos vies, nous sommes de plus en plus conscients des façons dont Dieu se fait connaître. Les Écritures se réfèrent à notre connaissance de la présence de Dieu en tant que fruits de l'Esprit. Plus nous sommes conscients de la présence de Jésus dans nos vies, plus nous sommes conscients de l'Esprit qui agit en nous. Cette présence de Jésus et l'œuvre de l'Esprit sont de purs dons. Rien de ce que nous faisons ne pourrait jamais gagner ce cadeau, mais nous sommes ceux qui bénéficient de ces dons, et c'est à nous de partager ces cadeaux avec toutes personnes que nous rencontrons.
Prions cette semaine pour les jeunes qui se préparent à célébrer la Confirmation la fin de semaine prochaine, et n’aimons pas en paroles ni par des discours, mais par des actes et en vérité (1 Jn 3, 18), et laissons-nous émerveiller de l'Esprit qui est à l’oeuvre.
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