As you know, each Sunday during Easter Season
I have been focusing on one of the sacraments.
This Sunday – when we recall the Ascension of our Lord
back to the heights of heaven – I want to talk about confirmation.
Does that surprise you? It surprises me!
Originally I was going to talk about it next week, on Pentecost,
which would seem an obvious tie-in.
Naturally, you would expect me to talk about
Jesus returning to heaven.
However, I want you to notice something in the readings we heard:
When Jesus talks about his ascending to heaven,
he himself ties it to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit “in a few days.”
So it seems that the Ascension is pretty closely tied to Pentecost.
Jesus said elsewhere in the Gospel that he had to return to heaven,
Precisely in order to send the Holy Spirit to them.
If you are wondering why, let me explain it this way.
Every Thursday we have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, all day.
And during the school year – and a few times over the summer –
we have a time for children to adore Jesus.
Meanwhile, I’m hearing confessions.
When I come out of the confessional,
lots of children’s eyes turn toward me! That’s what kids do, right?
But of course, I don’t want them looking at me –
their gaze belongs on Jesus, who is on the altar.
So I walk out of sight, so they look at Jesus.
Similarly, Jesus knew that as long as he remained on earth,
the believers would not discover the power of the Holy Spirit.
They would not discover the power of the sacraments.
Think of it: if Jesus stayed on earth in his body –
the way he was with the Apostles –
then everyone would want to go wherever he is.
If he travelled the world, people could see him –
maybe from a distance. The pope travels the world.
How many people have gotten close to him?
How many people have even talked to him?
So Jesus said: it is better for you that I go.
That caused us to turn our gaze to the Holy Spirit, and the sacraments.
And as a result, everyone, everywhere,
can be as close to Jesus as possible, every day, all the time.
Now let’s talk about the sacrament of confirmation.
And just as the Ascension and Pentecost go together,
So the sacraments of baptism and confirmation go together.
The Catechism tells us that “in the first centuries
Confirmation generally comprised one single celebration with Baptism,
forming with it a ‘double sacrament,’”
in the words of St. Cyprian (CCC 1290).
This is still what we do when someone old enough
to understand the sacraments wants to be baptized.
So this past Easter, we had a second-grader be baptized, confirmed,
and make her first Holy Communion, all at the same Mass.
If you try to think about confirmation apart from baptism,
it’s hard to explain.
We say, you receive the Holy Spirit; except, that happens in baptism.
We say, you receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit;
but does that mean you and I don’t receive
the gifts of the Holy Spirit until then?
Baptism is when you and I begin to be a Christian.
We are washed clean and made new.
You and I become another Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit.
One way to understand confirmation is to listen to what the bishop says
as he anoints you with chrism:
“Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
“Be sealed”: those are the key words.
We might think of sealing an envelope: that keeps the contents safe.
Jesus went to a lot of trouble to save us;
he wants to “seal” the life of God, the gifts of God, in our lives.
Another way to think about it
would be to think of how certain documents receive a “seal,”
demonstrating that they are authentic, the real thing;
they are complete, ready to go.
The “seal” of the Holy Spirit means you and I are, in a sense,
“the real thing,” and that we’re “ready to go.”
So this is why whenever someone is in danger of death –
especially young children –
it is proper not only to baptize, but also confirm.
I know that’s not something we like thinking about,
but any priest will gladly come right away
and give your child confirmation, even an infant.
Of course, someone will ask, then why do most of us
receive the sacrament of confirmation later,
in junior high or high school?
The short answer, in a word, is “history.”
Over the centuries, things got rearranged to how it is now,
And that’s what people are used to.
Maybe someday it’ll all be put back to the traditional way,
but don’t hold your breath; most bishops are inclined to leave it as it is.
So for those who aren’t confirmed yet, especially those who expect
to receive the sacrament of confirmation this fall,
my word for you is “get ready.”
Christ wants you to be his representatives – and you are, already;
but there’s still more to learn, more ways to grow.
When you receive the sacrament, Christ is saying, “you’re ready!”
And therefore, for the rest of us who have been confirmed?
It means, “no excuses”! The Holy Spirit has sealed us.
We’re authentic, genuine Christians, the real deal.
That’s a lot to live up to, which is why the other sacraments
are so important, so we really DO live up to it.
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