Confirmation Mass, Abbot Placid Solari presides
June 2, 2022 •
You who are to be confirmed this evening are to receive that power from on High, the power that demonstrates itself in all those fruits of the spirit, to go and change the anger, the hatred, the bitterness, the lies, the discrimination that has disfigured the face of the earth. Not that you're going to change it all by yourself. It's going to be God's power working through each of you one at a time.
But we're celebrating here that gift of the Holy Spirit that was first poured out on the apostles at Pentecost - that great feast we're going to celebrate this Sunday as we close out our fifty days of rejoicing at Easter.
In that upper room on Pentecost, were likely fewer people than are gathered here this evening. And yet, because of the power with which they were clothed from on high, down generation to generation, to generation, to you who are to be confirmed this evening, that good news of the Gospel has been passed on throughout the whole world.
You are saying this evening that you wish to continue that. That you will be faithful witnesses to people not yet born. That you will pass on that faith so that the good news of the Gospel can continue to renew the face of the earth until the Lord comes again.
The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to each one as the Spirit knows we need, and can accept, and can use. Too often, we spend a lot of time and energy - or we waste a lot of time and energy - looking at everybody else's gifts. And wishing we had those. In doing that, not only does it oftentimes burden us with sadness, and even jealousy, but it's also the work of the evil one in distracting us from the work we ought to do in developing the gifts of the Spirit as given to me.
Reflect on that as we celebrate the Sacrament this evening and in days to come: what are those gifts with which God through the Holy Spirit has outfitted each of you? So that in the unique way each of you will be called to do so, you can be faithful friends of Jesus. And people will recognize that in you and perhaps be changed.
Don't worry about anybody else's gifts. What are the ones that God in His wisdom, in His knowledge, and in His abundant love for each of you, has decided - out of love for you - to give you? What are the gifts that you have received?
It's with those that the Holy Spirit has outfitted you, that you will be faithful friends of Jesus.
Homily begins at 11:24