Fr. John Ryan

 

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

6th May 2007

 

Last Wednesday we celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation in the parish Forty five young people were 'sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit'. In the presence of the bishop they renewed their baptismal promises and then approached for the sacrament that confirms them in their faith and grants them the gift of the Spirit of God. It was a special day for them and their families. Blessed by a sunny day, all the planning bore fruit and the ceremony went without hitch.
On the 20th of May the children who have been preparing for first Holy Communion will receive the person of Jesus in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. They are excited and no doubt the planning for that day is well under way. In fact, from the point of view of school and parish it has been ongoing since last October. Please God, the 20th will be another beautiful sunny day.
Such days as these. Confirmation and the First Holy Communion, are indeed special days. They are special for the people receiving the sacrament, for their families and the faith community. What is important to remember however, is that they are not the only days in the spiritual life of the individual. They are milestones and in themselves grace-filled moments but are so in order to transform the 'ordinary' days into Christ-filled days. First Holy Communion, for instance, is precisely that, first Holy Communion. It is envisaged as the beginning of a spiritual journey travelled with Christ who nourishes us along the path of life. It is meant to be the first of many. In fact, it is meant to be the first of a weekly celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Confirmation is not just a landmark day in the growth and development of our young people. It is not merely a rite of passage. Rather, it is the marking of the continuing relationship between the person confirmed and God. It is the sacrament of promise - God with his people and his people acknowledging him as present. It is a sacrament of mission whereby the individual confirmed takes on board the apostolate of God's Church: the apostolate of Faith, Hope, Love and, as the bishop highlighted on Wednesday, Joy. We are asked always to be a joyful people, living our lives in the sure and certain hope that Jesus, Our Saviour reveals God to us, gives his life for us and rises from the dead to reconcile us with our God. In Confirmation we make a concrete commitment to witness to that in the world, bringing the message of Jesus with us wherever we are and whatever we are doing.
The missionary aspect of our faith response is one often lost to us. We tend to see mission as something that takes place many hundreds of miles away from us. The truth is different. Wherever the Gospel of Jesus is not actively in place then mission is necessary. Wherever justice and peace are absent, mission is necessary. Wherever truth is compromised, mission is necessary. And mission is for all of us. We are all called to be missionary. In fact, the very conclusion of our Liturgy highlights it and reminds us of the role we must play. It is something that, sadly, some do not wait to hear. In the blessing and dismissal there is a vital component of our being a truly eucharistic community - the Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. These are not just words to be spoken but sentiments to be lived. Inspired by love of God we are asked to serve him, to do his work throughout the week.
May our celebration of the great sacramental moments during this month of May open all our hearts to understand the importance of this mission in our own lives and may those who have received the sacrament of Confirmation and will receive First Holy Communion will see their special day as a new chapter of their faith story and not the closing of the door to Christ.