Views from the Pews – Sunday, October 23, 2022

My Dear Brothers & Sisters,

We meet today to initiate into full communion, members of our community.  Most of them are already involved in the life of the community.  We meet for confirmation today at a time when this sacrament is being focused as the Church has stated its intention to return to a practice when baptism was the sacrament that admitted persons to the Eucharist.  This invariably creates questions as to the relevance of Confirmation going forward.

While we can appreciate the rationale to return to our original practice, the reality is that most of us were baptized as infants, as such it was our day of confirmation that we can consciously relate to and it is this sacrament that means for many of us, a formal event signifying the beginning of our Christian Journey.  Many of us remember with fondness this special event.  It is our collective prayer that those who ae being confirmed today will see today as a significant event in their journey with Christ and that it will be a source of inspiration and motivation going forward.

I invite those of us present today both in person and online to support the newly confirmed in their journey, at a time of particular challenges and struggles.  These challenges and struggles are both individual and in society.  I further invite us to see today as an opportunity to renew our confirmation pledges and promises.  The issues we face create questions as to the relevance of the Church, the value of our faith and belief in a culture of materialism and individualism.  I invite us to a time of recommitment to our identity as Christians even as we witness various efforts to define our basic humanity, some of these efforts aimed at questioning this basic humanity. 

I close with elements of the prayers said by the Bishop as part of the liturgy.  “Holy Spirit strengthen us with the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and inward strength, knowledge and true godliness.”

Love and Blessings always

Fr. Eddie