Homily for 6th Sunday After Easter - 14th May 2023

Homily for 6th Sunday After Easter

14th May 2023

The Dromintee and Jonesborough Primary School children celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation gathered two Thursdays ago with their parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, and uncles in St Patrick’s Church in Dromintee. There were nearly a thousand people in the church for this annual event. Fr Seamus had invited Bishop Michael Router to confirm the children, even though during Covid, bishops had delegated the faculty of confirmation to priests, with the pandemic restrictions being lifted, the faculty returned to the bishops. It is fitting then that a Bishop ‘who are the successors of the apostles’ , should confer the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Each child, also known as a candidate, had chosen their own confirmation name, stating it as they approached the bishop with their sponsor. I was reminded of my own Catholic confirmations. I was 23, and my sponsor was my future father-in-law.

In last week’s gospel, we hear Philip the Apostle ask Jesus, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’ Jesus shows his surprise that Philip had been with him so long and still didn’t know him. What I discovered this week, is that I had confused Philip the Apostle with Philip the Evangelist, who is mentioned in this week’s first reading from Acts of the Apostles. Philip the Evangelist was one of seven men chosen to serve the community after the dispute between the Greeks and Hebrews. This Philip was a preacher in Samaria and had baptised the Ethiopian man on his to Gaza from Jerusalem.

Philip’s work in Samaria was heard by the Apostles in Jerusalem, who sent Peter and John so those who had been baptised could receive the Holy Spirit. As the first reading indicates, though the Samarians had been baptised in the name of Jesus, they only received the Holy Spirit after Peter and John, two of the Apostles, had prayed for them and laid hands on them. This is when the institution of the Sacrament of Confirmation occurred.

Philip, as a Deacon could Baptise, as can a priest but the Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred by a Bishop, as Peter and John would have been as one of those gathered at Pentecost, who received the Holy Spirit, like tongues of fire. Confirmation is the fulfilment of Baptism, both imprint an indelible spiritual mark onto the soul, which cannot be removed.

The Catholic Catechism says this is ‘the “character”, which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness”.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church informs us that the Sacraments of ‘Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity’ and we as the faithful are obliged to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at the appropriate time. In our Diocese children in their last year of primary school are presented for confirmation.

This is an important time for them as they are about to embark on a new school progressing from primary to secondary education. As part of their preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation they are informed of this sacrament is one of Christian maturity, which is not to be confused with how old physically you are, as St Thomas Aquinas recognised that even children can demonstrate great Wisdom, because of how the Holy Spirit is working through them.

To demonstrate the unity between Baptism and Confirmation, the candidate is usually sponsored by their godparent, and the renewal of baptismal promises is made. This is where the candidate is asked if they reject Satan, all his works and all his empty promises? Then each line of the Apostle’s Creed is asked as a question to which the candidate responds by saying “I do”.

All of us who have been confirmed are asked to have reverence for Our Lord Jesus Christ within our hearts and to be ready to answer those who do not believe the reasons why you have the hope you do. Even so, we are to remain courteous, respectful, and have a clear conscience, because we will be slandered by others who are against us.

We have to put our trust in God that he will equip us for the challenges we may be asked to face in his name. And to remember Jesus died in body but was raised in spirit. Our Lord promises us that he has sent his Advocate, the Holy Spirit, as witnessed by the Apostles on Pentecost. If we have faith, we will continue to see Jesus working in our lives, even when the world about us does not.

Those of us who are Baptised, Confirmed and today receive the Eucharist are asked to keep Our Lord’s commands, which are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. Whoever loves Jesus, is loved by God the Father. If we do these two commandments Jesus will show himself to us. Through confirmation we have been enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, now we should be witnesses proclaiming the Word.