Monday, May 22, 2006
Of Things Divine: Rite of Sending for Confirmation, 6 Easter-B
There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13)
George Koskimak’s book D-Day with the Sreaming Eagles details the courage of the paratroopers who launched the invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944. They willingly gave their lives that their comrades in arms might land more safely on the beaches of Normandy. In one company alone, 219 men jumped from planes and only 73 survived. These brave men lived out the meaning of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. They died that their friends might live.
There are other examples of such selfless sacrifice; here’s another. Maximillan Kolbe, a Polish priest imprisoned at Auschwitz by the Nazi’s in World War II for preaching the Gospel and distributing a Catholic newsletter dedicated to Our Lady, willingly offered his own life as a ransom from another man, who was a husband and father, chosen to be executed one day. Rather than just shoot Fr. Kolbe, the Nazis put him into the “hell hole”, a tiny box with little ventilation, expecting him to die of starvation and dehydration, but he was alive every time they checked on him. Finally they had to give Fr. Kolbe a lethal inject to kill him. Fr. Kolbe had a great love that he gave to the man who was able to live because of the sacrifice of the holy priest.
My dear friends, this morning we have some young people who seek the Sacrament of Confirmation. In their preparation for this sacrament they have learned that through the Sacrament of Confirmation they are sealed by the Holy Spirit so as to be recognized as witnesses to the Risen Christ in a world that doesn’t necessarily believe in Jesus or wants to distort his story to suit its own fanciful imagination, like what the author Dan Brown did with The DaVinci Code.
These young people have learned that sometimes there is a price to pay to be witnesses to Jesus in modern society. Hard choices have to be made about the way they choose to live. With fashion moguls using less and less material to promote their product lines, they have to choose between “being in” or to bearing witness to Christ through modesty. Will they be able to face the taunts of they choose not to promote sensuality but fidelity to Jesus? One of the most difficult things for young people of every generation is to remember that fashions come and go but that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and it is he to who they promise to give witness in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Yet, they come to us today for our affirmation of their resolve.
Their willingness to make a commitment to be witnesses to Jesus, meaning that they are ready to be martyrs (the Greek word for “witnesses”) in his name and for the glory of God prompts us to ponder the type of witness we give to Christ. Does our allegiance to him direct our days? Is it a factor when we choose to go to a movie or watch television? Does our willingness to die for Christ impact the way we govern our families? Does it influence the freedoms we allow our children to have in the way they dress or in the way they talk to and about others? Is our desire to love Christ powerful enough to bleach the language that we use?
The sacrifice of the paratroopers and Jesus’ words today invite us to take inventory of our own spirit of sacrifice. How willing are we to sacrifice – if not to the point of sacrificing my life, at least to the point of sacrificing our comfort and our time?
I know of a few people that could use your sacrifice of some time and talent. Just call the folks in charge of the Italian Festival. They need everyone’s help! The festival benefits the entire parish, so we all have a vested interest in its success.
There are a number of faceless people that need your help, too. Have you made your contribution to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal? Your selfless gift to the needy in our midst means a part of you dies so someone else may have a glimmer of hope and life. If you find it difficult to support “the bishop” let it be your pride that dies and your humility to live through your gift.
Thomas Gibbons once wrote:
That man may last, but never does,
Who much receives, but nothing gives;
Whom none can love … none can thank,
Creation’s blot, creation’s blank.
There is no great love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Your greatest friend is Jesus.
George Koskimak’s book D-Day with the Sreaming Eagles details the courage of the paratroopers who launched the invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944. They willingly gave their lives that their comrades in arms might land more safely on the beaches of Normandy. In one company alone, 219 men jumped from planes and only 73 survived. These brave men lived out the meaning of Jesus’ words in today’s gospel. They died that their friends might live.
There are other examples of such selfless sacrifice; here’s another. Maximillan Kolbe, a Polish priest imprisoned at Auschwitz by the Nazi’s in World War II for preaching the Gospel and distributing a Catholic newsletter dedicated to Our Lady, willingly offered his own life as a ransom from another man, who was a husband and father, chosen to be executed one day. Rather than just shoot Fr. Kolbe, the Nazis put him into the “hell hole”, a tiny box with little ventilation, expecting him to die of starvation and dehydration, but he was alive every time they checked on him. Finally they had to give Fr. Kolbe a lethal inject to kill him. Fr. Kolbe had a great love that he gave to the man who was able to live because of the sacrifice of the holy priest.
My dear friends, this morning we have some young people who seek the Sacrament of Confirmation. In their preparation for this sacrament they have learned that through the Sacrament of Confirmation they are sealed by the Holy Spirit so as to be recognized as witnesses to the Risen Christ in a world that doesn’t necessarily believe in Jesus or wants to distort his story to suit its own fanciful imagination, like what the author Dan Brown did with The DaVinci Code.
These young people have learned that sometimes there is a price to pay to be witnesses to Jesus in modern society. Hard choices have to be made about the way they choose to live. With fashion moguls using less and less material to promote their product lines, they have to choose between “being in” or to bearing witness to Christ through modesty. Will they be able to face the taunts of they choose not to promote sensuality but fidelity to Jesus? One of the most difficult things for young people of every generation is to remember that fashions come and go but that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and it is he to who they promise to give witness in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Yet, they come to us today for our affirmation of their resolve.
Their willingness to make a commitment to be witnesses to Jesus, meaning that they are ready to be martyrs (the Greek word for “witnesses”) in his name and for the glory of God prompts us to ponder the type of witness we give to Christ. Does our allegiance to him direct our days? Is it a factor when we choose to go to a movie or watch television? Does our willingness to die for Christ impact the way we govern our families? Does it influence the freedoms we allow our children to have in the way they dress or in the way they talk to and about others? Is our desire to love Christ powerful enough to bleach the language that we use?
The sacrifice of the paratroopers and Jesus’ words today invite us to take inventory of our own spirit of sacrifice. How willing are we to sacrifice – if not to the point of sacrificing my life, at least to the point of sacrificing our comfort and our time?
I know of a few people that could use your sacrifice of some time and talent. Just call the folks in charge of the Italian Festival. They need everyone’s help! The festival benefits the entire parish, so we all have a vested interest in its success.
There are a number of faceless people that need your help, too. Have you made your contribution to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal? Your selfless gift to the needy in our midst means a part of you dies so someone else may have a glimmer of hope and life. If you find it difficult to support “the bishop” let it be your pride that dies and your humility to live through your gift.
Thomas Gibbons once wrote:
That man may last, but never does,
Who much receives, but nothing gives;
Whom none can love … none can thank,
Creation’s blot, creation’s blank.
There is no great love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Your greatest friend is Jesus.
