This Sunday, May 1st, our parish will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation of 58 young men and women. These candidates have been in formation for the past two years. They have learned how to deepen their faith in God through prayer and service to God’s people. They also have participated in retreats, interviews, and community outreach. These young men and women are now deemed ready to be presented to Bishop Oscar Cantú for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

This is certainly not a graduation from any formation, but it is an expression of the candidates’ full awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit actively working in their lives. In the Rite of Confirmation, the bishop invokes the Holy Spirit to shower down His seven-fold gifts of wisdom, understanding, fortitude, knowledge, fear of the Lord, piety, and counsel. I believe these gifts are so important for us and especially for these candidates. They need the Holy Spirit to guide them in their daily decisions and help them understand and be aware of God’s presence and love.

In this the rite, the bishop anoints the candidates with the Oil of Sacred Chrism using these words: “Be Sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.” This means to say that the Holy Spirit is in each one of us, lives with us and no one can take that away from us. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us to continue discovering who we really are as beloved son and daughters of God. It is this same Holy Spirit that we need to share with others – sharing the Spirit’s fruits of patience, joy, faithfulness, love, kindness, peace, goodness gentleness, and self-control.

As Henri Nouwen writes, the Spirit that is in us “is the breath of God, breathing in us. God’s spirit is more intimate to us than we are to ourselves. We might not often be aware of it, but without it we cannot live a ‘spiritual life.” It is the Holy Spirit of God, who, as St. Paul says, teaches us how we ought to pray. It is the Holy Spirit who offers us the life that death cannot destroy.

This weekend, join me in congratulating our candidates for Confirmation. Let us pray for them, along with their parents and sponsors. Let us also congratulate and thank Mr. Row David, our Confirmation Coordinator, and all of those who helped him in the formation of these candidates.

To our Confirmandi: blessings to all of you!