Sermon Notes
“The Sacrament of Confirmation”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
May 14 – 15, 2022
Gospel: John 13:31-33, 34-35
This is one of those days when we have First Communion which is wonderful. All this hard work is coming to fruition. It is works of love coming to fruition in the Sacraments. Your parents’ love they took in their wedding vows and baptism like their parents before them who brought their marriage vows to fulfillment and brought them to receive divine life in the Faith and the Sacraments. So, I want to thank the parents and teachers for their hard work especially during COVID. I also want to thank the kids. It was rather difficult. Things are always changing. If distance learning is the worst thing that ever happens to you, your life is going to be great. You have to be flexible in life because everything changes. This is a wonderful day. You all look so nice. Now you can come to church every Sunday like that. That would be great. I would love that!
Confirmation is an interesting sacrament. It is one of the three Sacraments you cannot repeat. You cannot repeat Baptism. You cannot repeat any of the three stages of Holy Orders. Confirmation also cannot be repeated. If Last Rites are given to someone and they recover, they can be given Last Rites again later. On this day these young people receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. This is not the first time they will have received Jesus. If you are thinking, “They are receiving Jesus for the first time.” No, they aren’t. That’s blasphemy. It denies the Sacrament of Baptism and Penance. When you receive the Sacrament, you receive the whole Body, and not just pieces of Him. When you receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation, you receive Him in all the Sacraments. You receive the whole Body. But each Sacrament is different at each stage of life. There is the Sacrament of vocations such as marriage and Holy Orders. There is the Sacrament of Last Rites and of a new birth and baptism. Confirmation strengthens us so that we can carry our crosses and become like martyrs of the faithful in this world. This is a great Sacrament to strengthen the soul for the crosses people inflict upon us. All the names they call us – misogynists, homophobic, and blah, blah, blah. Really, is that the best you’ve got? I’ve got a sister who scares rugby players. I had a First Sergeant. You are not going to scare me by calling me names.
Today you receive Holy Communion and, like you did before when you received the Sacrament of Penance, you will receive the most precious Body and Blood of our Lord so that you will be strengthened. The gift of Holy Communion is not like belonging to a particular club where you get prizes. It is a Sacrament of longing – not belonging. Saint Pope John Paul II said, “understanding Holy Communion, a living Sacrament, brings you to the Sacrament of Penance.” Properly prepare for the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This too drives us on to greater love and to seek a greater union with Almighty God. This is why the law of the Church changed. Before, you were only allowed to receive Holy Communion at one Mass per day. But now the law has changed, and you can receive it at every Mass you attend up to three times per day. You want faith strengthened so that you don’t grow tired on this journey. Strength is found in the most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In Holy Communion the actual grace sustains our strength as we carry our cross every day as our Savior. If you sin, that can be fixed through the Sacrament of Penance which takes away and heals the wounds in our soul inflicted by sin. Christ offers you this grace within your soul. Now, you have to use the grace. Grace doesn’t come with its own powers…we have to cooperate. We have to take the necessary actions. For example, if you say, “Oh, I have a headache! God, please cure it.” God says, “Love to. Get up. Walk 10 feet to the bathroom. Take a couple of aspirin. You’ll be fine.” So, we need to cooperate. The same is true for God’s graces. If we cooperate, we can make those graces manifest. Will we always feel it? No. Will we always see results? No. But that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Next week I’ll be on vacation, but you can go to Mass at Saint Luke’s and receive Holy Communion. Will it be different? Probably. You won’t have all the usual people around you. Will it be a little less sad? No. It will be different. Different is not always bad. Different can be good because you grow in love. Now kids, ask your parents, “Mom and dad, is your love greater today than when you first got married?” The answer should be yes. If not, come see me…we need to talk. But it is different. The love has deepened, and it has grown by the acts of God’s grace and through the prayers and sufferings of self-denial. The love of those who are 67 is different than when they were 21. It is deeper, and they have grown closer together. It is far better if they have done it right. The same is true for you with Holy Communion. Will you always receive spiritual thrills? No. Does that mean it doesn’t work? No. It always works. Each day I have to take a bunch of pills because I’m old. Do I feel each of those pills working? No. Do I know they work? Yes. How do I know they work? By using a blood pressure cuff. If I don’t take the pills…oops! Bad move. I know they work even though I don’t feel it. Just because you don’t feel something, doesn’t mean it’s not working. Let me ask you, “Do you feel or see your guardian angel?” I have once. His name is Bruce. God really has a sense of humor. You don’t feel it, but it’s always there. He/she/it…spirits have no gender. When you are away at school, do you feel your parents’ love? You see it. I saw it in a brown bag lunch and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I like peanut butter and jelly. I could always tell who made my sandwich by how much jelly was on the sandwich. Mom always put more than Dad. I always knew. So just because you don’t feel it, doesn’t mean it’s not working. Don’t ever say, “I’m doing something wrong. It’s not working.” That’s not true…it always works. Be confident and don’t let anything keep you away from the Sacrament. Come as often as you can, even during the week for extra credit. John Paul II said, “Penance prepares you for the Sacrament. And you will be happy.
Students, may I ask for a favor? Today, before you go home, thank your teachers and your parents for bringing you to this day because you don’t drive do you? Tell me you don’t drive. We have cops in the congregation…so please tell me you don’t drive. You can’t really get here on your own. And no matter how adorable you all think you are, there are times when you are less than adorable and have caused your parents and teachers great anguish. Thank them for their acts of love and sacrifice that they made to get you here today. The most important prayer you can ever say is the prayer of thank you.
How will you apply this message to your life?
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.” Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”