Next Saturday, Feb. 18, at 10:00 a.m., our St. Joseph Religious Ed 8th graders will be confirmed by Bishop Malloy. This celebration will take place at St. Patrick, McHenry, combined with St. Mary, McHenry as well. Please pray for our young people as they approach this beautiful Sacrament of Confirmation. It is a good class from St. Joseph’s and if they truly embrace the Lord and are sustained by our prayers and encouragement, they will impact the Church in very positive ways.
Confirmation is not a rite of passage from young Catholic to adult. This Sacrament is a means to personally embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Master of one’s life. It is an individual and personal effort of intimacy with Christ and includes a sincere desire to make the Catholic Faith a central part of life and maturity. There is no passage from here to there. There is only a building upon what has been handed on accompanied by a true and abiding desire to grow more holy and in so doing discover the many ways one can save their soul.
No longer are the Confirmandi riding on the hopes of their parents or others. Confirmation is a single act of personal decision to ride in the arms of Christ, being led and lifted up by His desire that you not be lost, but find eternal life. Accepting this call or vocation is an essential ingredient to spiritual maturity. Every person born into this world must choose in favor of God and His eternal plan. Confirmation is a firm “Yes!” along the journey of finding our way home (Heaven) to God. It is a daring risk, a bold choice, a necessary step.
I pray for all of our St. Joseph Confirmandi that they accept the call of Jesus Christ to “Come and follow Me!” I can guarantee that the road will be challenging, but, it will never be dull or empty. God bless you all. Welcome to the fullness of Faith and the life of the Church!