Let’s reflect on the sacrament of confirmation which strengthens in our soul the sanctifying grace we received in baptism and enables us to profess our faith as strong and perfect Christians and witnesses of Jesus Christ.
I remember when I was eleven years old and received the grace of this sacrament. The religious education teacher gave us a definition of confirmation and told us to memorize it in case the Bishop asked us what it was during the Mass. Believe it or not, he did ask and I quickly raised my hand and rattled off the definition:

“Confirmation is a sacrament in which the Holy Spirit comes to us in a special way and enables us to profess our faith as strong and perfect Christians and soldiers of Jesus Christ”.

Needless to say, my teacher sat up tall in her chair as the Bishop’s face reflected satisfaction at the response. I must admit, I felt pretty good too as my companions turned to give me a thumbs up! What does this definition say?

We already received the Holy Spirit in Baptism, but Confirmation strengthens his presence in our souls for a particular reason. We are maturing in our faith and are called to bear witness to the presence of God in our lives. This is not easy in a world that can often be aggressive toward what we believe. God wants us to know that we are not alone. The Holy Spirit within us will be our guide to lead us in the testimony we are called to give to the world of what it means to be Catholic. Like Baptism, it leaves a mark or seal in our soul, not only as belonging to Christ but as being his witnesses before the world. This is what it means to be soldiers of Jesus Christ. He commanded us to go out to all the world and tell the good news because he wants to conquer the hearts of all his children and let them know what he has done for them. He wants those of us who have received this gift to share it with everyone.

The Holy Spirit sends us forth but not without his gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord as well as the theological virtues of faith, hope and love and the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude. All of these were given us in baptism but now are strengthened for our sending forth. The Holy Spirit will always do his part, but we need to do ours as well. We need to study our faith and grow in prayer, reading and meditating on the Sacred Scriptures and steering clear of sin and vice.

The Holy Spirit is the sweet guest of our soul. If we pay attention we can hear his inspirations throughout the day as he leads us to do good and avoid evil. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. I pray his presence will make us holier every day so that like Christ we can please the Father by fulfilling his will in our lives and being true witnesses to the love of God within us. God bless you all!

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Thomas Bennett

If you would like information about receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the respective personnel below. 

Ages 6-17: Agustina Espino
(480)969-9166 x3205
[email protected]

Adults 18 & Older: Deacon Tom Phelan
(480)969-9166 x3214
[email protected]