We celebrate the sacrament of confirmation today. We want to thank all of our youth for being so patient during the pandemic. The big day is finally here for us to be able to celebrate with you. The readings we are using today are the readings for the feast day of St Alphonsus Liguori, the saint we celebrate today. I know that you all chose saints for your patron saint for the sacrament of confirmation, a tradition we have in our faith. Throughout the history of Christianity, God has sent different people to found religious orders, to bring a certain charism to our Catholic faith and to bring a certain message to the world. Yesterday, the saint of the day was St Ignatius of Loyola, who in the time of the Protestant Reformation founded the Jesuits, an order who has sent missionaries all of the world. The Jesuits pledged their allegiance in a special way to the Pope at a time when the authority of the Pope was being questioned. Today, we celebrate Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He was born into a noble family in Naples in Italy. He actually worked in a very prestigious career as a lawyer before becoming a priest. St Alphonsus founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer – the Redemptorists – in 1732. This congregation’s goal was to teach and preach to the poor in the cities, to bring the Gospel to that reality. God used Alphonsus Liguori and the Redemptorists in preaching his message in a very specific way, in bringing his message of love and mercy to the world. He encouraged people to have a strong devotion to Mary and the Blessed Sacrament.
We hear a wonderful Gospel message today as we celebrate your confirmation. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us that we are to the salt of the earth - to bring a special flavor and seasoning to the world. Also, we are called to be a light shining in the world. We are not to cover our light, to hide it, to be afraid to have our light shine. Rather, we are to shine our light all over the world. We live in a world today where a lot of people want to destroy things and tear things down. Yet, Jesus tells us that he came not to destroy the law and the message of the prophets that God had previously, but rather, he came to fulfill and build up. That is a great message we are to hear today, how we can be a light in a good way, how we can bring the message of God to the world in a productive, healthy way.
When I think of the sacrament of confirmation, I think of the Holy Spirit, how the Holy Spirit comes to all of you in a special way to bless you and to fill you with the love of God. Normally, the bishop comes to us here at St Jude to celebrate this sacrament, but due to the pandemic, he has delegated this sacrament to his pastors. He sends all of you his blessings and best wishes as we celebrate this wonderful sacrament with all of you and your families and with our community of faith here at St Jude.
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