November 13, 2009
The Bishop's Forum
The other sacraments and the family
by Bishop Gerald A. Gettelfinger
Third in a series: The Sacrament of Confirmation: A promise kept!
In my 48 years of priestly ministry, I am convinced that the Sacrament of Confirmation is the least understood of the seven sacraments yet it is so central to our belief and practice in the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives. I suggest to you these questions: What do you remember about receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation? What did it mean to you then? What does it mean to you now?
Each of you has your own answer as I do. Archbishop Joseph Elmer Ritter of Indianapolis confirmed me at my home parish. I was seven or eight years old and the coming of the Archbishop from Indianapolis was a very special moment as Confirmation was on a three year cycle for our rural parish of St. Bernard Parish in Frenchtown, Indiana.
Several impressions remain with me: “We are to be soldiers of Christ and the bishop is going to slap us.” I was enthralled with his beautiful gold plated crosier (shepherd’s staff). I recall also his question to us out in front of the St. Bernard’s Church after Confirmation: “Who of you are going to be priests?” All of us, boys and girls alike, raised our hands!
Did the gifts of the Holy Spirit come upon us? Absolutely! Did we comprehend it all? Absolutely not! How each of us has responded to the gifts of the Holy Spirit along the continuum of life experience is a matter of personal accountability. Jesus will welcome us home through the door of death accordingly.
Do the natural gifts with which our parents endow us turn out to be real? Absolutely. Do we fully understand how this happens? That is less clear to us. As children, our parents shepherded us to use those personal gifts to the best of our individual ability. Each must be accountable for the response. That is a personal responsibility.
While at home we had to be accountable to our parents but as we grew beyond home each of us discovered a freedom from parental authority — only to discover that we had to be accountable to the larger community. We learned that “freedom of choice” also requires accountability for any choice we make. That is why I use the image of the driver’s license for 16 year-old candidates. They must learn accountability to the State of Indiana. So, too, they must recognize a similar accountability as to how they exercise their God-given gifts, especially that of faith.
Except for life itself, the greatest gift our parents could have shared with us is faith in Jesus who adopted them and each of us in Baptism. It is they who introduced us into Jesus’ extended family. As the first teachers of their children, parents are assisted by god-parents in keeping the light of faith burning in the life of the newly baptized.
However exactly how and when the seeds of faith germinate within the souls of the baptized remains a mystery. We do know from human experience that unless seeds first die to themselves and are nurtured so as to burst into life, they remain fruitless. Jesus implants the seeds of faith within those he adopts through baptism.
In short, Catholic parents who have died unto themselves in order to give life to their children are commissioned to cause that miracle of faith they enjoy to be passed on to their children. For that reason they present their child for the Sacrament of Baptism.
Children first learn of Jesus from them. Without their teaching and example, children never have a chance to come to know Jesus. They with the godparents are challenged at Baptism to keep the light of faith shining in the hearts and lives of their children.
There is one element missing in this formula. Faith is a gift from God. It cannot be earned, yet through the Sacrament of Baptism that gift is planted in the soul of the recipient. The conscious and free response to it, however, is up to the recipient no matter the age.
In addition, the acceptance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation offered by God requires a free act of the will of the recipient. That response cannot be legislated by the bishop, parents, sponsors or anyone else. It resides within the recipient. Nonetheless, as with any gift offered, the response of the intended recipient carries with it accountability.
To put it on a very personal level, when did you make a conscious act of the will to live up to the baptismal promises made at your baptism? How have you responded to the the gifts given to you in Confirmation?
Thank God for the gift of free will.
Next week I will explore other issues around the Sacrament of Confirmation and how it is a matter for all families.