GARY – Pentecost, a time when Christians remember and celebrate the day the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus' followers, took on new meaning for adults who arrived at the Cathedral of Holy Angels on June 8 to receive the sacrament of confirmation.
In a full cathedral, confirmandi were joined by family and friends as they renewed their baptismal promises and declared their desire to receive the sacrament of confirmation.
During the homily, Bishop Robert J. McClory shared the history of the chrism oil that would be used to anoint the candidates. He explained that the Oil of Chrism, which is blessed at a special Chrism Mass each year, is a mixture of olive oil and balsam that emits a fragrance.
“St. Paul tells us that we are the aroma of Christ,” said the bishop. “Our lives, as baptized Christians, should exude, and does exude, like a fragrance very pleasing to the Lord.”
Bishop McClory noted that upon consecrating the Oil of Chrism on Holy Thursday, he breathes into the vessel containing the oil as a symbol that the Holy Spirit will work through those it touches.
Turning to the Gospel reading for the day (John 20:19-23), Bishop McClory recounted the story of Pentecost, when the apostles gathered in an upper room and Jesus infused the Holy Spirit among them using the words “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
“We're told that the Holy Spirit came with a noise like a strong driving wind,” said Bishop McClory. “We also see the breath of God at work in the very act of creation and the account that gives us God breathing into the clay and mankind is brought forward. When Jesus was on the cross, we're told he breathed his last and said, ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit’ and that very breath goes forward.”
He continued, “All these signs, and all the ways that this is imparted, is to make very real the fact that the Holy Spirit is going to be poured upon you today.”
Bishop McClory explained that in baptism, children receive the Holy Spirit. They are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit. However, the bishop stated that it's very clear that there is an additional laying on of hands that is seen in the scriptural accounts, specifically in the prayer for the Holy Spirit.
“What comes with confirmation is more of the Holy Spirit, more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, wisdom and right judgment, understanding, knowledge, holy fear in God's presence, piety that the Lord gives for us,” he said. “It means that our lives can be infused with the Holy Spirit, and so we can ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and to allow his gifts to be working in our lives.”
The bishop encouraged those being confirmed to continue to call upon the Holy Spirit, live out the grace of the sacrament with gratitude, and spread and defend the faith by word and deed.
“Whenever Jesus gave the Holy Spirit, once they received that gift, they couldn't contain themselves from sharing the good news of Jesus,” Bishop McClory said. “There was a before and an after. They were given confidence when before, they had fear.”
The bishop said being a follower of Jesus isn’t about hiding the faith but sharing it, adding that the most important relationship one has is their relationship with Jesus.
Samantha Martinez, of Lake Station, shared that she wanted to be confirmed to deepen her faith. She had a desire to receive the sacrament when she was younger, but was unable to due to some family reasons at the time.
“Once I grew up, I knew I wanted to be closer to God and decided to take the necessary religious classes,” she said.
Yasmine Tapia, of Hobart, grew up going to Mass every Sunday as a child. She loved attending services but some tough times in her life temporarily pulled her away from the Church.
“But I started going to Church again and found God,” she said. “He has always been there for me.”
Tapia was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy after receiving the sacrament with her family present. Even though she was confirmed later in life, she explained she still felt a sense of accomplishment and shared, “It’s never too late to go back.”
“There is always a space here for you, and you’re always welcome,” she said of the Catholic Church.
Michaline Florek, of Crown Point, originally thought she missed her opportunity to go through confirmation, assuming it was required at a young age. After speaking with Father Ian Williams at St. Helen, she learned she could still be confirmed as an adult.
“There’s a feeling of contentment in my heart,” she said, following the Mass.
Florek chose Anne as her confirmation name, honoring Jesus’s grandmother. Florek felt a connection to the saint who was a seamstress, as she also enjoys sewing.
