Although I celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation many times each year, this sacrament never becomes routine for me.  Each celebration is an occasion for me to renew my own dedication and devotion to the Holy Spirit who abides within me to empower me to fulfill the responsibilities the Lord has entrusted to me and to encourage others to do the same.

     Sunday is the Feast of Pentecost.  Adult parishioners from many parishes will come to Holy Angels Cathedral to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to empower them to grow in their relationship with the Lord Jesus and to witness to Jesus in word and in action in their families and workplaces.

     We can best appreciate what the Holy Spirit does for us by examining the important role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus.  Jesus was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit:  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Lk 1:35).

     Luke began his narration of Jesus’ public ministry by telling us how, on the occasion of His Baptism, “the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, …” empowering Him for His mission (Lk 3:22).

     When Jesus preached His first homily in the synagogue at Nazareth, He selected as His text this passage from Isaiah:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor” (Lk 4:18).

     After Jesus suffered, died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, He chose to continue His mission of bringing truth, peace, justice, reconciliation, and love into the world through us, His Church, His living Body.  What a daunting responsibility!  How would we ever be up to this task?

     At the Last Supper, Jesus promised several times that He would not leave us orphans.  Rather, He would remain with us through His Holy Spirit. The Spirit would dwell within the Church and in the hearts of the faithful as in a temple.  The Spirit would sanctify the Church unceasingly and enable us to have access to the Father through Christ.  The Spirit would be a source of life for us, a fountain of living water welling up even to eternal life.

     Before ascending into heaven, Jesus told the apostles:  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you; then you are to be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

     We are never alone.  We are not weak.  We are not powerless.  In the Sacrament of Confirmation, Jesus enlivens us with His Holy Spirit so that we might continue His mission.  The Holy Spirit enables us to be Jesus’ hands, feet, eyes, ears, and heart to those with whom we live and work, as well as others in our society.  The Holy Spirit inspires us to touch the hearts and minds of others.  It is through us, empowered by the Holy Spirit, that Jesus now brings peace, hope, joy, compassion, and the mercy of our Heavenly Father.

     In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we receive the power and the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, we have nothing to fear.  We are not alone.  The Holy Spirit guides and directs us to meet any challenge and carry any cross.  Can anything be more reassuring or comforting?  We can say with St. Paul that when I am weak, it is then that I am strong for I rely not on my power but on the power of God within me.

     As we celebrate Holy Mass on the Feast of Pentecost, let us reflect upon the words of Jesus:  “Peace be with you…as the Father has sent me, so I send you…Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:19f)