What is initiation? According to the dictionary initiation means a “ceremony…. by which somebody is admitted to a group, organization, or religion.”
In our Catholic Faith we have three sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. They are the three primary sacraments, on which the rest of our life as a Christian depends. In the early church they were tied very closely together, but now the three sacraments are celebrated at different milestones in our spiritual lives.
This weekend at Sacred Heart we will witness and celebrate as some of our children reach these different milestones and receive the sacraments of initiation.
We celebrate with Andrew and Cecilia as their son, Dominic, is welcomed into our parish family and is baptized as a child of God. Baptism is the first of the Sacraments of Initiation and is our entrance into the Church. Through Baptism, we are washed clean of Original Sin and receive sanctifying grace, the life of God within our souls. This grace prepares us for the other sacraments that we will receive and helps us to live our lives as Christians. We pray for Dominic and all of our newly baptized that the light of Christ will shine brightly in their souls.
On Saturday morning, sixty-four of our high school youth will be confirmed in the Holy Spirit. Traditionally, Confirmation is usually received as a teenager several years after making First Communion. The Catholic Church teaches that confirmation is the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation. Confirmation makes our Baptism perfect. It gives us the grace and fortitude to live our lives as Catholic Christian boldly and proudly. This is expressed in the Rite of Confirmation when it states:
By the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.
We pray for our Confirmation Candidates that they will be blessed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and that they may use their gifts to be true witnesses to the faith.
The third Sacrament of Initiation is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Forty-six of young brothers and sisters will be receiving their First Communion on Sunday. Eucharist is the only one of the three Sacraments of Initiation that we can receive frequently, and if possible, daily. In Holy Communion, we consume the Body and Blood of Christ, which unites us more closely to Jesus and helps us to grow in grace by living a more Christian life. We pray for our young brothers and sisters that they may always have the eager enthusiasm to meet our Lord and Savior in Holy Eucharist.
As we prepare to celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation this weekend, I reflect on my own Sacraments of Initiation. I thank God for my parents and family who brought me to church as a baby to be baptized. They laid the strong foundation of my faith. I personally do not remember Fr. Lovas, but I remember the stories of my baptism day. He told me to “hurry back.” These words also helped to form the strong foundation of my faith as I come back to Mass to be nourished by the Word and fed by the Eucharist.
I received my First Communion in second grade and Fr. Cody and Fr. Snyder were the priests. It was a special day. It was near my birthday, and I had a pretty white dress. These are fond memories, but the best memory was the feelings of total love that consumed me after receiving the Body of Christ. I felt filled and satisfied.
When I was confirmed in ninth grade, Fr. Mountain was our pastor and Bishop Watters was our Bishop. I could hardly contain all the excitement I felt dancing inside of me. I selected Mary, Mother of God as my saint name. I wanted Mary to be my role model to be able say, “Let your will be done.” How do I choose my sponsor? Can I have more than one? Can I have male sponsors? Yes….Choose sponsors who will support you in your faith and that you can have a faith relationship with. What better sponsors could I select than my two older brothers? They stood by me and supported the foundation my parents laid for me at my baptism. We continue to support each other on our faith journeys.
Today, my foundation is sturdy and my faith is unshakable. No storm can shake my inmost calm because I am clinging to the rock…Jesus. I am blessed to be able to share my faith journey with the youth to help them build on their foundation and cling to the rock.
Have you thought about your sacraments of initiation? Do you share your story? Our bible and faith was first handed down through the word of mouth. Let’s keep faith flowing and share our stories to build upon that Rock.
Blessings,
Sue
