Like I Was Saying…
Let’s not mince words, being a Christian is tough these days. Don’t get me wrong, Christians have had it worse. Like being a Christian during Nero’s reign couldn’t have been fun. Or during the Christos War just under a hundred years ago.
It’s worse for Catholics. After SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, the Catholic Church took a brunt of the Left’s ire. This isn’t to say our Protestant brothers and sisters church’s were attacked - maybe they were - I just didn’t see it.
I bring this up because tonight I had a conversation
with a family friend about his daughter going through Confirmation.
Now Confirmation is a big deal in the Catholic Church (or at least it should be).
Now before Jesus went to prepare heaven for us, He promised a Spirit that would guide the Church and its believers in the faith.
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, his followers gathered in an Upper room when things took a strange turn, we’re taking a mighty wind that probably would blown doors open and windows out. Then tongues of fire descended from the ceiling, landed in their heads, and infused those that were there with the faith.
Now, a couple of things, the apostles and the women that were there had surly lived a couple of interesting years. They had walked with God incarnate. They had leaned, our faith tells us, by God in the person of Jesus Christ.
They also had witnessed an series of incredible miracles, namely, a man risen from the dead. The resurrected Christ, the Apostles tell us, did other miracles as well.
Still, when Saint Peter came out of that upper room, he preached the gospel, and converted almost five thousand people and thus began the Christian faith. As Catholics we mark this as the beginning of the Catholic Church.
But you see, both the Apostles had seen these miracles. They understood, better than us in this day and age to overwhelmed by the Gospel messages
These days people confirmed by the Catholic Church are what I call “Check List Catholics.”
The Church, for reasons I don’t quite understand, took this moment and added to the pageantry of the Catholic faith. They made confirmation as part of a right of passage in the Catholic faith. It’d become part of a checklist to do, rather than experience.
I bring this up because a family friend is having his daughter be confirmed. His take is not force his daughter to be Catholic.
Being Catholic means something, as is being Confirmed.
It means not only should your follow and love Christ. It also means to be a disciple of Christ.
It also means taking about Jesus to people that haven’t heard of Him and trying to convince those that have that He’s worth following.
It means preaching freedom to the enslaved. Slavery is easy and freedom in Christ is difficult.
Like all Christians, I’m an imperfect vessel for the Gospel message.
If nothing else, I know being a Catholic isn’t easy and it should never be.
So my advice to my friend, was sure let her do the classes, maybe, God willing, she’ll be overwhelmed by the Gospel message, but it’s not a choice it’s a lifestyle.