SALT LAKE CITY — The Sacrament of Confirmation for 111 adults from 20 parishes from throughout the Diocese of Salt Lake City was celebrated June 2 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.
In his homily prior to conferring the sacrament, Bishop Oscar A. Solis thanked the candidates “for making yourselves ready for the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation,” he said, explaining that Jesus promised to send the Spirit as an advocate “to teach us about everything that we need to know to maintain our relationship with God.”
In the first reading for the day, Ez 36:24-28, the congregation heard God promise the Israelites that they would be his people, and he would be their god. For humankind, maintaining that relationship becomes more difficult as they go through life because of sin and the temptations of the world, the bishop said.
“We become confused; we don’t know any more what is important in life,” he said.
The Gospel reading for the day was Mt 5:1-12, known as the Sermon on the Mount.
To guide people, Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, telling them to be poor in spirit, to be humble, to be peacemakers and to be joyful in the face of persecution because of their faith, Bishop Solis said. Also, the gifts of the Holy Spirit received in the Sacrament of Confirmation “will inspire you and empower you to be able to live your faith strongly and courageously in the midst of many trials and difficulties in life,” he said.
“It is our hope that when you receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it will inspire you and empower you to be able to change your life completely and become true followers of Jesus and members of our faith community,” the bishop added.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is also a celebration of Catholics’ mission, he said, explaining that with the Sacrament of Baptism Catholics become children of God, and with Confirmation “we become soldiers of Christ. The Sacrament of Confirmation reminds us of our mission, to share in the mission of proclaiming the gospel of love and salvation by the way we believe, by the way we love and by the way we serve one another. … We hope that you realize that when you get confirmed, the doors of the Church are wide open for your full and active participation in the life of your parish community so that being confirmed now – full members of our church – you will become more active in helping the priest and everyone to build the Kingdom of God in our midst, to make the world know that God exists, that God loves, that God cares, that God still saves us.”
Stay Connected With Us