On May 14, 2017, 20 members of the Korean Catholic Community received the sacrament of Confirmation. With excitement and zeal, Bishop Ryan celebrated the Eucharist, sharing that they are a small group but are very much alive.
The sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three initiation rites for Catholics, with the other two being Baptism and Holy Communion. In this sacrament, the faithful are anointed with the chrism oil that marks them as a children of God. Bishop Ryan shared that in receiving this sacrament, the confirmed “take ownership of their faith” and have made a “conscious decision to live a life centered on God through his Son, with the Holy Spirit.” As babies,
we were baptized, dependent on our parents and godparents; today, those that are confirmed have reached the age to “affirm the reality and accept the identity that you belong to God,” the Bishop shared.
Even with the seal of being marked as a child of God, one should not expect life to be trouble free. Bishop Ryan reminded and encouraged the faithful to recognize that each day involves choices,
where we are given the freedom to choose between the good and bad. He asked the assembly, “Don’t you want to use that freedom to become the absolute best person you can be?” But how? That is where the gifts of the Holy Spirit come in–the gift of love, forgiveness and com- passion. The gifts are not physical objects, but ones that truly exist and can make such a difference in our lives if we choose to use them. Empathizing with the young people, Bishop Ryan shared about facing temptations and peer pressure, but with the Holy Spirit, one can receive courage “in order to make the best choice in life especially those that concern about morals on doing what is good.” Wisdom is another gift allowing us to discern right from wrong. And fear of the Lord is a gift as well, so when making decisions–we remember “to be conscious of where God is in everything that you do.”
However, as children of a loving God, we are also given the freedom to refuse these gifts. We can turn away from God’s true love and behave in ways that destroy our freedom, such as getting involved in drugs and abusing alcohol. But what is freedom if we live our lives the way we want to, with the mental- ity of “it’s my body, I’ll do whatever I want to it”? Bishop Ryan quoted Saint John Paul II saying that “we as humans are created with a specific purpose, design and structure; we are free and truly become ourselves when with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as expressed in the commandments and teaching of Jesus, we make good decisions.” He prays that with this freedom and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, “you will be strong to lead, to give a good example, to stick out for what is right, and to strive to get along with your parents and your family and friends.”
To the godparents, he emphasized the importance of their role in this lifetime commitment–which they are to walk the journey with their godchildren, guide them and be available for them. They are also supposed to teach them about the faith, to love them, embrace them, and take care of them as if they were their own children.
Ending his homily, Bishop Ryan congratulated them all and gave God’s blessing.
