Homily for Confirmation
April 2, 2025
Stand for Something
You are
standing…for something. Never forget Who it is you are standing for. You may be
seated.
All of
us must take a stand for something. What’s the core of your life that
you would live and die for? A priest-friend of mine takes die-hard Yankee to
the next level – his ringtone is the famous, “Yankees win!” call. Or perhaps
you’ve seen the bumper stickers that say, “Lacrosse is life.” Maybe it’s your
family, or a cause you’re passionate about, or making money, or just “enjoying life”
– whatever that means – but all of us must take a stand for something.
I would
like to claim that Jesus Christ alone is worth living and dying for – because He
has already lived and died for you. The entire reason why God-became-man in
Jesus was for love of you…the only reason He died on the Cross was because He
loved you…and His love for you has prepared a place in eternal life, just for
you. Does money love you? Does lacrosse offer you everlasting life? Only Jesus
Christ, the Savior of the World, offers what your heart burns for.
But our
response to Jesus Christ must permeate to the depths of our being. It’s not enough
to be confirmed, we must live Confirmed. A simple example: Two trees will
be standing tall, one healthy tree and one that is hollow inside. But once the
wind comes, the healthy tree will continue to stand, while the rotten one will
fall. Likewise, today our young people stand tall, professing aloud that they
believe in Jesus Christ. But only those whose faith is healthy, who are
Christian all the way to their core, will remain standing when the temptations,
the peer pressure, the hostile postmodern culture begins to blow. Those who are
hollow, who may look like Christians on the outside but inside are empty of
Him, will be unable to withstand the storms of life.
You see,
tonight it is easy to stand for Christ. You are surrounded by your family and friends;
you will celebrate tonight with a nice dinner and gifts. But there will come a
time when it costs everything to stand for Jesus Christ.
We have
such beautiful examples of standing firm for Christ – the inspiring examples of
the martyrs, those men and women who fearlessly shed their blood professing that
Christ is Lord. The word “martyr” literally means “witness” – they were
witnesses to the power of Christ Jesus. One of the early Church martyrs has
always stood out to me. St. Polycarp knew St. John the Apostle personally, so
he was literally a second-generation Christian. When a major persecution broke
out, the Romans wanted to put to death anyone who was connected to the
Apostles, and they publicly put Polycarp on the most-wanted list.
When
Polycarp heard this, he was untroubled. He hid out in the home of some friends,
spending all night and day in prayer. Someone told the governor of Polycarp’s
location, so he was arrested. But the governor had been good friends with the
elderly Polycarp, so he prevailed upon him, “My dear friend, come – return to
the old Roman gods, for the sake of our friendship.”
Polycarp
replied boldly, “For eighty-six years I have served my Lord, and He has done me
no wrong. How can I turn my back on my Savior?” Seeing that peer pressure did
not shake him, they tried suffering. The governor warned, “I have wild beasts
that I will throw you to.” Polycarp responded, “Call them! What are you waiting
for?” So the governor tried again, “If you will not tremble before beasts, I
will have you burned.” And the courageous elderly saint said, “You threaten me
with fire that burns for an hour, but you know nothing of the eternal fire
prepared for those who deny the Lord. Bring on whatever you want – I will not
deny Him.” They prepared a fire for him, but as he was placed on it, a most
remarkable thing happened. The fire began to form an arch around him, as if he
were in the midst of a golden dome, and the fragrant odor of incense came forth
from him, until he peacefully gave up his spirit.
What
courage! What strength! He withstood peer pressure, threats, and suffering,
because he was rooted in Christ. You never know what you are living for until
you know what you would die for – and let us have the courage to be willing to
live and die for the One Who lived and died for us!
Your
grandparents might remember that before the 1960s, when young people were
Confirmed, the Bishop used to offer a very light slap across the face as part
of the Confirmation itself. Sound strange? The whole reason was to emphasize
that, as a confirmed Catholic, you must be ready to suffer for Him.
This
strange gesture actually has its roots in the Medieval tradition of conferring
knighthood on a man. The Church used to call you, my dear Confirmandi, “soldiers
of Christ” – ready to fight with love and truth, willing to withstand anything
for your Divine King. In fact, listen to the words of the Catechism on what you
are to receive here: “[Confirmation] gives us a special strength of the Holy
Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of
Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the
Cross.” Never be ashamed of the Cross – profess the Name of Christ boldly – be a
witness with your life and death to the Truth of Jesus Christ and our Catholic
Faith.
My
friends, in a few moments you will receive both a gift and a responsibility.
The responsibility is that now you must not only follow Christ privately; you
must now also stand for Christ, witnessing to Him publicly in your words
and deeds. The gift, though, is that God is coming to dwell within your soul
with His courage and strength, graces and virtues, to enable you to live that
mission well.
So stand
firm. Stand tall. And tonight you receive the Holy Spirit that you may stand
for Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – so do not be afraid!
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