Are We Adults Yet?

This weekend has been a weekend of graduations. It’s that joyous time of the year that teenagers feel like they have finally moved on from being kids and moving out of the house to becoming adults (and maybe moving back in little later when they find out life on the outside is a little more difficult than expected). It is a time of endings. No more high school classes; nor more studying for exams; no more agonizing over term papers. It is an ending. And yet it is a beginning. I have a plaque on my wall that I received when I retired over twenty years ago. It says, “NEW BEGINNINGS,” ‘In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning.’” For me it was truly a new beginning. It was a transition period when I was able to enter into diaconate training and become a deacon in the Church.

Yesterday (Pentecost) we had a graduation of sorts. We had almost forty candidates (mostly 9th graders) inter into full communion with the Church in the Sacrament of Confirmation. For a lot of them it was an ending. There was no more going to classes; no going to church if they didn’t want to; no more being told what I have to do in the Church. Little do they realize, it is a beginning. It is a beginning of their full acceptance into the Church as adults. It is probably the first time they have been considered or called adults in their lives.

Do you remember your Confirmation or who sponsored you? How about your Confirmation name and why you chose it – or was it chosen for you? At dinner with Bishop Coleman yesterday some of the people said their name was chosen for them. For example, all the girls had the name of Mary and the guys were given the name of Joseph. In the Midwest some 60 years ago we were a little more progressive. We were able to chose the name we wanted. I chose Gregory. Not so fast. I was told you couldn’t chose your own name (now it is one of the preferred choices). Being a little rebellious I chose my second name John. So forever after I have been known as Gregory John John to my sister.

Actually, I don’t remember much from my Confirmation. My sponsor was my Uncle Wally who is

still alive and doing well at 93 in Minnesota. I also remember the Bishop having us stand up and answer questions. I think I had one of the easy ones: name the Seven Sacraments ( I was hoping I wouldn’t be asked to name the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – I was a little weak on that). Kids are so lucky today they don’t have to answer questions (although I try to scare them into studying by telling them they might be asked questions by the Bishop).

What do you remember about your Confirmation? How has it affected you in your life to this point? What Gifts of the Holy Spirit help you most or you need most in your life? As a reminder, here are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

• Wisdom: It is the capacity to love spiritual things more than material ones; it also means the want to understand God. It is the perfection of the theological virtue of faith;
• Understanding: In understanding, we understand how we need to live as followers of Christ. A person with understanding is not confused by the conflicting messages in our culture about the right way to live. The gift of understanding perfects a person's speculative reason in the apprehension of truth. It is the gift whereby self-evident principles are known;
• Counsel (right judgement): With the gift of counsel/right judgment, we know the difference between right and wrong, and we choose to do what is right. A person with right judgment avoids sin and lives out the values taught by Jesus Christ. It is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence;
• Fortitude (courage): With the gift of fortitude/courage, we overcome our fear and are willing to take risks as a follower of Jesus Christ. A person with courage is willing to stand up for what is right in the sight of God, even if it means accepting rejection, verbal abuse, or physical harm. The gift of courage allows people the firmness of mind that is required both in doing good and in enduring evil. It is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of the same name;
• Knowledge: With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God. The distinction between wisdom and knowledge is that wisdom gives the desire to know the things of God, whereas knowledge is the actual power by which such things are known. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts, it also helps us to choose the right path through life;
• Piety (reverence): With the gift of piety/reverence, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love. According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, it is the perfection of the virtue of religion.[20] Piety is the gift whereby, at the Holy Spirit's instigation, we pay worship and duty to God as our Father, as Aquinas writes;
• Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe): With the gift of fear of the Lord/wonder and awe, we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love. This gift is described by Aquinas as a fear of separating oneself from God. He describes the gift as a "filial fear," like a child's fear of offending his father, rather than a "servile fear," that is, a fear of punishment. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is the perfection of the theological virtue of hope.

Please pray for the candidates who were confirmed yesterday on the Feast of Pentecost.

Deacon Greg Beckel