From one of the seven deacons selected from last Sunday’s Gospel, we have Philip the Evangelist who baptised an entire Samaritan village. Peter and John went there pray for those baptised to receive the Holy Spirit. In a way, the action of Peter in laying lands on the newly baptised supports the current Catholic practice that reserves the Sacrament of Confirmation to Bishops. (CCC#1313). Even though, scripturally there is no mention of the word “Confirmation”, the fact that the Apostles went to Samaria seems to identify the rite of laying on of hands with the completion of the rite of Baptism (CCC#1285). In fact, the Eastern Churches provide a way of understanding Confirmation. They call it “Chrismation” which requires, apart from the laying on of hands, an anointing with the “Oil of Chrism”. In a sense, Confirmation grants a special strength of the Holy Spirit in order for a Christian to witness as “another Christ”.
The Farewell Discourse of the Gospel is crucial to understanding the meaning of being “another Christ”. Jesus repeatedly reminded the Apostles that to love Him is to keep His commandments. In other words, to be Christ is to keep His laws. Thus, the Sacrament intensifies the presence of the Holy Spirit by strengthening the Christian to love Jesus more and to bear witness to Him within the Church but most all without the Church. That is the major fruit of Confirmation.
For that, the 2nd Reading sets the context for this witnessing. We know how the early Church was persecuted, firstly by the Jews themselves and then as the community grew larger, by the Romans fearful that this new religion might subvert their pagan worship. Within the opposition and rejection, St Peter asked that each believer be prepared to give an account of their belief.
The word used in Greek is “apologia” which English speakers typically take it to mean an “apology”, that is, to be “sorry”, as in to apologise. While our current usage tend towards regret, the etymology of “apologia” bears the Greek “logos”, which denotes speech or reason. An “apologia” is to prepare a reasoned explanation for the hope that one has. It is to give a justification for one’s faith.
This is not an easy task because the accent or focus is no longer on God but on us. “Meaning” tops the list of our priority. How often do we hear the lamentation that “life is meaningless”? Or a few years of the grand and great wedding, “my marriage has no meaning”. When subjective meaning is primary, we tend to embrace a more relaxed notion of Jesus and His commandments. In the case of a meaningless marriage, “Would God desire my unhappiness?”. Worst is that many no longer believe that there is a God let alone that life has a meaning more than what is found in this world.
Just recently, BBC put out an item on its news app about a disabled Aussie woman named M and a sex worker named C. The woman had never been touched before in a non-medical manner and at 43, she paid thousands of dollars for C to fulfil her erotically. Whilst BBC celebrates this woman’s sexual emancipation and expression, the underlying message is quite clear. This unfulfilled disabled woman has to find her completion or meaning in this life if she were not to be stigmatised as a failure. Such a worldly model of meaning or self-realisation is a repudiation or a rejection of the belief in the Resurrection. Christian discipleship must increasingly witness to a world that has no inkling that there is a supernatural realm beyond this world. Those of you who have remained faithful despite the world telling you that you are stupid, well… you hold on because you believe that failure in this life is not the concluding chapter in your divine destiny.
The complication is that human nature is both wily and also self-centred and this makes the interpretation of God’s commandments rather difficult. More so when everyone feels that his or her interpretation is the correct one. It is an unavoidable consequence of losing every marker we have with regard to human nature, social behaviour and religious beliefs. When we no longer have fixed boundaries, we are naturally forced to retreat to the “self”. But who we are as human beings is not merely a matter of “self-perception”. Rather, our Catholic faith shines a light on who we are as embodied spirits and we are part of God’s created order. We are not fluid beings subject to the whims of how we feel. Meaning is more eternally grounded than it is temporally based.
In a world that has forgotten its divine destiny, the Holy Spirit gives strength for authentic Christian witnessing. “Do not fear” is the other side of heroism and sanctity in living the teachings of Christ and His Church. The remedy to meaninglessness is derived from boldly witnessing to a hope beyond a crude and myopic materialism that drives one in a desperate scramble to accumulate more. We are caged in a materialistic plenty that hides a crushing void inside us.
It is extremely challenging to proclaim to a world that is at best, ignorant of or at worst, indifferent to Christ and His hope for humanity. What is right and what is easy are usually opposing options. The step in the right direction requires the fortitude of the Spirit to walk away from a despairing world caught in the narrow vision that the only sensible progress forward is to accumulate more. Thus, the hope we bear is never for a better future or a more comfortable life. According to Benedict XVI, “the one who has hope lives differently” (Spe salvi) because the risen and victorious Lord will see us through, no matter what. The hope we are, the joy we exude and the confidence we carry is directed to a life that is everlasting and much more than what this world can ever guarantee. We have Jesus’ word as our pledge and promise.
