A version of the homily of Bishop Peter A Comensoli at the 12.30pm Rite of Confirmation at St John the Baptist, Woy Woy, 20 June 2015.
This is not a literal transcript, but it will give you the gist of his message.
Bishop Comensoli
Thank you for presenting these candidates for Confirmation. I am very willing to give them the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
When I get up of a morning, Mum and Dad don't wake me. I have to use an alarm clock. It is one of those with a radio. So when I wake up I hear a bit of news, a bit of sport, and then comes... Maybe the candidates can tell me what comes next? That's right, it's the weather report. Once I hear that I have a look outside to see if the weather report has a chance of being true. When I do that checking of the weather outside my window, I am confirming the weather report. Checking something I have been told is true, is confirming whether that something is true.
All of you will say, 'I am a Christian. I believe in God.' You will say this to us, and we confirm your belief. Afterwards you won’t look any different, but you will take home a Confirmation name.
For my Confirmation name I chose St Michael the Archangel. What did some of you choose…?
Now candidates, I would like you to close your eyes and think about your Confirmation Saint. I want you to think about one special thing they did, something that made them good friends of God.
How do you confirm your faith in God? By living like your Saint. By doing the things that show that you live like a friend of Jesus.
It is just not enough for us to say that we are Christian, we need to let others see that we are Christian.
This is not a literal transcript, but it will give you the gist of his message.
Bishop Comensoli
Thank you for presenting these candidates for Confirmation. I am very willing to give them the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
When I get up of a morning, Mum and Dad don't wake me. I have to use an alarm clock. It is one of those with a radio. So when I wake up I hear a bit of news, a bit of sport, and then comes... Maybe the candidates can tell me what comes next? That's right, it's the weather report. Once I hear that I have a look outside to see if the weather report has a chance of being true. When I do that checking of the weather outside my window, I am confirming the weather report. Checking something I have been told is true, is confirming whether that something is true.
All of you will say, 'I am a Christian. I believe in God.' You will say this to us, and we confirm your belief. Afterwards you won’t look any different, but you will take home a Confirmation name.
For my Confirmation name I chose St Michael the Archangel. What did some of you choose…?
Now candidates, I would like you to close your eyes and think about your Confirmation Saint. I want you to think about one special thing they did, something that made them good friends of God.
How do you confirm your faith in God? By living like your Saint. By doing the things that show that you live like a friend of Jesus.
It is just not enough for us to say that we are Christian, we need to let others see that we are Christian.
