To be a Catholic Christian is not a burden; it is a gift

By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at a Rite of Reception ceremony – bringing baptized Christians into full communion with the Catholic Church – which took place April 14, 2024, at St. Mary Cathedral.

An Englishman. G. K. Chesterton was an English man of letters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries surprised and dismayed many of his friends when he converted and became a Roman Catholic. When pressed for an explanation, he told them: “I became a Catholic so that I could have my sins forgiven.”

That is a pretty good reason. And, if we were to put out a “want ad" to seek more converts, perhaps the headline could read, “Sinners wanted,” or “Only sinners need to apply.”

This is important for all of us to remember, especially those of you who will formally enter the Church today by making your profession of faith and receiving the sacraments of confirmation and holy Communion. There would be no reason to become a Catholic if we did not know that doing so was necessary for our salvation. And who would bother if they did not acknowledge themselves to be sinners: that is, that they needed to be saved.

Remember this, every saint has a past; but every sinner – thanks to the grace of Jesus Christ – has a future. Conversion to the Lord is not just a one-time thing: it is the project of our lives. That’s why we call ourselves “practicing Catholics”.  This life is our one-time chance to practice the faith until we get it right. As we continue on our walking with the Lord, we will undoubtedly have to invoke his Divine Mercy constantly and seek the consolations of the confessional frequently. As they say: “Practice makes perfect.”

The Church is holy – and you will give your assent to that proposition in the Renewal of your Baptismal Promises very shortly. The Church is holy – but not because we, her members, are holy (hopefully, we are working at it, and like I said, it does take practice).

The Church is holy because of the Spirit who guides her. The Holy Spirit sent by Jesus Christ makes the Church his living Body. Through the proclamation of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments, that Holy Spirit sanctifies us, and through Jesus' death and resurrection the Holy Spirit makes us, imperfect, sinful sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, into God’s sons and daughters by adoption.

Today, in the sacrament of confirmation, you are “sealed” with that same Holy Spirit. This seal is called a “character,” marking the person who receives it as called to fulfill the Church’s mission in all the circumstances of life.  As Jesus told the Apostles in the gospel, you are to be witnesses of all these things.

Antes de ser ungidos con el Santo Crisma, se les pedirá que hagan su profesión de fe. Esa profesión de fe, basada en el Credo de los Apóstoles, es nuestro “sí” a Dios.

Mas todo “sí” también implica un “no.” Ahora, antes de que puedan decirle que sí a alguien o a algo, también tienen que decirle que no a alguna otra persona, a alguna otra cosa. Y, por supuesto, antes de hacer esa profesión de fe, se les pedirá que renuncien a Satanás y a todas sus obras y a todas sus promesas vacías.

Renovando las promesas de su bautismo, haciendo esta profesión de fe hoy, ustedes prometen que – a pesar de cualquier prueba y de cualquier tribulación que puedan enfrentar – ustedes caminarán a través de esta vida como amigos de Dios, como amigos de Jesús, y en compañía de Sus amigos, que forman Su Iglesia Católica.

Before your anointing with the sacred Chrism, you will be asked to make your profession of faith. That profession of faith, based on the Apostles’ Creed, is our “yes” to God.

Every “yes” also implies a “no.” Before you can say yes to someone or something, you also have to say no to someone else, to something else. And, of course, before you make that profession of faith, you are asked to renounce Satan and all his works and all his empty promises.

To acknowledge Jesus as the Truth, the Way, and the Life means taking Jesus as the measure of all that we do – in embracing his Truth we reject what is contrary to that truth; in walking his Way, we do not take the many false turns that are presented to us; in living his Life, we undertake an adventure that is not be understood as a burden that limits us or deprives us of freedom but rather as a gift that gives us true joy and makes real freedom possible.

As John tells us in the second reading, “The way we can be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments.”

In renewing the promises of your baptism, in making this profession of faith today, you pledge that – in spite of whatever trials and tribulations you may face – you will walk through this life as a friend of God, as a friend of Jesus and in the company of his friends, that is, his Catholic Church.

Again, as John says, whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him.

This love is not the sentimental version of the love of a Hallmark greeting card. For Jesus, love is not “warm puppies in a basket”; rather it is a commitment to the other’s good. To love one another as he has loved us is a tough love, tough because it isn’t easy; tough because it is love in truth. To love one another as he has loved us is to love them in ways that affirm the “yes” to God and our “no” to Satan and sin given in our profession of faith.

For this reason, we can say that the content of that yes to God is expressed in the 10 Commandments. And it is important that we understand that the Commandments are not just a pack of prohibitions.  The commandments actually put forth a great vision of life and show us the way to true freedom, the freedom that allows us to love as Jesus loved. The 10 Commandments “are a 'yes' to a God who gives meaning to life (the first three Commandments); a 'yes' to the family (the fourth commandment); a 'yes' to life (the fifth commandment); a 'yes' to responsible love (the sixth commandment); a 'yes' to solidarity, to social responsibility, to justice (the seventh commandment); a 'yes' to the truth (the eighth commandment); a 'yes' to respect for others and for their belongings (ninth and 10th commandments).

El contenido de ese sí a Dios está expresado en los Diez Mandamientos. Y es importante que comprendamos que los Mandamientos no son simplemente un paquete de prohibiciones. En realidad, los Mandamientos extienden una gran visión de la vida y nos muestran el camino hacia la verdadera libertad.

The Holy Spirit bestows seven gifts – wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, piety, and fear of the Lord. These gifts assist us to live our “yes” to God and be his witnesses.

And when we are responsive to the grace of confirmation and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we will begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit. The tradition of the Church names 12: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity.

To be a Catholic Christian is not a burden; it is a gift. Today, you are confirmed in that faith; today, you enter into full communion with the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ on the rock of Peter. You have seen the light of faith. As new Catholics, bring that faith and the hope that it inspires to others. Welcome home!