By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily at the annual Rite of Election ceremony where catechumens – those who have never been baptized in the Catholic Church or any Christian denomination – come to St. Mary Cathedral to sign their names in the Book of the Elect, as they enter the final weeks of preparation before receiving the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation, communion – at the Easter Vigil. The Rite of Election takes place on the first Sunday of Lent, this year Feb. 22, 2026, at St. Mary Cathedral.
Today’s Gospel tells of Jesus’ own temptation in the desert, where he fasted and prayed for forty days. Because he was truly human, like us, Jesus was tempted, but unlike us, he didn’t sin.
It is precisely because he shared in our struggle with temptations that we can share in his victory over sin, death, and the devil. This is what Baptism promises us – for if the wage of sin is death, in Baptism, we die with Christ to sin, so that, freed from the snares of Satan, we can rise with him to new life.
Jesús, por ser humano como nosotros, fue tentado —pero no pecó. Y por medio del bautismo, muriendo con Cristo y resucitando con él en las aguas bautismales, Él perdona nuestros pecados y nos da una nueva vida. El bautismo es un don porque nos hace amigos de Dios — pero esta amistad implica un “sí” al amigo y un “no” a todo lo que es incompatible con ella. Implica una “metanoia”, o sea, una conversión de vida: un “sí” que nos toca vivir durante toda la vida.
Bien, hoy ustedes están inscritos en el número de los elegidos, aquellos escogidos para hacerse amigos de Cristo. Con su inscripción en el Libro de los Elegidos, ustedes están diciendo que quieren ser santos.
Baptism is a gift – the gift of life, everlasting life. But as a gift, it must be accepted and lived. You may remember that old New Orleans’ jazz anthem: Oh, when the saints, Oh, when the saints, go marching in, Oh, when the saints go marching in, Oh, I want to be in that number, when the saints go marching in.
Well, today, you are enrolled in that number, the number of the elect, those chosen to become, in Christ, saints. By your enrollment in the book of the Elect, you are saying that you want to be holy.
The word “saint” simply means “holy one”. In Haitian Creole, the language in which I preached every day for almost twenty years, “saint” is translated: "Zanmi Bondye” – a friend of God. This is a beautiful, and might I add, most appropriate translation for the saints are friends of God, and only one who is holy can claim to be a friend of God.
That is what baptism makes of us: friends of God, reconciled to Him through the suffering, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, in whom and through whom we are baptized, and through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, we enter into the holiness of God.
To accept a gift of friendship implies a “yes” to the friend and a “no” to all that is incompatible with this friendship, to all that is incompatible with the life of God’s family, with true life in Christ. This is what is implied in the word “metanoia” or conversion.
Conversion means a turning to and a turning from - a turning to the Lord and a turning from sin. But this does not end with Baptism; as Catholics, we believe that conversion is our life’s work. Our earthly pilgrimage must always be lived as a continuing turning to the Lord, and therefore a continuing turning away from sin. In the desert, Jesus says no to Satan and to his false promises of power, pleasure, and vain riches. And, of course, before you make that profession of faith on Holy Saturday evening, you will be asked to renounce Satan and all his works and all his empty promises.
En el desierto, Jesús le dice no a Satanás y a sus falsas promesas de poder, placer y riqueza. Y antes de que hagan su profesión de fe la noche del Sábado Santo, se les pedirá que renuncien a Satanás y a todas sus obras y a sus promesas vacías. Así, para ustedes, catecúmenos, la Cuaresma es un tiempo de preparación final para ese día, el día de su renacer en Cristo. Para ustedes, la Cuaresma tiene que parecerse, de alguna manera, a la experiencia de Jesús en el desierto. Como Jesús oró y ayunó por 40 días, la Cuaresma también tiene que ser para nosotros un tiempo de oración y de ayuno, de modo que cuando llegue el Sábado Santo, ustedes estarán listos para que se les perdonen sus pecados en las aguas del Bautismo.
For you, catechumens, Lent is a time of final preparations for that day, the day of your rebirth in Christ. Lent for you must resemble in some way the desert experience of Jesus. As Jesus prayed and fasted for 40 days, Lent must also be for us a time of prayer and fasting so that when Holy Saturday comes, you will be ready to have your sins forgiven in the waters of Baptism. By your fasting and mortifications, you will learn – as all of us must learn - to say “no” to ourselves and to the sinful inclinations of our fallen human nature so that we might be more ready to “say yes” to God.
As the day of Baptism draws near – the day in which your conversion, your turning to God and turning away from sin – is solemnized in the Rites of Christian Initiations, remain steadfast in prayer and know that your Catholic brothers and sisters are praying for you, and awaiting with great joy your entry into the Church. Remember the words spoken over and over again in the Scriptures and repeated to us so often by Pope St. John Paul II: Be not afraid. Don’t be afraid to walk through life as a friend of God.
Manténganse firmes en la oración en las varias prácticas cuaresmales para que puedan decir “sí” a Dios y peregrinar por esta tierra como amigos de Cristo y miembros de su Iglesia católica. No tengan miedo de vivir según la buena nueva de Jesús.
Oh, when the saints, Oh, when the saints go marching in, Oh, when the saints go marching in, Oh, I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.
