Certainly the days of the Triduum are a high point for me because they celebrate the pivotal events of the Paschal Mystery that are at the heart of our faith as Christians. The occasion of All Saints' Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate the manifestation of faith in the lives of the saints, the holy men and women of years past who strove to grow in relationship with God, and now praise Him in His glory. Each saint has a special story, conveying the same message of what it means to strive for God, unto reaching His glory.
But when I was attending Mass this evening, I was reminded of the one other big reason for celebration: We Christians in our life on Earth can aspire to be saints. And we don't even have to wait to reach Heaven. By striving to answer God's call for us to live holy lives, we can be saints now.
I had the opportunity to attend Mass this evening with students in my Tuesday evening Religious Education class. I always enjoy attending Mass with my students, and on this occasion, it was especially meaningful, in light of my role as a Religious Education teacher to live out the call to holiness by guiding my students in heeding that same call, and watch them grow in relationship with God.
Just about a week and a half ago, these young people experienced the sacrament of Confirmation. They made a profession of faith before the community of the Church, and were sealed by oil with the gift of the Holy Spirit. For this occasion of Confirmation, they had the opportunity to pick a saint's name--and as I told them, their recent celebration of Confirmation makes All Saints' Day even more reason for celebration.
Attending the two Confirmation Masses back on October 22 was a truly special and exciting experience. I don't have children of my own, and so being there, watching them one by one be sealed with the holy oil in Confirmation was like watching children being born, anew, into an enhanced way of life, confirmed in faith, symbolized by their oily foreheads. There was even one point during the communion procession, when these newly Confirmed approached the Presence of Christ Himself, that I almost choked up with emotion.
Witnessing the Confirmation of another group of young people makes me take stock of my own faith journey, powerfully impacted by my own experience of this sacrament, and watching this happen to a new group of young people triggers something deep down in my soul. And I marvel at the amazing ways God has worked in my own life in faith experiences since then, and how I can keep living it out, even in my role of supporting young people in growing in faith, nurturing them just as their parents, who brought them into the life of the church through baptism, are called to nurture them in their role as their primary catechists.
I sought to give those students in my Sunday class a gesture of encouragement and support earlier this week by bringing in my Uncle Bernie, my Confirmation sponsor, as a guest speaker, as a means to support them in living out the gift they received in Confirmation. I suggested we get together to mark the 11-year anniversary of my Confirmation, and when we settled on last Sunday's date, and a midday timeframe, I thought it would be nice to have him share his insights with my class. On the subject of saints, my Uncle Bernie is someone who I feel embodies what it means to be a saint this side of Heaven. He is so involved in serving others, especially youth, even those in difficult circumstances, both in his professional work with Chicago Voyagers, and in his many involvements in his parish, Holy Family in Inverness. He and I had an interview-style conversation before class, as he shared about what he does, and the broader meaning of service as the call we receive in the life of faith.
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| Thanks to Rachel, my Sunday RE class aide, for getting this picture of my Uncle Bernie, left, and me |
This was a great experience for me, because it brought my Confirmation full circle: I live out my faith supporting the students in my charge, having received support from those like my Uncle Bernie. And conveying this message of what it means to serve, and relying on the help of others to support us in faith was an opportunity for me to heed the call to serve, as an expression of faith.
Putting myself in this position as a teacher has enriched my life so greatly, just as any parent would say their own children enrich their lives. At the Confirmation Masses, during the time of the individual conferrals of the sacrament, I bounced around the sanctuary to acknowledge my students afterwards when they returned to their seats. Bishop Manz had sealed their foreheads with oil, and then used that same hand to exchange with each a handshake in the sign of peace. And then I shook their hands, and they used the same one they had used with Bishop Manz. So in the process of all these handshakes, I got some of that holy oil on my own hand. Truly, being present to these young people at this important moment in their lives has rubbed off as a blessing on me. Being a teacher compels me to be my very best, to set a good example for these young people, seeking to inspire them to grow in faith, just as I was inspired by the experience of Confirmation, doing it all for the glory of God. And it's amazing to think of the impact I've made, having two classes with a total of 37 students. That's quite a journey I've undertaken from 11 years ago when I was in their shoes.
So when I was attending the Confirmation Masses, and then visiting with the young people and their families during the reception out on the parish green in gorgeous weather, and even partaking of the privilege of being invited to have lunch with Bishop Manz--a delicious one at that--I realized I had so much to celebrate, my own journey, and witnessing a new group of young people take a bold step in becoming saints themselves.
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