Paul Ponders: Truly an Inspiration

It was a cold day outside on Saturday, February 6, 2021, as we in the Chicagoland area were in the throes of an intense winter cold blast.

But inside Ascension Parish in Oak Park, we were warm and on fire in the midst of the working of the Holy Spirit on Confirmation Day.

Well over a year ago, the decision was made to move Confirmation day from its customary October date to February, and the contrast in weather was certainly marked. But as with all other Confirmation Masses I had attended in the past, I eagerly got myself suited up and excitedly headed to Church as the day drew toward noon.

I was there as part of fulfilling one of my roles to accompany my Religious Education students in preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. Like so much else in the midst of this pandemic, it took place through different means. Following a gathering in Church back in October, our class sessions for this year have met on a regular weekly basis through Zoom.

February 6 provided a great chance to have face time with the students, as did Tuesday, February 2, when they came to Church for reconciliation, as a way to get their souls ready for the sacrament.

To make Confirmation more workable with all the limitations in place, instead of Confirmation Masses with a bishop present, the format was changed to four shorter prayer liturgies staggered throughout the day. The liturgies at 9:00 and 10:30 were for the Ascension School students in the confirmation group. I watched part of the 9:00 liturgy since I knew a few of the students in attendance then.

Then, I headed over to Chuch and got there shortly before 11:30. I got myself oriented with my role in the liturgies. Normally, when the bishop is present, the pastor announces the names of the confirmands. This time, I was handed the role of announcing the names. There was a total of 30 RE students being confirmed, and they were split into two groups at 12:00 and 1:30 liturgies.

A few minutes after I arrived, the confirmands and their families started arriving. I greeted people at the entrance and helped escort them to their designated pews. One advantage of the modified format was that the families could sit with their confirmand, rather than confirmand and sponsor together in the nave seating with the rest of the family and guests off elsewhere in the church, wherever they could find room. I was so pleased to see some former students who are older siblings of students I currently teach.

Shortly after noon, we were underway with a very exuberant opening hymn. Following the opening prayer, I went to the ambo and proclaimed the passage of Isaiah 11:1-4ab, which speaks of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It's a passage that's often associated with Advent, yet in this context speaks richly about Christ present among us.

We had the customary the responsorial Psalm 104, which speaks wonderfully about God's work in the world, bringing all creation, and us, alive. I was pleased that the Gospel reading was from John 14:23-26, as it's one of my favorites, embedded in the profound Last Supper Discourse of Jesus. In the passage proclaimed for the Confirmation liturgies, Jesus speaks about how the Holy Spirit will continue to guide the disciples, teaching them and reminding them of Jesus's teachings.

Upon hearing the statement, "The Gospel of the Lord", I followed the choreography laid out for me and walked to the cantor stand to announce the names of the Confirmands present one by one.

After a round of applause, Father Rex gave the homily. He shared a well-known story about a man who encounters someone on a beach seeking to make a difference by tossing stranded starfish back into the water one by one. We have received the light of Christ and we can live the hope we have been given in response to God's call for Who we are to be.

Then came the rite of Confirmation, where the confirmands renewed their baptismal promises, and then approached the altar one-by-one with their sponsors for being marked with the sacred chrism. There was a deliberate decision made to keep that aspect of the Confirmation rite, that they would come to the altar, rather than have the priest come to each of them in their pews.

Following the individual Confirmations, we offered up the prayers of the faithful, which I led the assembly in proclaiming. And following the concluding prayer, the liturgy ended with an organ recessional. As people started exiting, I was impressed when I noticed that one of my students received a bouquet of red flowers from her family. I had never seen that happen before at a confirmation ceremony.

Once the church cleared, we got ready for the 1:30 liturgy, and then started the proceedings over once more with the next group. I eagerly positioned myself near the door to offer welcome the confirmands and their families, and then helped escort them to their pews, and provide some instructions for the confirmands. I made the rounds to greet all the students who I hadn't met at the door. And then I followed the rest of the choreography, proclaiming the reading from Isaiah, announcing the names, and proclaiming the prayers of the faithful.

In all the liturgies, Father Rex and Father Carl followed an alternation of roles with offering the various prayers, including the opening and closing prayer, the laying on of hands, and actually bestowing the sacrament on each confirmand. For the 1:30 liturgy, they switched the alternation of the roles as they had done them at noon. Father Carl offered the homily at 1:30, and he spoke about how we receive the power of the Holy Spirit in baptism, Who helps us grow in virtue and to do good works. He even quoted Amanda Gorman's poem from the recent inauguration, "The Hill We Climb", when she said, "For there is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it." He encouraged the confirmands to follow the Holy Spirit's guidance so we can be a light of hope. And then the rite of Confirmation unfolded again in the same sacred manner.

I keep mulling over this day in my mind, for it was so inspiring, touching, beautiful, and sacred in so many ways. Everyone was so splendidly attired. I even wore the same suit I wore for the first time at my college graduation on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2013, as well as my master's graduation, and have worn at every Confirmation liturgy I've attended in my RE role.

The liturgies were so well-done, and even with the different format, they still contained the elements that emphasized the power of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. There were 7 candles on the altar to represent each of the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit, which were lit one by one at the beginning. As the individual Confirmations began, the Litany of the Saints was chanted, using the saint names chosen by the confirmands. And once that ended, we sang the chant "Take, O Take Me as I am," which has been customary at Confirmation at Ascension for years, and for good reason. I positioned myself in the transept so I got a clear view to watch as each confirmand stood at the altar for the bestowing of the sacrament.

It was so inspirational to see my students, who I'm blessed to teach this year, take this important step in their lives of professing faith and being sealed with the Holy Spirit and His 7 Gifts.

Confirmation is certainly reason for our whole community to celebrate as we welcome a new group of young people into their lives as confirmed Roman Catholics. But we had even more reason to celebrate as a community this time, because we had come together, everyone contributing their part, to help prepare these young people for this sacrament. We then held these awesome liturgies when they had this sacrament bestowed on them. And it all happened in the midst of a pandemic. It was a day of grace and triumph, because what matters most in life shined forth so brightly that day and trumped the heartache of this virus which has devastated our world and limited our lives in so many ways. Even as we hope for an end to this pandemic, we already experience hope in these kinds of powerful encounters with God.

When I contracted a mild case of the virus a month prior to Confirmation day, I was determined to recover and be healthy enough to be in attendance. It was motivation that kept me going during the days I stayed at home, even as I remained confident all along my mild case would subside in time. (Someone even brought by a get well note with an encouraging message, remarking "your students need you", in a way that fed my motivation.) God is truly faithful, and I recovered with plenty of time to spare so I could be present for my students this day. I recall words from Dr. Kent Brantly's first public remarks at his discharge from the hospital upon recovering from a case of the ebola virus: "I serve a faithful God Who answers prayers."

It was also heartening to see a few of my former students, who are older siblings of some among this year's confirmation class. There were two older siblings present who I had in class during the RE year prior to this current year. Probably the greatest heartache I felt during 2020 was the inability to physically be present in class with my students for the final weeks of the 2019-2020 RE year. Seeing even just those two older siblings brought a sense of healing and grace to that wound from 2020, adding to the sense of triumph in the liturgies that afternoon.

I also marvel at how I've had the blessed opportunity to get to know families in the parish as I teach one child after another. I always relish the chance to connect with families, especially at occasions like Confirmation liturgies. I especially find it meaningful to talk with the parents who have entrusted their daughters and sons to me in class, even if this year they are attending class through the internet in their own homes.

As I reflect on it, there was something so humbling about standing at the cantor stand and announcing the names of my students. I think about how these are the precious names the parents gave their children when they were born, a sign of how deep their love and care is for their children as they gave them their name. And there I was, speaking those names aloud as they reached this critical moment in their lives.

It's humbling just in the same way when I think how these parents are handing over what is most precious to them to the charge of this 20-something-year-old for the role of helping form them in faith and care for their souls.

I am glad that in so many cases, I have earned the trust and respect of the parents, who commend me for my stellar work in teaching, which happened even when I was making the rounds on this Confirmation Day. One mom told me I serve as a good role model and mentor to the students, which is my aim in class, and that was particularly affirming, especially since I've connected well with this particular mom and her daughter in class this year.

We are blessed at Ascension to have a parishioner, Brian Kinyon, offer his services as a professional photographer to livestream liturgies. He was there on February 6 to livestream all four services and also take professional photographs.

As I looked over the photograph galleries later, I noticed that in the photos of when the confirmands were receiving the sacrament, some had their eyes closed when the priest touched their foreheads with the q-tip to apply the sacred chrism, and others bowed their heads slightly. It may have been a sort of reflex action, or just a coincidence that the camera shutter snapped at that second, but seeing their eyes closed and heads bowed made it look like they had entered into a deep state of prayer. And as I stood near the entrance of church as the gathered assembly streamed out following the 1:30 liturgy, it was a sight to behold as I saw the gleam of the light coming through the doorway reflected on the oily foreheads of the newly confirmed, a sign of the power of God's presence upon them, and all of us in the Church. Also from my spot near the doorway, I sensed such a spirited atmosphere as the assembly mingled out in front of church and took photographs.

My Confirmation was undoubtedly an important time in my life. Each Confirmation I've attended in the 15 years since brings me back to Saturday, October 15, 2005.

As I escorted students to their pews, I indicated to two of them that they were sitting in the same spot where I sat at my Confirmation Mass, almost directly underneath the St. Teresa of Avila window, whose feast day is October 15. (At our first class in church back in October, I mentioned the upcoming 15th anniversary of my confirmation as I gave my opening spiel, and walked over to that pew to show the spot.) Indeed, I marvel that not only has God blessed me with the Gift of the Holy Spirit, but that He has blessed me with the incredible opportunity to put that gift into action by investing in the lives of my RE students, which motivates me to be a better person and keeps me fresh in why faith is important. I look forward to how we'll encounter God in the coming weeks during our class time as we build upon what happened on February 6.

Indeed, I marvel from the depths of my soul at how I encounter God anew as I see Him at work in this Kairos instance of Confirmation in the lives of my wonderful students. February 6 was truly an inspiration, truly a picture of Heaven on Earth.

Here are some photos from the Confirmation liturgies, by Brian Kinyon.