The second in a series of letters to youth making confirmation this year. Even if you’re not in that group, perhaps the thoughts will still be of value.)
My younger brothers and sisters in Christ,
At the end of my last letter I equated the life that lies ahead of you to a journey. That’s a common theme in literature and particularly in the spiritual life. Let’s examine this idea of journey.
Perhaps the first thing you need to realize is that you’ve been on your spiritual journey for several years now. It started when your parents had you baptized. “Yes”, you may say, “But I didn’t know what was happening and besides, didn’t the priest just pour water on my head and say some words? What’s that got to do with me now?”
A lot. But before we talk specifically about your baptism, perhaps we need to first look at sacraments in general. What exactly is a sacrament? I know you memorized a definition for your confirmation class – probably something like “a sacrament is a visible sign of an inward grace.” What does that mean?
It helps to take a step back and get some perspective. What we’re discussing is some sort of communication or encounter between you and God. The problem is that you and God aren’t alike. At times we picture God as an old man with a long white beard dressed in a white robe, but God isn’t like that; he’s not a super-human. He’s not human at all. St. Thomas Aquinas pointed out that you and I are beings that exist. God, he said, is being and existence itself. In short, God isn’t like us. He’s totally different and if we’re that different how can God communicate with us? How would you communicate with an ant, for instance?
Humans have 5 senses that we use to understand the world and take in information. We smell things, hear things, see, taste, and feel the world around us. God knows that’s how we work and so that’s what he uses in the sacraments. All 7 sacraments make use of physical things that we can sense. In confirmation, for example, the bishop will use a special oil, make the sign of the cross on your forehead, and say some specific words. You’ll smell the oil, feel his hand, and hear the words. All of this is the “visible sign” part of that definition you memorized. But there’s another critically important aspect of sacraments – the “inward grace.”
This is the part that’s hard for us to fully get our heads around. At the same time as the physical things are done in a sacrament something else happens to us internally – at the level of our soul. We encounter God in a special way, and something changes in us that results in a new relationship with God. In reconciliation, for example, God forgives the sin that has separated us from him. That’s not the same as when you forgive a friend for something they did to you. The sacrament changes us deep down – our souls are cleansed; made “whiter than snow” as the Bible puts it (Psalm 51:7).
The Eucharist is another example of how God uses physical things to make possible an encounter with him. We believe that during the prayer of consecration the bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. That’s hard for some people to understand but perhaps now you can see how your sacraments definition fits. The visible sign is the bread and wine, and while it looks and tastes like bread and wine, at a level we can’t see, the elements have been changed. Most importantly, when we receive the Eucharist, we’re changed too.
At this point, you may be wondering why the visible signs are necessary. Can’t God just make the change happen? Sure, but if you think about it, you’ll see that we’re only helped when we know what has happened. Suppose your boyfriend or girlfriend wrote you a heartfelt letter but never gave it to you. They would have expressed their love, but it won’t do much for you unless you get the chance to read it. Similarly, God gives us the sacraments to help us see and understand what’s happening to us. It is also important to understand that we believe those “visible signs” cause the “inward grace.” The pouring of water over your head and the priest’s words at your baptism made you a new creation in Christ. It will be the bishop’s anointing and his words that will give you the fullness of the Holy Spirit in your life at confirmation.
Does this sound complicated – too complicated? It might. Most Christians take many years to understand sacraments and even then, often feel like there’s still more to know. That certainly describes me. But if you can grasp the basics now it will help you in the journey ahead.
Maybe the most important part of sacraments is understanding that God established them out of love for us. He could have left you and me to slog our way through life and do the best we could. Instead, he sent us his son, Jesus, so that we could know of his love for us and know how to “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).
God wants you to have an abundant life. Even if you don’t think you’re much of a Christian right now, keep at it. Take some time to pray – to talk to God – later today. Keep building a relationship with the one who knows more than anyone what is best for you and loves you more than you’ll probably ever know.
Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Kevin
