Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it.
This week we will welcome Bishop John O. Barres for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation with nearly 300 young men and women of our parish.
The quote from today’s second reading seems to me to be an appropriate point of reflection as we mark the celebration of Confirmation this week. It is our hope and prayer that these budding adults will be faithful to what they have learned – because we who have taught it to them have been authentic and faithful.
In my own experience of teenage years, and in the years I spent ministering to high school students, I know that authenticity is the best teacher for them. Adolescents and teens need us to believe what we teach and practice what we teach. We all have a role to play—it’s not just nagging young people about going to Church, it’s about having the courage to talk to them about why you do. It’s not about laying a moral guilt trip on them but acting with good judgment and treating the people we encounter with respect.
While we are mindfully praying for these young people as they complete their sacraments of initiation, we are also mindful of our own need to continue to be formed in our faith.
We all come from different faith foundations. Some of us may have been formed from in the scriptures and church teaching from the very beginning moments of our lives. Others of us had our faith take root in our elementary years. Many still come to a more serious knowledge of their faith during their formation as young adults. Others find that it is when they become parents that they are inclined to grow in faith and wisdom. Finally, it is in the aging years or perhaps even in the face of dying that the pursuit of faith is its most authentic. Whatever the case may be, we are always moving forward, while looking backwards.
When we face new challenges, disappointments, betrayal and sorrow, our faith is tested, and we may feel we have many reasons to give up. Yet if we are courageous, we look back and say to the Lord, “I have known you, let me see your face now in this dark hour.” How often we hear someone say, “my faith got me through it.” We are called to heed these words of Saint Paul and remember when we first came to know the Lord and remain faithful so that the current moment can become one more building block in our faith life.
NEW YORK STATE MEDICAL AID IN DYING – A significant issue deserving our focus and attention during this Respect Life Month is the New York State Legislature approved bill to legalize assisted suicide. There is hope however, as the bill has not yet been signed by Governor Hochul. Governor Hochul is a strong advocate for suicide prevention, but when she was asked specifically about the bill, Governor Hochul indicated that she had not made up her mind. The New York State Catholic Conference has asked that weurge a veto of this dangerous legislation.
Despite strong opposition from disability rights advocates, mental health professionals, and community leaders across the state, the so called “Medical Aid in Dying Act” was passed both the Senate and the Assembly last June. If signed into law, this legislation would fundamentally alter how New York cares for people who are seriously ill, elderly, or living with disabilities — and it would have lasting implications for future generations.
Why are we opposed to this act? This act would apply not only to the terminally ill, but it will affect vulnerable groups like the elderly, the poor, minorities, & those without healthcare may be pressured or coerced. It will normalize suicide and can apply to people who, with appropriate treatment, can live full lives for years. It is for these reasons that the American Medical Association opposes Assisted Suicide. Providing comfort to the dying is a corporal work of mercy. Modern medicine affords us the ability to help people to pass from this life with dignity. Just as abortion is not health care, neither is assisted suicide. Please do what you can to reach out to the Governor and urge that she veto this bill.
Peace,
