Commenting on the Gospel reading which was taken from Luke 4:16-22 Bishop Richard, in his homily, reminded the confirmands that the Sacrament of Confirmation is an important event in their lives as during the Sacrament of Confirmation God gives us His Holy Spirit, who in turn is like our “power bank.”
In other words, the Holy Spirit gives us power and grace to live good and holy Christian lives. He further adds that just as Jesus, after His empowerment by the Holy Spirit, made it His mission to reach out to the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed, that is, those who are marginalized, so too should the confirmands do likewise.
Thus, the bishop reminded the confirmands that after they are “activated” by the Holy Spirit, they should actively serve in the Church: “The Spirit is given to us not to be kept under lock in a safe but is given to us to live like Jesus. Once He started His public ministry, He never looked back, He only looked forward, doing the Father’s will.
So we need to be serious about our lives after we receive the Holy Spirit of God, let us be activated. Let us use this power to serve the Lord, to continue His mission. This is our vocation. This is our Christian duty….Let the Spirit work in and through us…”
He also reminded the confirmands of their responsibility to know the implications of conversion to Islam as “once we convert, once we change our religion, it is almost impossible to make a “U” turn and come back.” As such, he warned the teens to be very careful and know what they are going into before they make any decision to change their religion.
He advised those who are currently in serious relationships with members of this faith to put a stop to it immediately. Saying that it is not wrong to have friends from other religions, he nevertheless insisted that one should not be in serious relationship with members of this religion.
Story complied by Ben Chang
