To the Band of Brothers: February 14, 2025

Just weeks before the elders of middle school, who will next year tumble to the bottom of the high school food chain, collectively celebrate their Confirmation, we celebrated an on-campus retreat for them. The morning began with Mass to kick things off right. I had the distinct pleasure of presiding.

There they were, all spiritually bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, young men standing on the threshold of the first significant and sacramental step toward Catholic manhood. After years of preparation and deepening their understanding of what the sacrament means, they appeared ready to have the Holy Spirit they received at Baptism jostled out of infancy into a roaring blaze more suitable for facing the challenges of adolescence and eventual adulthood. 

There is one point that needed to be made clear to them. The point was this, with the great power that comes with such a divine gift comes great responsibility. When they were newborns, their parents carried them faithfully to church to be baptized, promising to raise them in a faith over 2,000 years old, a faith that moves mountains and has been defended vehemently by countless theologians and martyrs. At the time, they were oblivious to the circumstances. They had no choice in the matter. Their parents, motivated by a sense of obligation and conviction, dressed them up and lugged them to the font of Baptism.

Now, things are different. Now, they choose to make a commitment to continue their journey and begin taking the reins of their continuous faith formation. When I turned 16, nothing was more exhilarating than getting my driver’s license. That laminated card was a symbol of greater independence and adulthood. It meant I was no longer completely dependent on my parents for things. Slipping that legal driving permit into my wallet and feeling the keys to the car in my hands was one small step for man, one giant leap for manhood. But with it came great responsibility. Driving the speed limit, filling the tank, transporting my younger siblings to and from school, and heading out to “La Vaquita” or Publix for milk at any time of the day or night was an inconvenient obligation I was willing to fulfill for the sake of greater independence. 

Like a new driver, the confirmed take on greater responsibility. The excuses start to dwindle. For example, in the confessional, priests are encouraged to ask little. It is more about listening to what the conscience of a penitent has to say. There is, though, one question I always ask if I don’t hear it in confession: “do you go to Mass?” As a community of faith, we have become too lax regarding our obligation to attend Mass. We have too often reduced it to an inconvenience we fulfill when it is convenient. 

Let me make something very clear, not going to Mass is a sin. It has to be said. Unless one is sick or traveling, Mass is an obligation for a Catholic. While it is true the ideal is to go to Mass because we desire it or find it fulfilling, the obligation remains and is even accentuated when we find it tedious. When most children who do not attend Mass blame their parents, the confirmed Catholic loses this excuse. When I was a teenager, it often happened that I wanted to hang out with my friends. I would inform my parents of a get-together at someone’s house. If my parents were unable to take me, my desire to go was so great, I would find a way. I would call my grandparents, ask a friend’s parent to pick me up, walk, ride a bike, hail a cab, or saddle a horse. I made it happen. Mass is no different. Jesus, the greatest friend you will ever have, invites you to his house for a get-together every Sunday. We have to be there. Not holding a young man accountable to obligations such as these is to do him a disservice.

And so, it is now with Confirmation. It is a religious life of greater independence and responsibility with the understanding of assuming the obligations of a Catholic man. The fact is, our greatest accomplishments and successes in life do not come when they are convenient or even when we want to have them or do them. Our greatest accomplishments and successes come with great sacrifice and with the fulfillment of obligations. The sacrament of confirmation allows us to do that. 

Auspice Maria.