Learning to be Quick to Listen

The Sacrament of Confirmation is often misunderstood as a religious graduation or a rite of passage where a young person finally chooses their faith. In reality, it is much more profound: it is the completion of baptismal grace . Through the laying on of hands and the anointing with sacred chrism, the faithful are sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit . This isn't a human-initiated milestone, but a divine strengthening. As the Catechism teaches, it roots us more deeply in our divine filiation, incorporates us more firmly into Christ, and strengthens our bond with the Church. It is the moment the soul is fully equipped with the sevenfold gifts—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord—transforming a passive believer into a spiritual soldier. To truly understand Confirmation is to recognize it as a commissioning for mission. By receiving this character, or spiritual seal, the confirmed person is strictly obliged to spread and defend the fait...

Sharing and celebrating the joy of faith with thousands of Catholic teenagers from around the globe was a rare moment that not many people are able to experience, a U.S. teen said. "It was a different atmosphere than what I'm used to, but it's good because it shows that the beauty of the Catholic Church is there," Emily Sullivan told Catholic News Service April 25. Emily, her brother Ryan and parents Matt and Susan, came from North Carolina to participate in the Year of Mercy celebration for young teens April 23-24 in Rome. Both siblings, who are preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation, said that despite the language barrier, they were able to join in singing and praying during the April 23 youth rally at Rome's Olympic Stadium. "It was awesome; the energy was insane," Emily said. "The people knew all the lyrics and they were jamming out. So we came up with a couple of words that we could sing along. It was really cool to be in that atmos...