Vocation Reflection Day for Confirmation Candidates

Opening Prayer: 

Materials Needed:
___  several little sponges
___  a clear glass vase to put the sponges in
___ a hidden pitcher filled with water          

Ask the youth to think about what they have to do each day.  Have them take one sponge for each event in which they are involved.  Now, tell them to put the sponge in the vase.  (You may have to have more than one vase if you have a large class.  The goal will be to fill the vase to overflowing.)  Ask the youth if it looks like the vase can hold any more.  It doesn’t look like there is time for prayer when they have all of these events and activities to contend with.   Bring out the pitcher of water and explain this pitcher is prayer. It fits even when the schedule seems too full.   As for the sponge that should say “mass.”  That takes time.  If something else is in the way of “mass” such as “work,” “practice”, “sleep”, “tournament” then that sponge needs to be examined with the first commandment and second commandment.  The event that gets in the way of mass becomes our real god and it is keeping us from keeping the Lord’s Day holy.  We go to mass to keep the Lord’s day holy.  Remind them to pray before, after and during all events just as the water is between and in the sponges. 

Preparation:  Remind them of what happened at the Vocation Reflection Day for Confirmation Candidates:  males: priest speaker while females: nun speaker; all candidates listened to a married couple and then everyone came together for holy hour and mass. Tell them to get in small groups (of same gender) and discuss what the speakers said that was helpful to them; talk about both religious and married.   Let them share for a few moments and then call for a leader to share one idea each from their group.  Then, ask them to discuss and have them share what it was like to have a holy hour.  Explain the meaning behind a holy hour:   At mass, after we receive the Eucharist, we have received the greatest gift that can ever be given to us, Jesus Christ himself.  This is the time when we should have our most profound thanksgiving prayers to the Lord and our most profound conversation with the Lord.  However, the Catholic Church realizes we do not give adequate time to such an encounter, so the Holy Hour is a time to come before the Lord to continue that profound time of thankfulness and intimate conversation.  What is more intimate than asking our Lord what it is He wants from you in your life?  That is the point of the Eucharistic Adoration – holy hour on the day of vocation reflection day.

Content:  Today, we are going to the main church and talk about our baptism and how that connects to the sacrament of Confirmation and to our vocation.  Without understanding how these three are intimately connected, we miss one of the huge theological reasons we are getting confirmed in the church.  Before we go to the church, let me clear up a real myth as to why we get confirmed in the Catholic Church.  If you think the sacrament of Confirmation is a hoop to jump through so you can get married in the diocese of Jefferson City Catholic Church, you are mistaken.  It is not a hoop.  And, if you plan on simply getting confirmed and then leaving the Sunday liturgy for a couple of years until you find your fiancé, please reconsider getting confirmed because this is not a hoop to jump through. 

Confirmation is necessary for either life sacrament (for you to follow God’s choice of a vocation for you )  because in order for a person to make a life decision with the church in the body of Christ, one must be fully initiated into the body of Christ.  Your initiation begins with Baptism and is completed theologically with Eucharist but chronologically in our diocese with Confirmation.  (That’s why if you ever see adults getting baptized, they get baptized, then receive Confirmation then receive Eucharist. Theologically, that’s the way it is done; chronologically because we want you to be closer to being adults when you are fully initiated, we wait to confirm you.) 

So, let’s go to the church and talk about where our initiation began: at our baptism.

Materials needed:
            ___Baptismal pool with lid open and preferably with water in the pool or in a bowl.
            ___  Baptismal candle
            ___ Easter Candle
            ___  White baptismal garment
            ___  Chrism oil (you may have to ask the priest for the key to the ambry)
            ___ Maybe it would be easier to explain with a doll who can go through the ritual.

If you choose, do as much of the baptismal ritual as possible using the doll to give a visual demonstration for the youth.  If time permits, do some small group sharing of what they heard in this presentation.  Do this before the closing prayer.  Please make up your own discussion questions using the information that is provided here.

The first thing that happens is the parents are asked, “What name do you give your child?”  This is important because at this point the church recognizes that God gave you this child to raise as your own.  By brining this child to baptism, your parent is giving you back to God and saying they want God to tell them what God has in store for you, the child and the parents will help bring that plan to fruition.   By naming the child, the parent has control over the child.

“What are you asking of the church today?”  To have this child baptized is the parent’s response.   We are not forcing the parents to bring this child to God to allow this child to be placed in the body of Christ where God intends.  The parents are doing this freely.  “Because I want my child to go to heaven and not limbo” is not a valid argument.  There is no such thing as limbo.  Yes, we need the sacraments, but they have to be freely chosen, not forced upon you. – IN this case your parents are freely making the choice for you, just like what clothes you will wear, what food you will eat, when you will be changed, and every other choice that has to be made for you; here they hare making your spiritual choice for you.  You get to affirm (confirm) or reject that decision by either getting confirmed or not.

“Godparents, are you willing and able to help raise this child in the Catholic Faith?”  Parents, the church is saying, you don’t have to do this on your own; and we don’t expect you to do it on your own.  There is a church with over a billion members who are willing and able to step in and help raise this child in the ways of the Catholic faith.  Yes, you are the primary teachers of the faith (as we say over the blessing of the father at the end of the ritual) but you have help. 

Then the church – in the minister of the deacon or priest says they are wanting to have the child baptized in the Catholic faith and raise them to be members of the faith.  Then we ask if they clearly understand what they are doing?  By saying yes to this, they realize they are saying yes, it is ok with us if the Lord Jesus Christ chooses for our child to be in the body of Christ as a priest, sister, married person or single person.  And, that the parents will help this child until after Confirmation to follow all of the practices and teachings of the church.  Not until I don’t want to have this Sunday argument any longer about church; not until I can find a better argument than the church has about some teaching of the church; the parents say they clearly understand what they are doing by having this child baptized into the Catholic faith.   

Well, since these are the promises made at baptism, then we know it will be difficult to keep these promises.  So, we trace the sign of the cross on the child’s forehead and ask the parents and Godparents to do the same.  This should be done each time the child comes into church until the child is old enough to dip his/her own hand into the holy water and attempts to make the sign of the cross him/herself.  Why the sign of the cross when we pray?  We are reminding ourselves of our baptismal promises, part of what has already been mentioned. 

Next we listen to readings and Father/Deacon gives a homily.  We are reminded again it is not about us alone but that we have lots of help, so we ask the saints to also pray for this child so the child can keep the baptismal promises as well as the parents and godparents who are raising this child.  

Then, the water is blessed and made holy.  This is the water that will wash away original sin and bring this person to new life now in the body of Christ.  And, as the water is being poured on the baby’s head, the Lord Jesus Christ is placing that child in the body of Christ where He wants him/her: as a priest, sister, single or married person.  Part of our promise is to find out, for the parents to help them find out, for the godparents to help the parents find out and for the church to seek vigilantly as to what the child’s vocation truly is.  

But there is more to the baptismal promises and we have to recite what they are before the child can be baptized.   More of our baptismal promises to keep is to believe and teach what is contained in the Nicene or Apostle’s creed.  You will notice at your confirmation, you will be asked the same questions that were asked of your parents the day you were baptized.

Do you reject Satan and all his empty works and all his empty promises. Then, they will go through the Apostle’s Creed in question format breaking it into three parts asking if you believe all of it.  Each time they pause, they are waiting for the parents and godparents and all present to say, “I do.”   You will be asked to say I do to the same statements the night of your confirmation.  Why?  Because you are taking this search and this faith on as your own.  Don’t think that means you’ve lost your support structure.  It’s as much in place as when your parents had you baptized. Rather than them having the primary role, now the primary role is yours.  Since you are now the primary educator of yourself in the faith and in finding out what the Lord wants from you, your Catholic education just begins, it doesn’t end.  Your sacramental life just begins, it doesn’t take a couple year vacation.  If you are thinking otherwise, then rethink Confirmation. 

So, once your parents, Godparents and all present say “I do” 5 or 6 times, then the parents are asked a second time, “Do you want this child to be baptized into this faith?”  We ask a second time because the Church never tries to hide how important, serious or difficult this is going to be.  (placing a cross on the child’s forehead, having not only the entire church on earth but also the church in heaven praying and recommitting what we already believe shows we take this seriously and know the difficulties.)  And we know this is what Jesus wants, so we rejoice when the parents enthusiastically say “yes!”

So, then we baptize the baby.  Original sin is washed away and the baby is now a part of the Body of Christ:  a future single person (as well as current one), a future spouse, a future priest, a future sister who will learn to believe all that the Catholic church holds to be true.

Now, we want to keep Satan out and God in: So, we seal this child: we use Chrism oil and place it on the crown of the baby’s head (top of the head) We want the Holy Spirit to come into you at your Confirmation so the Bishop will place the Chrism oil on your forehead at Confirmation.  But wait, didn’t the Holy Spirit come in at Baptism?  Yes.  Does the Holy Spirit come again or in a stronger dosage or what exactly happens at Confirmation?  We don’t pretend to answer that question precisely because we don’t have a precise answer, so we leave that to one of the mysteries of God.   However, you receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit at your Confirmation.  At baptism, we are trying to seal God in (since the baby was just brought into his body) and keep Satan from entering – sealed.  

Then, we want the child to be treated with Christian dignity and to treat others with that same dignity, so we place on the baby (or baby is already dressed in) a white baptismal garment.  Our ethics and morals especially around the life issues and sexual ethics comes into play at this point.  By following these teachings – we already agreed to it, now we are receiving extra help and protection, we will show ourselves and others that Christian dignity.   We never want to embarrass or hurt another person and we want them to stay in tact full of Christian dignity – hence the baptismal garment.  “It’s my body, I can do with it as I want; keep the church out of our bedroom or out of our private lives.”  That’s not what was said when the baptismal garment was placed on the child – on you.    That’s not what was said when all those questions were being asked prior to the baptism.

And, the child is supposed to grow up hearing a lot about Jesus Christ and his number one importance in the life of that family.  The child is supposed to grow up talking about his/her relationship with Jesus Christ and how that is so important.  So, to keep the flame of Christ alive in our hearts (and mind, and words and action) we give the family – actually the baby, but we don’t want the baby to burn him/herself or the church) the baptismal candle.  It is lit from the Easter Candle to remind the child and family we all belong to the same Christ/ same Church.   “We aren’t supposed to talk about religion.”  “Religion is a personal choice and I don’t really feel comfortable talking about it.”  “Everyone has their own beliefs about God and they should just be able to have them without me putting undo pressure on them.”  These statements do not live up to the baptismal candle or what it stands for.  We are to talk about who Christ is and how much we are in love with him and that we are so happy with our relationship with him others should be wondering where to get our happiness.  And, we should invite them into a relationship with Jesus Christ the way the Catholic Church (not just any old Christian Church) understands that relationship. 

And, then we ask the Lord to help this child always hear and speak the words of Jesus Christ in their lives (and so we bless their ears and mouth with the sign of the cross over both ears and lips)

So, we pray for the child throughout the formative years and we are excited to see the child come for First Communion (as we say as the introduction to the Lord’s Prayer) then we pray the Lord’s Prayer.

After the Lord’s Prayer, we bless the mother of the child, then the Father, then all gathered together.  And that concludes the celebration of baptism.  Now the cooperation with God’s grace and the work begins: raising the child in a Catholic home teaching him/her all the Catholic Church stands for and believes at the same time reaching out to the Catholic Church to get help and support fro her to help raise the child in the faith. 

The parents and the Church work in harmony to find the vocation this child has by looking and watching to find out what the gifts and talents are that are being developed in this child.   And, the parents are being excellent examples of a married couple and are have friends that exemplify good home lives and excellent marriages.  The children see what healthy marriages and families look like.  The children are close to their priests and get to know them very well and are exposed to religious sisters.  The idea is open to them that they can become a religious sister or priest.  All three vocations besides the one they currently live are being open to them.  They are encouraged to look at all of them. 

How they are to make their money – what their career or job is to be is secondary.  They can do that job whether they remain single, become married or become a priest/sister.  Those skills will be necessary, but they are secondary to vocation.  At the same time they learn the Catholic teachings on issues so they can model their lives on those teachings. 

Finally after 15 – 17 years of this kind of searching and help from parents and community, you say to the Church thanks for leading me, now I am ready to accept the invitation from God to become the primary explorer and learner of my faith and God.  And, so you are confirmed saying you want to learn more about this God and his Church at the same time continuing to find out why God created you, what his purpose is for you and therefore, what your vocation is.

Three years ago when we started these Vocation Reflection days, the Diocesan Vocation Committee assumed too much sacramental knowledge.  Because we had this in seminary training, it made good sense to us how Baptism, Confirmation and Vocation was connected.  However, as we approached these days in year one and the comments that followed, we realized we were terribly mistaken in that assumption.   Now, hopefully, after this explanation, you will believe that we did not trap you into becoming a sister or priest by making you come to the Vocation Reflection Day  -- a very popular belief – even though all of you were able to hear about the beautiful sacrament and vocation of matrimony as well – but that you see how what your parents began at your baptism you continue at your confirmation and that is searching out what God called you to be, why He called you into existence, what is your vocation?   

May God bless you on your spiritual journey.

Closing Prayer:  Let’s pray for knowledge to know our vocation and to be open to where Jesus Christ has placed us in the Body of Christ.  We will pray an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.