Fourth Luminous Mystery - Confirmation: A Vision of a Vision

The Transfiguration
by Ivanka Demchuk

Something was missing from the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, mainly the earthly life of Jesus and the founding of His Church with the Seven Sacraments he established for the salvation of souls. Therefore, John Paul II filled in the absent 33 years with the Luminous Mysteries which are the Seven Sacraments.

The first, second and fifth Luminous Mysteries are self explanatory. They are the Sacraments of Baptism (The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan), Holy Matrimony (The Wedding at Cana) with the fifth mystery being both Holy Orders and Holy Eucharist (The Institution of the Eucharist).

Tis the Season for Confirmation! All you Saints of God, pray for us.

Two of our grandchildren, Zack and Grace, are making Confirmation next week. Zack chose St. Benedict for his patron and Grace chose St. Teresa of Calcutta. In their honor I post these pictures with the promise that we will be praying for them to their adopted saints with the confidence that they will grow in the virtues shown so powerfully by their selected special friends among the prayer warriors of God.

Hope for the Future: An Essay from Une Femme who Happens to be my Granddaughter

My granddaughter, Mia, was confirmed in May and recently wrote about her experience. As I read her essay, I felt a surge of hope for the future. I know God is pleased with young Catholics like Mia who are not afraid to publicly profess her faith and share it with others. At fourteen she is an aide to the second grade CCD teacher in her parish. Every week she shares about a saint offering heroes to her young charges. We were chatting this morning about various ways to bring alive her saint stories in ways the children will remember. Please pray for Mia and all of the children of the Church who represent her future. While the world is dark indeed there are many candles lighting up the darkness. 

A Fire I Won’t Put Out

by Mia Doyle

A Big Day in Texas

Today our oldest grandchild is being confirmed. She's seventeen; they confirm late here. In some ways it's great. She is a mature young woman who knows absolutely what she is doing. She got up this morning at the crack of dawn to go to adoration with her dad and then stayed for an appointment with a favorite priest for confession. I met her at morning Mass which she wanted to attend even though there will be second Mass tonight during the Confirmation liturgy. As for service, she spent last evening making cupcakes for a little sister whose birthday is today to take to "Super Friday," a home school enrichment program.

Please pray for Madeleine today as she receives the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of strengthening. I've urged her to pray for my anonymous friend because I firmly believe the prayers of those receiving sacraments are particularly powerful. I've also asked her to pray for all my readers and especially that our country will honor the religious rights of Christians which are under such assault. God protect all our grandchildren and their peers. It seems to me their generation will face increasing persecution from the culture of death.

In the Shadow of the Christmas Star

Today Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In her wisdom the Church follows the joyful celebration of Christ's birth with the solemn reminder that following the Lord means to "pick up your cross" and follow Him. We must be ready to carry it wherever the Savior leads - even to a bloody martyr's death. Stephen dies under a hail of rocks thrown by a mob. With a vision before his eyes he prays for forgiveness of his murderers. In that screaming mob stands Saul, the future St. Paul, whose misguided zeal leads him to endorse the killing. Think of zealous Muslem terrorists invoking Allah to justify their evil acts and you won't be too far off from the future saint who will hear Jesus call, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

When I was confirmed, made a "soldier of Christ," the bishop ended the sacrament with a tap on the cheek, a reminder that following Christ means being ready to suffer. Unfortunately, that meaningful symbol has disappeared from the rite. Too bad. It sent a graphic message that the Christian life isn't for sissies and wimps. It takes strength, courage, fortitude, and a lifetime commitment.

It's easy to follow the star to the stable, a sanitized stable without the smell of manure and urine. Following Christ on the dangerous road to Egypt in the dead of night or up the rocky hill to Calvary is another story, one many would rather not live out.

Christmas Day and St. Stephen's feast day are the mini-series of the Christian life with only the ending shrouded in darkness, our personal ending. Will we see the vision of beatitude and hear the words "well done, good and faithful servant?" If we are willing to follow in the footsteps of St. Stephen and accept and turn to good the small, everyday sufferings and persecutions of life, we need not fear.