3rd Sunday of Easter - New Catholics

This is an exciting day for those who by their profession of faith, will be entering into full communion the Catholic Church. It is also exciting for our parish of Holy Trinity. You have been on a journey of faith. Growing in your knowledge and love of the truth revealed by God. Most importantly, you have discovered more about who Jesus really is and what He did for us, and is doing for us today through the sacraments.

You participated in over 30 sessions to learn about what we believe. For someone to become Catholic, they need to know about our faith, and not just know about it, but to believe it. St. Justin, the martyr, in the 200’s, wrote to the emperor, about how no one may become one of us, and cannot receive the Eucharist, unless they first believe all that what we believe and live as we live as Christians. He also said that they must be baptized. All of you who are entering into the Catholic Church, were baptized Christians, and today, after you profess your faith, you will receive a new saint name and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit when you are Confirmed. By your Confirmation, you will become a solider for Christ, a witness for Christ. You are becoming a member of the Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself, that has been in existence from the beginning.

You will receive for the first time in your life, the real and true presence of Jesus in Holy Communion. As Catholics, we have the same faith in the Eucharist as the Apostles and the early Christians. We believe we are receiving the real bodily resurrected Jesus in Holy Communion, who will come inside your heart. Even before time began, when God conceived the idea of creating you, He immediately was looking forward to this day, when you will make your First Holy Communion. Because the priest has apostolic succession, the laying on of the hands, all the way back to the Apostles, the priest has the authority and power to change bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Other religions, do not believe the Eucharist is the real body of Jesus, but only a symbol. They don’t have apostolic succession.

For us Catholics, the Eucharist is not a symbol, but really and truly Jesus, who will come inside your heart and who will remain the tabernacle. Many of the disciples no longer followed Jesus after He told them, they were to eat His flesh and drink His blood. At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is my body, to be given up for you.” He did not say, this is a symbol of my body. He meant it literally and this what Christians have believed from the beginning up to today.

We believe at Mass, the event of Jesus Crucifixion becomes re-presented. It is made present on the altar. Jesus is not re-crucified, but rather, the one event becomes present on the altar, that’s why its called the Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is like a mystical time machine.

Some don’t understand what we believe. For example, some say, we worship statues, but we don’t. No body worship’s Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln memorial in Washington DC. Statues are merely a reminder of important people, who lived among us. And saints in heaven. Some say, we worship saints, but we don’t. We ask them to pray for us like we ask each other to pray for us here on earth.

Catholics are counter-cultural. We have always and will always defend life from the moment of conception until natural death, because we believe every person is created in the image and likeness of God.

We also love and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Jesus gave Mary to John, when He said, “Woman, behold your son” and to John, “Behold your Mother”. The 10 commandments tell us to honor our father and mother. We honor Mary, because Mary is our spiritual mother. She knew Jesus better than anyone else, because She lived with Him for 30 years. We pray Her Rosary knowing She intercedes for us, as She interceded for the wedding couple at Cana, when Jesus turned water into wine.

In the Gospel today, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and said “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought, it was a ghost, after all, Jesus was buried in a tomb. But, Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts. Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” He then showed them His hands and feet. He then wanted to remove all doubt and ate baked fish in front of them.

Don’t you wish you could see Jesus, just like the Apostles when He appeared to them? Every sacrament, especially the Eucharist is an occasion where we come in contact with Jesus. St. Francis of Assisi said, "And just as He appeared before the holy Apostles in true flesh, so now He has us see Him in the Sacred Bread. Looking at Him with the eyes of their flesh, they saw only His Flesh, but regarding Him with the eyes of the spirit, they believed that He was God. In like manner, as we see bread and wine with our bodily eyes, let us see and believe firmly that it is His Most Holy Body and Blood, True and Living. For in this way our Lord is ever present among those who believe in him.”

Through Confession, Jesus is there to forgive us. When you made your First Confession, Jesus forgave all the sins of your life. And He did it in the most loving and tender way. Come to Jesus often to receive His loving and tender mercy.

All of the Apostles, the bishops and priests as their successors, forgave sins because Jesus told them, “As the Father sent me, so I send you. And He breathed on them saying, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sins, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” There are documents in the early Church that support the fact, that people confessed their sins to priests.

Through Holy Communion, Jesus is one with us, as He said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in Him.” St. John Chrysostom said, “How many of you say: I should like to see His face, His garments, His shoes. You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment."

St. Teresa of Avila encouraged others to pray deeply to Jesus in Holy Communion. She said, “Let us entertain ourselves lovingly with Jesus and not waste the hour that follows Communion. It is an excellent time to deal with God and put before Him the matters that concern our soul… As we know that the good Jesus remains within us until our natural warmth has dissolved the bread-like qualities, we should take great care not to lose so beautiful an opportunity to treat with Him and lay our needs before Him.' "

St. Therese of Lissieux spoke about receiving Holy Communion often. She said, "Receive Communion often, very often...there you have the sole remedy, if you want to be cured. Jesus has not put this attraction in your heart for nothing..." "The guest of our soul knows our misery.”

My friends, we celebrate with great joy, your entry into the Church and especially your new and more profound relationship with Jesus in the sacraments. He is always there, because He loves us so much.

Seek to get to know Jesus even more, by reading about Him in the Bible. Read about the lives of the saints, and you will discover a treasure of spiritual richness and the many ways Our Lord Jesus Christ, shows you how much He loves you and is with you in every situation of life.

And you have here in our church, new friends, who will help you on your way to heaven, as you help us on our way to heaven to be with Jesus forever.