When we were baptized in water, we were also baptized in the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8), and then we were confirmed in the Spirit. At Pentecost, we renew our Confirmations and become even stronger in the Spirit. By God's grace, we become so strong as to live and die for Christ. In this way, we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Mt 5:13-14). Through our lives, confirmed by the Holy Spirit, He renews the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

When we were confirmed, God firmly established us in Christ along with other Christians (2 Cor 1:21). In Confirmation, we were anointed as Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, was anointed (2 Cor 1:21). We became Christians, "other Christs," in the power of the Spirit. In Confirmation, we were sealed, that is, branded, as God's property (2 Cor 1:22). We are not our own. We "have been purchased" by God (1 Cor 6:19-20). Also, in Confirmation, the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and gives us personal experience of God's promises. The Holy Spirit is a "First Payment" (2 Cor 1:22).

After this year's Pentecost, are you more established in Christ? Are you more like Him and anointed with the power of the Spirit? Are you more joyful in being Christ's slave? Are you more sure of His promises? Receive the fullness of Pentecost.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, January 4, 2001

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, January 24, 2001