An Old-Fashioned Church

by David Lins  |  05/14/2023  |  (Being) Catholic Matters

It can be difficult to stay “locked in” all the way through Mass. We know it isn’t easy to pay full attention to anything these days. I sometimes wonder if that is the real reason movie theaters aren’t as popular as they once were. It might not be because Netflix and other streaming services are releasing so many new films or the increasing size of crystal-clear televisions. It might just be that people want to scroll on their phones while watching a movie.

Full attention to anything seems to be at an all-time low and it is easy to miss something important. That said, I hope you didn’t miss a crucial ingredient in this Sunday’s first reading.

“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Now check this out: one of my responsibilities at the parish is to prepare those adults who wish to be confirmed. (Confirmation is the sacrament of the Catholic Church where the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”) When they have accepted the word of God, I call for the priest (in the line of the apostles, including Peter and John) to lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. This is Confirmation - as it was done in the eighth chapter of Acts.

The sacraments, the traditions, and the Church itself, is nothing new. And this is a wonderful thing! In fact, we rejoice that entire households have been baptized since Acts 16:15, 16:33, and 1 Cor. 1:16! We celebrate Jesus empowering his apostles with the power to forgive sin through the power of the Holy Spirit in John 20:21-23! And anointing of the Sick? It’s all over the New Testament!

We are an old-fashioned Church, indeed.

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