confirmation

The other night, my offspring served for our parish's confirmation Mass.  There were 10 high schoolers being confirmed.  (Our parish is not very big and a large percentage of our population is elderly - way past high school age.) 

Last year, the bishop came, and it was quite a production with the Bishop, the Pastor, and 2 other priests (masters of ceremony?), and 4 altar servers squeezed into the sanctuary.  This year, it was just our pastor (and 3 handsome altar servers), and I think I preferred that.  He gave what I thought was a wonderful homily to the candidates, starting off with a story from his own confirmation.  Then he related a conversation he had had with a young lady who had been shot and survived the Columbine High School massacre.   She said "yes" when asked if she believed in God, and how that "yes" came from a lifetime of "walking with Jesus".  He went on to give them specific examples of what it means to walk with Jesus.... "And when you fall in love.... and there is the temptation to express that love in ways that God can not and will not bless....And you know what I'm talking about..."  He conveys his thoughts so clearly.  Towards the end of the Mass, he mentioned that it is unusual for a pastor to confirm the confirmation candidates from their own parish, and how meaningful it was for him to be able to do so.  Come Holy Spirit!

There was a reception afterwards and we visited with friends from Boy Scouts whom we hadn't seen in a while.