By God's grace, most of you reading this column grew up in Catholic families. Most of you were baptized as an infant, received your first Holy Communion at or about the age of seven and were offered the gift of Confirmation sometime after the second grade. This is the experience of most of the members of our parish family; and though this is not the early Church's original pattern of the Sacraments of Initiation, it would seem that we will continue to offer this "sequence of sacraments" for the foreseeable future.Please know that next Saturday (the 31st of January), most of our tenth-grade teenagers will receive the great Sacrament of Confirmation. Our teens will meet with Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory beforehand, as he "tests" their readiness for the adult "yes" they will make to the invitation offered them... to be happy and holy as disciples of the Lord Jesus. Please pray for all those preparing to receive this new anointing, that they may be confirmed in their faith, that they may make us a stronger, more vibrant community of faith. Please pray with me for a new anointing of the Spirit for the whole parish, as we seek to be renewed in love.
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As many of you know, the earliest sequence of the Sacraments of Initiation was worked out in the years just after the Lord's Ascension. In the earliest years of the Church, those seeking to be initiated into the mystery of the "Christ-life", the life of the anointed One, were adults. Those adults that risked persecution by seeking to be initiated into the community of the Lord would receive baptism and the anointing of the Spirit before receiving the living bread of Eucharist. This sequence of baptism-confirmation-eucharist was the way an adult entered into the family of the Lord Jesus.
After the famous Edict of Milan (c. 312 A.D.), the Church was deemed "legal" by the Roman Empire; and with this, Church membership roles exploded. The custom of the baptism of whole families developed, including the baptism of infants. Slowly, and for a variety of reasons, the sequence of the signs of Christ's Presence in the Church (his sacraments) changed; and young children were offered the living bread of Eucharist before they had received the sacramental anointing of Confirmation.
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Another development of the Lord's gifts occurred at the same time as this movement from adult to infant baptism. The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation began to be offered more freely (and not only at the end of one's life). In our day, this sacrament of forgiveness and healing is offered regularly, to any and all that would seek to be reconciled. At SJN, the opportunity for Confession is offered each Saturday morning (8 to 9 AM) and each Saturday afternoon (3:30 to 4:30 PM)... and by appointment. With a parish of 2000 families, these scheduled times for Confession (and the twice – yearly Penance Services) may not meet your own spiritual needs. Please feel free to contact either Fr. Armando or me and set up an appointment for the celebration of the Lord's healing and forgiveness.
AMDG 
Msgr. David Talley
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