This is our Confidence

We have completed the first round of the 2026 Confirmation tour, in the deaneries of La Junta, Durango and Grand Junction.  We have encountered the Holy Spirit in wonderful celebrations of peace, connectivity and joy which only the Spirit brings.  God be praised, and gratitude be given to all who serve through the year to bring these miracles to life.

It is in faith that we learn of the hidden, invisible dynamics of the supernatural realm, the divine wind that breathes heaven through our soul into creation, and the most important reality of our lives: God loves us, God is with us, God will never give up on us.  The platform of gifts bestowed through the Sacrament of Confirmation: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, are supernatural gifts yet to be revealed in the hearts of those who receive.  All these gifts are given to grow the heart of the believer into the greatest gift of all, the love of Jesus Christ. 

"God loves us, God is with us, God will never give up on us." 

As St. Therese of Lisieux encourages us, in each step along The Little Way, we are born for Confidence.  To know absolutely, to be supremely sure, that we are closest to Jesus not in spite of, but because of our littleness.  We are made in the image of God, the human face of God, the face that is Jesus.  Each is made for Jesus, Jesus is the mirror, and the image in that mirror, veiled and dark now, one day will be, uniquely, each one of us.  “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.  We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 Jn 3:2) 

Having celebrated the Easter Triduum, we now approach the Solemnity of the Ascension.  At the center of this progression, at the core of human destiny, stands the cross.  At the very moment of Jesus’ passing the sky was blackened, the veil in the temple torn in two.  That torn veil, still gradually being lifted, is our conversion into the future.  Jesus is risen as he said; he ascends to heaven to the right hand of the Father; the Holy Spirit embraces humanity, the Pentecost.  We, his children, reborn in water and the Holy Spirit, are sealed in the new covenant.  Jesus dwells within us and there is no other choice to be made as to whether or not the promise has been fulfilled.  The Way, the Truth and the Life: Jesus: lives within us.  Always.  This is our Confidence!

"As St. Therese of Lisieux encourages us, in each step along The Little Way, we are born for Confidence.

As we continue through the Confirmation season and prepare for Pentecost, we pray for those being confirmed, their sponsors, families and dedicated parish catechetical leaders.  May Our Lord be with all of us as we step forward, in thanksgiving for the gifts that have been given, in Confidence in the supreme gift bestowed:  The Holy Spirit of God. 

+Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg

Bishop of Pueblo

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