The recent Confirmation Mass at St. Matthias was a beautiful experience, full of wondrous memories! I had never seen my son John so excited and ecstatic before, not even on the day when he got his driver's license! And for my part, sponsoring my sweet friend, Lisa-Marie was a great honor that I will never forget, and I hope and pray that she will always feel comfortable coming to me with her faith concerns and joys. Does sponsorship end with the Sacrament? I hope not!
Bishop Sklba was more than generous with the Chrism-some of the boys with longer hair were just dripping oil from their bangs! As I placed my right hand on Lisa-Marie's right shoulder and presented her to the Bishop, he firmly placed his oil-soaked hand on top of mine so that the oil soaked through my hand and into Lisa-Marie's shoulder.
The Holy Spirit was clearly moving throughout the church and into the reception hall following the Mass. My daughter Mary took this picture of John, his sponsor, Fr. Matthew Widder, Bishop Sklba and the proud parents, and we believe that the blurriness is from the wind of the Spirit blowing where it will, shaking her little hands as she tried to focus on her subjects! Even today, three days after the Confirmation, the fragrance of Chrism hangs deliciously heavy in our house, and the gift of joy continues to reign mightily. We pray that the Spirit will continue to blow where it will through the Bender household and into the world around us long after the scent of Chrism fades into our memories!
