14th sunday in Ordinary Time

July 4, 2010

Is 66, 10-14
Gal 6, 14-18
Lk 10, 1-12.17-20

Since there are some parents who chose sponsors for the initiation sacraments of their children (Baptism, First Eucharist and First Reconciliation, Confirmation), even without the necessary qualifications, it has become a common practice in the parishes (particularly in the parish of St. Matthew, Toronto, ON, Canada) to require parents to bring the confirmation certificates of prospective sponsors so that these could be verified, and the parish is assured that indeed they meet the requirements* to be sponsors.

A day before the confirmation ceremony in May of the second group, (the first group had it in April), the stepfather of one of our candidates for confirmation came and inquired that if the sponsor (godparent) of his stepdaughter is unable to submit a confirmation certificate, could his stepdaughter be confirmed. I replied that his stepdaughter can still be confirmed but the sponsor they chose without a confirmation certificate can’t be the sponsor. He has to look for someone else who can fulfill all the requirements. I assured him that the child will be confirmed once a sponsor is found with the proper qualifications.* After my response, he further asked whether a piece of paper such as the confirmation certificate is the sole determinant whether a candidate is able to receive the sacrament or not. I explained to him that this isn’t so but that there is something more to a piece of paper than meets the eye. For one, this “something” involves the careful preparation done by the parents and the candidate in choosing the sponsor – that’s why I explained that parents have almost a year to look for a suitable sponsor. The sponsor is the one who must be able to help the parents fulfill their responsibilities as parents like mentoring the candidate in the ways or knowledge and practice of the faith. The confirmation certificate is only the tip of the iceberg of the whole Christian life of the would-be sponsor.

A piece of paper like a confirmation certificate or a baptismal or birth certificate or even an ID definitely is not the whole person, but it should not also be taken only for what it is. This piece of paper absolutely gives one a sneak peek into the person and his or her world. It really matters a lot, especially in these days of identity theft and other identity scams, that a piece of paper and the person go together. I mean the person is the substance or even the real world for the piece of paper.

For behind the piece of paper, whether it is an ID, a letter of certification or a birth certificate, is a world of meanings and relationships the person had and will construct. In it are the hidden nooks and crannies of life that formed and shaped the person. It does not only contain her/his  story but also a world of culture and its many dimensions like the taste of food, the way of dressing, the web of meanings etched in the language he/she speaks, etc. It is a universe with its own hierarchical ordering of priorities. Beliefs and convictions could not possibly be absent in this scheme. With these multilayered presence or levels of the person’s existence which a piece of paper could contain, it is no wonder that the person we see face to face is more that what we see. The piece of paper that we look at is more than what our eyes ogle at. We are facing actually a mystery, even a puzzle because there are just so many things we do not know about the person and the piece of paper.

We may be stunned! Indeed, should we not be? Because this is practically the same imagery or creative scene I would like to paint about our face to face meeting with God (at the last judgment) – if we extend our anthropomorphism. It is as if God looks at us with so much a mystery  that God keeps a quiet and silent vigil at the time of our final encounter or even before that! There is so much about us, too much that perhaps God might find it difficult to sort out the good and the bad actions and decisions we have shaped our life to be. This is not to say that God is limited in what he can do. Perhaps it might even be difficult to quantify in our person the filth of our sins, the tragic effect of sin’s corruption as well as the exalting divine mercy and the saving goodness of grace that altogether dwell in us. Instead, God simply looks at us with love. This, however, does not, in any way, presume that God really forgets or ignores anything about us. Rather, for God what matters most is his love for us (creation) and not who we present ourselves to God.

Fr. Joey Miras, SVD
Canada
The Word in Other Words
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*Requirements to be sponsor: baptized, must at least be 16 yrs of age, received the sacrament of baptism and regularly receives the sacrament of penance and Eucharist, and a practicing Catholic.