By Njideka Eze
It was a colorful celebration on the eve of Pentecost, May 27th at Holy Ghost Cathedral Enugu , as candidates in their numbers received the sacrament of Confirmation. The ceremony was performed by His Lordship Most Calistus Onaga . In a short reflection taken from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 12:2:7 and 13, his Lordship said that the sacrament of confirmation gives the receiver full communion with the Church. A baptized catholic and communicant is only complete at the reception of the sacrament of confirmation
At Pentecost, according to His Lordship, the Church was born. In otherwords, the Church at Pentecost celebrates her birth and the role of the Holy Spirit in that birth .
Continuing, His lordship said there were evidence of the gift of the Holy Spirit and the first test of the genuineness of the gift of the Holy Spirit is conformity with the Christian life.
After the death of Christ, a lot of people received the gift of the Holy Spirit which is for the common good of all and not just for the receiver . So every gift of the Holy Spirit must be modeled according to the life of Christ and his teachings . So, if the gift you received is contrary to the teachings of the Church, then it’s not from the Holy Spirit, His Lordship said.
Bishop Onaga made the faithful understand that the gifts of the Holy Spirit is for the common good of the community and the Church. Like St Paul explained, every person has a Peculiar gift and which is for the common good of all. For one who is intelligent, a good singer etc, it must be used for the service of all .
According to His Lordship , we are empowered at the reception of the sacrament of confirmation to be good Catholics and to live our lives as shinning lights to others . Listening to the readings of the Pentecost day, you will hear that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles and they began speaking in tongues . Because it was for the common good of all, everyone could understand the apostles in his or her own languages
Continuing, Bishop Onaga said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is different for each person . Even the least person has a unique gift . He advised each person to appreciate each others gifts rather than get jealous at other persons gifts . But one can pray to the Holy Spirit for gifts they admire but don’t have. He also advised that the faithful protect the gifts they have and also make good use of it for the common good of others . He reminded them of the parable of the Talent , stressing that one who doesn’t make good use of his talents will be taken away from him.
He prayed God to give the faithful the gifts of the Holy Spirit and also help them maintain, appreciate them, and that the different families will be one loving and caring community.
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