A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her small daughter was very sick with a fever. She immediately left work and stopped at a pharmacy to get some medication. When she returned to her car, she discovered that she had locked her keys inside. She did not know what to do. She called home and told the babysitter what had happened. The babysitter told her that the child's fever was getting worse and suggested that she might find a coat hanger and use it to open the car.
The story of priesthood begins with the story of God's call. Throughout the Bible, whenever God wanted to accomplish something important, He called a person. Abraham was called to leave his country and become a blessing to all nations: "I will bless you... and you shall be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2-3). Moses was called to lead God's people from slavery to freedom. Jeremiah was called to proclaim God's word. Isaiah was called to become a prophet. Elijah was called to bring Israel
So he said to the young lady that he would pray for her. But the young lady insisted, “Father, please do the last rites.”
The priest was surprised and asked her the reason.
Then she said, “We had tried all other methods but failed. After this she will have nothing more to expect.”
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
King David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
They agreed that the test should take place in three days.
The man deliberately starved his mule for the next three days. When the appointed time arrived, St. Anthony stood to one side with the consecrated Host in his hands, while the man stood on the other side holding fodder for the hungry mule. Everyone expected the animal to run toward the food. But, according to the traditional account, the mule, ignoring its extreme hunger, went toward the Eucharist and knelt down in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
It is a funny story, but it reminds us of something important. We can memorize all the right responses and still miss the meaning of what we are celebrating.
Many of us remember the day of our Confirmation. We remember the church, the Bishop, the oil, the sponsors, the photographs, the celebration and perhaps even the meal that followed. But the deeper question is: What happened inside us that day? What did God do in us? And what difference has Confirmation made in the way we live today?
In Genesis we are told that God created the heavens and the earth, the animals, the plants and finally the human beings. God looked at creation and saw that it was good. Man lived in harmony with nature and, more importantly, lived in the presence of God. There was no separation, no fear, no alienation. Humanity knew God and enjoyed His friendship.
Jer. 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt. 16:21-27
The Bible has always presented this truth. In the Old Testament, we find people who discovered that life becomes meaningful when it is offered for God and for others. Abraham was asked to place even his beloved son Isaac into God's hands. He had waited for Isaac for years, and Isaac represented his future, his hopes and God's promise. Yet Abraham had to learn that even what is most precious cannot become more important