Rite of Election of Catechumens
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
March 9, 2025
Discovering Christ
As many of you know, Pope Francis has declared 2025 to be a Jubilee Year dedicated to Hope, a year when the Church throughout the world celebrates the beautiful gift of hope received at Baptism and nurtured by God’s grace, the gift of hope that widens our horizons and enables us to live in this passing world with our heart set on the new world to come. We are citizens of this earth, but as St. Paul reminds us, our true citizenship is in heaven.
Presenting yourselves in freedom and joy for Baptism and reception in the Church is an act of profound hope. Somewhere along the way, the Holy Spirit has touched your heart and opened your mind. As the grace of the Holy Spirit began to work deep in your hearts, perhaps even before you became aware of it, you were being prepared to discover and encounter Christ. It is not as you had to go in search of the Lord, Rather, you discovered that Christ has been searching for you. You discovered that he loves you and that he gave his life for you, that he is not waiting for you to be perfect before he comes to you. You discovered him right in the midst of your earthly cares, a discovery that was deeply personal yet something to be shared with others, as you made your way to this moment when the Church calls you to the sacraments of initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist to be celebrated at the Easter Vigil.
Following Christ
What does the Church say to you through the Scriptures on this day of your election, this day of joy and grace? The Church challenges you, not only to discover Christ, but to follow Christ. The Church not only seeks to stir up in you the gift of hope that prompted you to begin this journey in the first place – but now to take the next step – to follow Christ, to become his disciples in union with fellow Catholics in the Archdiocese and throughout the world. And, as you know, being the Lord’s disciples means following him by living in a manner worthy of the call you have received.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “those who have hope live differently.” In the hope of your call, you are being challenged to live differently. To live as men and women and young people who truly believe in the God who sent his Son to redeem us and to gather us into his Church, who seek only to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, “the way, the truth, and the life” – We do this by lives of prayer, penitence, patience with ourselves and others and lives of service and charity to those who are in need. We do this by being makers of peace and builders of unity and harmony. As you embrace the fullness of the faith you may live in the same house; do the same job; be part of the same family. Yet somehow, life changes forever once Christ has touched your soul with a love and a love that will re-order your priorities, uproot your sins, change your outlook, and transform your relationship with God and others. As you prepare for the sacraments of initiation, realize that this journey does not end at the baptismal font – that is only the beginning of a lifetime of following Christ as his disciples.
Sharing Christ
As you think back upon your journey thus far, ask yourself who influenced you. Whose words and example helped convince you to take this step? Perhaps a husband or wife? Maybe your parents or your children? Maybe a priest or catechist? Perhaps a co-worker with a strong, loving faith? Who ever it was, realize that as you are baptized and received into the Church, you will now be obligated to share Christ and his Gospel with others. Discovering Christ and following Christ leads us to share Christ with others.
Jesus says as much in today’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew: “You are the salt of the earth,” he says, even as he warns us not to lose our savor by being and living no differently than the world around us. So too Jesus says, “You are the light of the world!” As Christ comes to dwell in you, so too the light of his truth and love must radiate in you and through you, so that all may see that you have encountered Christ, that you follow Christ, and that you want to share Christ.
Let’s be clear. Sharing the Gospel with others, evangelizing, is not always easy. Some hearts are closed to Christ, including sometimes those closest to us. Yet, we can never go wrong allowing our light to shine before others, so that our good deeds, especially our charity, might open their hearts to Christ and give glory to God the Father.
Purification and Enlightenment
Discovering Christ. Following Christ. Sharing Christ. These are acts of hope made possible by the grace of the Holy Spirit and by the ministry of the Church. To see so many of you ready and willing to accept the call of Christ and his Church gives me joy beyond all telling.
In Lent you are entering a final and intense period of preparation, a period of purification and enlightenment. May it be a time rich in God’s grace, a time that fills your heart and soul with hope and joy in the Lord who loves us and gave his life for us. May the Lord who has begun the good work in you bring it to completion!