May 24, 2003 At Roppongi Chapel Center 

This evening we are going to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.

I am sure that you have studied well about this sacrament and have prayed well for this day.

Now let us summarize what this sacrament is.

The sacrament of confirmation is given only to those who have already baptized.

Confirmation is the sacrament which perfects the baptismal grace. It is the sacrament, which gives us the seven spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit.

These gifts are

the spirit of wisdom, the sprit of understanding,

the spirit of right judgment, the sprit of courage,

and the spirit of knowledge, the sprit of reverence.

and the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.

You are now going to receive these spiritual gifts through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words:

Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit incorporates you more firmly into Christ, strengthens your bond with the Church and associates you more closely with the mission of the Church.

Then what is the mission of the Church?

The mission is the most important duty of the Church. First of all it means the proclamation of Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Usually we express our faith in God with words. But our daily life and deeds have a great role in the mission of the Church. This missionary activity can be also called “ EVANGELIZATION”. We are called to transmit our faith to our neighbors not only by our words but also by our daily life, works and every good activity.

It is said the sacrament of confirmation is the sacrament, which gives the same grace to the faithful, which the Apostles was given on the day of Pentecost.

And so, you are going to become apostles. Apostles are expected to bear witness to Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds.

Dear friends in Christ,

Today we are celebrating the 6th Sunday of Easter.

In today’s reading and Gospel, we can learn how we should live to bear witness to faith in Jesus Christ, who has been glorified and always with us.

Jesus says:

“This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.”

It is very clear what we should do.

And also the Apostle John says

“My dear people, let us love one another since love come form God ad everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.”

The problem is how we should put it into practice.

What does this command mean to you and also to me in our daily life?

What should we begin now to answer to the call of Jesus Christ?

This is our common big task.

Let us pray that the Holy Spirit may give us the grace to know what we should do in this situation precisely and the courage to do it.