OGDEN – The Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio, archbishop of the Military Services in the United States, confirmed 24 candidates from Christ Prince of Peace Parish on Hill Air Force Base on Aug. 28.
The Archdiocese for the Military Services provides pastoral care for more than 1.5 million Catholic men, women, and their families in the U.S. military assigned to 220 installations in 29 countries, the U.S. military academies, employees of the federal government in service outside of U.S. borders and patients and staff at 153 Veterans Affairs hospitals in the United States and its territories.
In his homily, Archbishop Broglio referred to the Gospel reading, Luke 14: 1, 7-14. “The message of the Gospel is that we are called…to live in service to others,” he said.
Those being confirmed were prepared to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he added. “We need these gifts,” he said. “We need wisdom so we can understand what it is that the Lord is asking us. And then we need fortitude to put it into practice to be able to live those messages of salvation.”
The Catholic community wants those being confirmed to have everything necessary for their faith, but the community also expects to receive back, he said. Because the community is made up of all Catholics working together to form the body of Christ, each member has a unique role to fill, he said. Every Catholic, not just priests, is called to proclaim the Gospel, he said, pointing out that while there were two priests and one deacon at the celebration, they were far out-numbered by the community. “You have the opportunity to come into contact with many more people than we could possibly reach, so you have the opportunity to permeate society with the message of the Gospel,” he said.
People’s every decision and every action can give witness to the Gospel and the presence of Jesus Christ in their lives, he said. “When we chose God we set aside the Devil. The Gospel is preached by people who live in such a way that it makes a difference in other’s lives.”
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