4th Sunday of Easter 2024

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
April 21, 2024

My brothers and sisters in Christ, ¹

Today is a joyful day for our whole Cathedral community as we will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation on our brothers and sisters.

As we share in the joy of these candidates, this is a special moment for all of us to reflect on our own Confirmations, and our own commitment to Jesus.

Our Catholic faith is a journey, as we know, it is a great adventure of love and service. And in her love, the Church gives us all the sacraments as divine rites of passage along the way.

The sacraments are God’s beautiful gifts, visible signs of his presence and power and love as we make our way through this life and on to our homeland in heaven.

Our journey begins in Baptism, when we join our life to Jesus and are born again as children of God.

As we live and grow in our relationship with Jesus, he feeds us and nourishes us with the bread of his Word and teaching, and with his Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist.

Then God keeps us close to him, forgiving our sins again and again in Confession, giving us the grace to grow in holiness.

And in the Sacrament of Confirmation, Our Lord “seals” us with his Spirit, and strengthens us to follow him with even greater devotion.

As we walk with Jesus, some of us are called to vocations of matrimony or the ordained priesthood, those sacraments by which the family of God grows and the kingdom of God spreads.

And finally, in times of illness and especially near the end of our earthly journey, Our Lord anoints us with his oils of healing, and prepares us for heaven, where we will be with him for all eternity.

So this is the beautiful path of our journey as Catholics, and the sacraments are like bright lights that illuminate our path, from birth to death and beyond.

So it’s beautiful that today we can reflect on the centrality of the sacraments in our Christian life.

And St. John in the second reading tells us today: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.”

And in the passage of the Gospel for this fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, we have a beautiful image of the Father’s love for us.

Jesus tells us that the “good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” And that is exactly what he has done for each one of us. Jesus loves us so much that he gave his life for us!

“I am the good shepherd,” he says today. “And I know mine and mine know me.”

That’s the truth! Jesus knows us, better than we could ever know ourselves. He knows our dreams and hopes, he knows our struggles and fears. And he knows, my dear brothers and sisters, how much we love him.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd is calling us now to hear his voice, to come and see, and to follow him on the path that will lead us to love and joy and peace.

And as we make our way on this journey, Jesus also gives each one of us a responsibility, a part to play in his mission.

He says: “I have other sheep … I must lead, and they will hear my voice. And there will be one flock, and one shepherd.”

This is the beautiful mission of the Church, the beautiful mission that he entrusts to every one of us in the Church.

Like St. Peter and the apostles in the first reading, God is calling all of us again today to renew our commitment. To be his witnesses, to spread the good news of his love by our words and deeds; to help others to hear his voice and to follow him.

That’s why the Sacrament of Confirmation is such a “turning point” in our Catholic life.

This sacrament “marks” us for life, seals us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It binds us even more tightly to the Church and her mission of bringing salvation. Confirmation “confirms” us in our identity as true witnesses of Christ and his resurrection. ²

And so my dear confirmandi, today you are receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And the gifts of the Holy Spirit are going to help you to make the right decisions in life — the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom and understanding, right judgement, courage, knowledge, piety, and reverence.

With an act of faith and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, you will be able to respond to Christ’s call and you will have a beautiful and happy life.

So, my brothers and sisters, as we prepare to celebrate this sacrament, let us pray for our candidates and their families. And let us recall our own Confirmations, and ask the Holy Spirit to come into our lives to inspire us and strengthen us to carry out our mission.

Let us ask for the grace to renew our commitment to grow in our love for God. And let’s really live with our heavenly homeland in mind, striving to be more and more like Jesus every day! ³

We ask Holy Mary, Our Blessed Mother, to help us to follow her Son more closely, and light up this world by our joy and love!

1. Readings: Acts 4:8–12; Ps. 118:1, 8–9, 21–23, 26, 28, 29; 1 Jn 3:1–2; Jn 10:11–18.

2. Catechism, 1285.

3. Phil. 3:14.