“God first reached out to you”

The Cathedral was filled to the brim; excitement was in the air as more than 330 people—young and old, from different walks of life—prepared for an essential step in their lives: being baptized on Easter or completing their sacraments of initiation and receiving First Communion and Confirmation in the upcoming weeks.

Thirty parishes and the two Newman Student Centers brought their catechumens and candidates to the ceremony, which marked the official acceptance to receive the sacraments they had been preparing for over the past few months. In his homily, Bishop Mulvey quoted St. Augustine, who wrote that the journey of life is all about discovering God: “We can never know God fully, but we can allow God to enter our life.” Jesus, who became one of us in all things except sin, is the path to discovering the reality of God’s love and mercy.

The bishop thanked the catechists who prepared the catechumens and candidates, as well as to the “hidden evangelizers” – people who witnessed their faith and drew others to it. The catechumens preparing for baptism will soon become “the elected,” deemed worthy and ready to be baptized during the Easter Vigil. He reminded them that God reached out and called them, quoting, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you” (John 15:16). Referring to the Gospel reading from the first Sunday in Lent, where Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert, he asked everyone present to reflect on, “What are the temptations in my life? What are the temptations in our society today?” Jesus faced the temptation to change His mission, and today, society seeks to persuade us to change. However, by living out the Gospel, we will become who we truly are: “We cannot change ourselves, but Jesus can change you and me.”

The bishop welcomed each catechumen and candidate, sealing with his handshake that they were now accepted and prepared to be baptized or receive their missing sacraments of initiation.