22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, C Confirmation August 31, 2025
Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
N.B. This Mass featured a confirmation. The homily is slightly different from those given at the other weekend Masses.
“You have approached…” That’s what our second reading tells us and that is especially true for you today, Jacob. Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation, a sacred ritual that draws you more fully into the Church. Unlike the old testament, the old covenant, this approach isn’t on a mountain with fire and trumpet blasts and the terrifying, booming voice of God. Though we use the physical gestures of anointing you with sacred oil, this is not primarily about what can be touched and seen and heard. Scripture says you’ve approached “Mount Zion,” but obviously we are not in Jerusalem on a mountain. This figurative way of speaking refers to heaven, which is why it goes on to describe the “heavenly Jerusalem.”
But that’s not all. The letter to the Hebrews lists what else you’ve approached: God the Father, the “firstborn” – the prophets and apostles and patriarchs, the souls of the just, and Jesus himself. You see, belonging the Church isn’t so much about which building you’re in, but about these invisible bonds, the connection of grace through faith, hope, and love… bonds that extend beyond even death and into heaven.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, you have become part of the Church and, indeed, a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. While there is so much we can say about what that means, today’s reading includes one interesting thing in that list of what it means to belong to the Church: that you have drawn near to “countless angels in festal gathering.”
Why does scripture remind us of this? Partly because angels are cool. They’re fascinating, mysterious, and have a way of capturing the imagination of children and adults alike. They are also invisible, intangible, and powerful. Remembering that we are united to the angels is one way of reinforcing how the new is covenant rooted in eternal and spiritual realities, not just earthly ones.
And it’s true. There really are countless angels right here right now. A few weeks ago, this same Letter to the Hebrews taught us about faith, about that virtue of conviction about what is not seen… a kind of supernaturally reinforced ability to know the truth about invisible and spiritual realities. In that same spirit, this letter is reminding us of what those invisible and spiritual realities are: angels, saints, souls, God the Father, Jesus, and the power of his precious blood.
The goal here is to leverage the gift of faith, to practice that virtue of supernatural knowledge by raising our awareness of these invisible beings called angels. Why? Because they are both like us and unlike us. Like us, they are intelligent and have free will: able to think, to choose, to act using the freedom given them by God. They are unlike us in that they do not have bodies and so do not get lost in the distractions of physical things. By calling to mind the fact that we are near them, it is an invitation to imitate them, to focus on heavenly things and invisible realities rather than earthly ones.
Recognizing our connection to the angels helps us to see that priority, to put the spiritual first and to view the physical world through that lens. As we seek to deepen our faith and grow in holiness, the presence of the angels is one of the ways God helps us keep our eyes on that spiritual prize, to reinforce the priority of God’s heavenly kingdom.
Perhaps an analogy will help. I don’t really follow sports. Left to my own devices, I would spend most of my time completely ignorant of drafts and trades and coaching strategies. But, because I am close to people who do know those things, I begin to pick up on it. I start to care about who wins and how. Human beings are meant for communion and we are naturally influenced by the people we associate with.
By reflecting on our association with angels, we can begin to pick up on what they care about. By itself, just thinking about angels isn’t going to save your soul any more than just hanging out with other Catholics. But it does help. It does dispose our minds and hearts to pay attention to things we otherwise wouldn’t notice. That awareness is important, though of course even more important is what we do with it.
Jesus’ parable about dinner parties is aiming at this same heavenly awareness. The pharisees are focused on earthly rewards, on being able to see the rewards right now. Jesus is reminding them to think about invisible things, hidden things. Even something as simple as delayed gratification helps shift our mindset in the right direction. He’s using their ambition and saying “look, if you chill out and avoid showing off for a few minutes, it’ll pay off in the future.” Obviously, Jesus wants them to do even better than that and pay attention to the truly spiritual things like humility and grace and heavenly rewards, but he kind of meets them where they are.
Which brings us back to the angels. Many human cultures have some idea of spirits, some instinct that there are invisible creatures who have powers we don’t and who sometimes interact with us. Scripture makes use of the instinctive belief, confirming that angels are real, that they do interact with us, and that their ultimate purpose is to serve God. Through faith, through baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, we approach these heavenly beings who are serving God in their own way so that we might better serve God in ours.
And what is the way they serve God? When we get close to the angels, what do we find them doing? A “festal gathering.” A party! Unlike us, the angels are perpetually joyful. Not an emotional happiness, but an abiding spiritual and intellectual joy and peace. There is no existential anxiety for angels, no question of who they are or what their life is meant to be. They are never internally divided like we are.
In one sense, that can be alienating because they’re so different. But in another sense, it’s encouraging because they are proof that that kind of permanent joy and peace are actually possible. Even better, many of these angels are actively working to help us get what they have. Ultimately what we get is even better, but that’s a homily for another day. An invisible, powerful, perfectly joy-filled person is there in your worst moments as a witness to God’s light and joy and peace. They can be in festal gathering even while we struggle not because they are indifferent to our suffering but because they know the victory to come.
How, though? How they can have such peace and joy even while being with us in our broken, struggling journey through this life? Love, of course. They are completely and totally invested in love. Jesus warns us that, if we try to take the seat of honor, we might be embarrassed when asked to step down. Well, the angels don’t even want the seat of honor. They are perfectly content to take their place and serve others and to stay there. Jesus tells us to invite the poor and crippled to our banquets and he promises heavenly rewards as an incentive. Well, the angels don’t need an incentive, the very fact that they get to serve others is their reward. There is no selfishness in an angel, only a perfect, joyful, peaceful, and permanent decision to love.
We are not angels. But we are like the angels. By grace, by faith, by Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist we are close to the angels. It takes time and effort and grace to move our hearts from selfishness and pride to a more angelic self-gift, but they are there to help with that journey. When stuck in fear or sadness or selfishness, it helps to recall that we are not alone. The angels are here. Though we are afraid, they are confident. Though we are sad, they are in festal gathering. Though we are selfish and unsatisfied, they are content to serve. By faith, recall that we have drawn near to them and they to us. By faith, set your mind on their presence and example.
Continue to join them at this banquet of the Mass. Invite them to the banquet of your life, invite them to both the feasts and the famines of your daily life. And don’t worry about whether or not you can repay them – they don’t want to be repaid. All they want is the chance to love. By the gift of your confirmation, may you be strengthened to seek the same thing. By the intercession and assistance of the angles, may God help all of us seek not rewards or honor, but rather after the chance to love and the grace to let that be it’s own reward.