Misc – Spiritual Bytes

Holy Hour Exposition and Adoration Reflection for Confirmation Class – October 2025

By Deacon Richard Hay

While Confirmation is a new sacrament for each one of you – it is not the first time you have encountered the Holy Spirit in your faith – he has been with you all along the way – and will continue to be with you throughout your life.

The first sacrament where each of us encounter the Holy Spirit is at our baptisms – whether we were brought for baptism as a baby by our parents or maybe it happened a little later in life – the Holy Spirit is right there.

First, when the waters of the baptismal font are blessed at the Easter Vigil – the Holy Spirit is invoked for that blessing by the priest and of course those same blessed waters are poured over our heads as we are baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The next sacrament we receive is First Holy Communion and the Holy Spirit is right there as well.

First in the Apostles Creed we profess at every mass:

“I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit…”

A few sentences later in the creed we profess that we “believe in the Holy Spirit…”

Then, after the altar is prepared and the gifts have been offered, the priest begins with the epiclesis, this is where he extends his hands over the gifts of bread and wine and asks the Father to send the Holy Spirit to “come down upon these gifts and make them holy so they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

After this we hear the priest begin to pray the Eucharistic Prayer – that is the part of the mass where the priest prays the words of consecration at the altar over the bread and wine.

Except for the priest, we are all kneeling at this point in the mass because of the holiness of that moment and the Holy Spirit’s presence.

The blessing we receive at the end of each mass also invokes the Holy Spirit as part of the Blessed Trinity. The priest says:

“The Lord be with you” and we respond, “And with your spirit.” Then the priest blesses us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Every time you attend the mass, you have received these gifts and graces through the working of the Holy Spirit.

Now all of you will soon be encountering the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. This sacrament is considered the fullness of the Holy Spirit in our Church. It is the same spirit that transformed the apostles from being fearful in the upper room after Christ’s death to being apostles willing to boldly proclaim the good news, about the Risen Christ in the middle of the temple courtyard and they did so with no fear at all. They were no longer afraid of the consequences of being one of Jesus’s disciples. The Holy Spirit emboldened them…

According to a document called the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, through Confirmation, we as Catholics are “more perfectly bound to the Church” and made to be “true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread the faith by word and deed.” Confirmation seals believers in the Spirit, anointing them and empowering them to carry on the mission of Christ. Just like Christ giving the Holy Spirit to the apostles before He ascended into heaven.

During the Sacrament of Confirmation, the bishop lays his hands on your head and then anoints your forehead with Sacred Chrism oil as he says, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Sacred Chrism, which is oil mixed with perfume – something called Balsam – is blessed each year just before Easter at what is called the Chrism Mass – with all the priests and deacons of the dioceses in attendance at the Cathedral. When the bishop blesses it, he actually breaths on that oil – to call on the same Holy Spirit received by the apostles because he as our bishop is a successor to the apostles in his ordination as a bishop. It is also a reminder of how the Holy Spirit moved across the waters of the earth when it was created.

There are seven gifts of the of the Holy Spirit and I am sure you all have studied those so I won’t go back over them right now, but I would like to share with you a beautiful prayer that can remind us of these gifts. It goes like this:

Bless me with the knowledge to know right from wrong,

Fortitude to stand up and be strong,

Understanding to follow God’s way,

Piety to worship and pray,

Counsel to enlighten and guide me,

Wisdom to feel Your presence beside me,

And fear of the Lord to always be awed by the mighty wonders of our God!

Amen.

On the day of your confirmation, we usually hang up a beautiful wrought iron candle stand on the wall and there will be seven candles lit on that – each one representing a gift of the Holy Spirit we just heard in that prayer – even if you don’t remember all seven in that moment – say a little prayer when you see those candles and thank God for His gifts through the Holy Spirit that you will each be receiving.

As I wrap up this reflection, let me share this – many times confirmation can seem like an end to a journey because it is the last sacrament you receive at this stage in your lives. The Sacrament of Marriage comes later as well as Holy Orders if you feel called to a vocation to the diaconate or priesthood.

However, it really is the beginning. This is a sacrament that you choose to receive. Most of your parents made the decision to have you baptized and start you in the faith as a baby when you were baptized. Then it was expected that you would receive First Holy Communion a few years later as you all did. However, at confirmation – you are involved in this decision – including picking your confirmation name and a sponsor.

As I mentioned earlier, through your confirmation, you are “more perfectly bound to the Church.”

So even more than before, you are called, just like all of us who have already been confirmed in the Church, called to be the Church, called to be part of the body of Christ, by your presence in the life of the Church.

So be at the mass as often as you can to receive the Most Holy Eucharist, receive the sacrament of reconciliation regularly, attend the various activities that happen around the parish, and fulfill your calling just like the apostles did to love and serve the lord by loving and serving each other.

Don’t just exist but be present and close to the Lord through the Holy Spirit, which you will receive in His fullness at your confirmation.

As Saint Carlo Acutis would say:

“We are born originals, but many die as photocopies.”

What he means is that each of us are created uniquely in God’s image but rather than staying unique originals – we tend to copy the behaviors of others and lose our originality.

Be an original – be who you are called to be by God.

Amen.

Reflection for Exposition and Adoration – Feast Day of St. Carlo Acutis 2025

By Deacon Richard Hay

Note: I was invited by the faculty of Annunciation Catholic School to lead Exposition and Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar in celebration of the upcoming feast day for St. Carlo Acutis (October 12th). This is the reflection I shared with the student body and faculty.

I am truly blessed to be here with you all as we celebrate the first feast day for “Saint” Carlo Acutis which is on October 12th – this coming Sunday.

I was recently able to attend his canonization mass in Rome that was presided over by our Holy Father, Pope Leo, along with at least 80,000 other pilgrims that attended the mass. I have also had a devotion to him since he was declared Blessed by the church back in 2020 and I pray to him daily for his intercession.

It is very appropriate that we are celebrating his feast day in this moment with the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar – the Eucharist – the true presence – the body, blood, soul, and divinity – of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Carlo developed a love for Christ in the Eucharist at a very young age. One of his popular quotes about the Eucharist, and he had several, was that it was his “Highway to Heaven”.

Even at this early stage of his life, before he even received his first communion, he understood that we needed to be closely connected with the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist – whether that was through adoration or receiving him at Mass once we have received First Holy Communion.

Carlo used to say this about adoration – “When we are before Jesus in the Eucharist we become saints.” I know today is a unique opportunity to be present at adoration during school to celebrate Saint Carlo’s upcoming feast day, but did you know that when you come to mass, Jesus is also present in the tabernacle here behind the altar?

You can pause for a moment in prayer as you take your seat in the pew and ask Jesus to be with you in that moment. This is why we genuflect – or kneel and make the sign of the cross – when we enter church for mass – to acknowledge His presence in the tabernacle.

Something else Saint Carlo understood very well was technology and using it for telling the truth. He taught himself to program websites so he could make the Eucharistic Miracles website that is now run by the Vatican.

He also enjoyed playing games on his PlayStation – but also understood that kind of technology can be very addictive – and so he limited his playing time to just one hour per week. Technology and access to the Internet through phones and tablets can be very distracting however, Saint Carlo showed us that all of this can be used for good because it is a gift from God to be used to help others and share our love of Jesus with others.

Saint Carlo also encourages us to live with integrity and values – be the same person whether we are online or in person with others. Carlo used the Sacrament of Reconciliation – confession – to commit himself to be truthful and repent for when he did not live with integrity. Regular confession helps us all to grow closer to God and his graces in the sacrament.

It seems like Saint Carlo simply lived a virtuous life and that was all he focused on – but we also know he enjoyed doing things that all of you enjoy doing – hanging out with his friends, playing sports, and playing a musical instrument.

How many of you all do things like Carlo did?

See – you are already on your way to sainthood because you do the same things as this young Saint did in his life.

Two last challenges for all of us from Saint Carlo and his holy life:

“All people are born as originals, but many die as photocopies.”

What he means by this is we are uniquely made by God – each of us are different – and sometimes we try to do what everyone else is doing. Instead, we need to be us – in our beautiful uniqueness – and live a holy life to serve God.
Finally, he challenges all of us, but especially young people like yourselves to keep our eyes on heaven and use our time, talent, and treasures, including our digital lives, to prepare for eternity with God in heaven.

When you visit the tomb of Saint Carlo in Assisi, Italy, you will see that he is wearing a blue track suit with blue and white tennis shoes. Many of the pictures we have seen of him he is wearing a red shirt and a backpack – these are things that all of us also use in our daily lives – it shows us that we can be just like the saints, and they are just like us.

So, as we prepare to finish our adoration of the Most Holy Eucharist – we ask for Saint Carlo’s intercession to help us strive to live lives of holiness and charity so that like Saint Carlo – we can also be examples of living for Christ.

Amen.

Homily for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Integrity – Inside and Out – Aligned”

This gospel has always been a head scratcher each time I hear it and I am sure some of you are of the same mind. Why would Jesus through this parable, have the master commend the “dishonest” servant and say that he acted “prudently”?

These words just do not seem to line up with the servants actions both through squandering the masters property and then once the master finds out and confronts the steward about his behavior, how the servant then approaches his masters debtors to save himself from a life of hard work by endearing himself to his masters debtors by reducing their current debt in order to gain favor with them.

See in those days, stewards played a big role in a household. They carried great responsibility to take care of their master’s property and this position brought with it wealth and prestige for the steward. It was usually the most trusted male slave, and the position provided physical comfort despite being a slave. In fact, other freemen of the Roman Empire would sell themselves into slavery to get this role for a rich owner.

The steward who is the focus of the gospel’s parable realizes that he is not suited for any other type of work after many years of living in this comfortable situation and he is terrified of losing that way of life – so he goes to his masters’ debtors so they “owe him one”.

The reality of what has happened is that the steward has squandered his opportunity for a continued comfortable life. He uses people, “his masters debtors”, to save himself. He uses people to gain things, and this is the exact opposite of what Jesus calls us to do – and that is to use our time, talent, and treasure to bring people into a relationship with the God of the Universe. Jesus used his miracles and sermons during his ministry to bring people to his Father, and we are called to emulate that through our own testimony in this world.

Yes – we are called to be prudent – just like the dishonest servant was described as prudent in how he worked to protect himself in an earthly way but then fell short in his actions because they were solely focused on saving himself.

Then we hear Jesus say in the gospel, “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.”

In other words – our soul – our eternal life – is reflected in our smallest actions. Does our interior match our exterior? They should indeed be aligned.

There is no such thing as a private existence and a public existence. To truly reflect our entire being, they must be aligned with each other. If we live one way in private and another way publicly – that is a conflict of integrity which must be resolved and sooner rather than later.

Our integrity must be rooted in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. We cannot live one part of our lives with that integrity and then indulge in behaviors that do not align with that same integrity.

The dishonest steward feared losing his comfortable life and therefore chose to act without integrity with the material worth of his master. For him the comfort of his position was more important than anything else and he was willing to give up his integrity to keep it.

Our material worth on earth is a testing ground. If we are faithful in sharing of the time, talent, and treasure that God gives us in our lives – that will result in favor with God and gains for us spiritual blessings.

That is the exact opposite of what the dishonest servant accomplished. If we are self-indulgent then it damages our spiritual growth and injures the Body of Christ of which we are all members. We must always look at our decisions and actions as we use our gifts.

Jesus was not praising the dishonesty of the steward in our gospel. The reality is that the steward has not changed at all. He misused his master’s property and possessions for personal gain and then continues to do so making these deals with his master’s debtors.

However, Jesus is praising two aspects:

For being clever on a worldly level because this type of cleverness, when done for the Kingdom of God and not for personal gain, can bring glory to God and build His kingdom.
- Similarly, using our time, talent, and treasure for a higher purpose – bringing others into a relationship with God so we can live together in his truth and not just our own.
  
  For clarity, Jesus sees the potential for the stewards’ actions to be used for the glory of God, however, the steward falls short and uses these actions for his own good and not for the kingdom of God, – he then falls short of that potential.
  We can all choose to take the right steps to help build the Kingdom of God using the time, talent, and treasure he graces us with in this life. However, the line between doing for God and doing for ourselves is very thin. If our lives of integrity are not aligned both internally and externally, then hitting that mark can be very tenuous.
  
  So, what is the answer we are looking for in aligning our integrity?
  
  First – as it is written at the end of Luke’s gospel today, “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Mammon is defined as any wealth or things regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion. We must worship God and Him alone.
  
  Second – we must use things and love people – not love things and use people. We must use things cleverly and responsibly to a more important end – glorifying and building the Kingdom of God.
  
  Third – the moment we start to have a second God in our lives – the mammon that has been mentioned, in any shape or form – then we are trying to split our integrity in half and that never ends well.
  
  When we worship those things outside of God – either privately or publicly – we need to be aware that is not what He wants of us because as it is written in the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy – “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
  
  However, he is a consuming fire and a jealous God because he wants each one of us – our entire being – for himself – for His kingdom. That is why he gives us gifts and graces in this life that make up our time, talent, and treasure – so that we can glorify His kingdom and not our own. We do that through the way we use those things in this earthly life – in this earthly testing ground.
  
  The saints of our church understood this all in approach and our two newest saints – St. Carlo Acutis and St. Pier Giorgio Frassati – embraced it in many ways.
  
  A couple of weeks ago as many of you know, I was blessed to be in Rome at the Vatican for their canonization and the words of Pope Leo’s homily at that mass ring so true about this idea of emptying ourselves and aligning our integrity in our entire relationship with Christ –Pope Leo closed his homily with this thought:
  
  “Dear friends, Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces. They encourage us with their words: “Not I, but God,” as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: “If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.” This is the simple but winning formula of their holiness. It is also the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to enjoy life to the full and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven.” – End Quote.
  
  As we continue with this liturgy today, let’s remember that we are each called to holiness – to saintly holiness – and the saints give us a model of living completely aligned – both interiorly and externally – to serve God and God alone in all that we do in this life.
  
  It is time for us to make our case for sainthood.

Homily for 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Confident Hope in our Prayer”

As I was preparing this homily over the last week or so, I really struggled with how to begin. I thought maybe sharing a story about the persistent daily prayer Margo and I offered over the course of seven weeks last year for a miraculous healing after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer would be a good start. Then I thought maybe an inspirational story of how answered prayers changed the lives of those making specific and persistent prayers to the Lord for those situations might work.

As I continued to pray and asked the Lord to help me find the right words to begin this homily, I was reminded that prayer comes from a place of deep and abiding love. The reason we offer prayer for others is out of love and desire to see the best outcomes in each of those situations.

Today’s gospel shows us the depth of Christ’s love for us, for all of us, no matter who we are and no matter where we come from. It’s a love that is given freely.

After hearing the beginning of today’s gospel though, some of us might have thought it wasn’t being given so freely because at first Jesus didn’t even reply to the Canaanite woman’s request. She isn’t even asking for healing for herself but for her daughter who was being tormented by a demon.

Throughout the New Testament, we hear stories of Jesus answering many others when they approached him and asked for healing, but in this instance, he is initially silent and then has a very different conversation with her than we might be used to hearing from Jesus.

When he finally did begin a dialog with the Canaanite woman, Jesus’s words seemed very harsh didn’t they? “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

However, she was insistent and replied – “Lord, help me.”

Again, Jesus responds with what seems like more harsh words for her when he says, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Words are important to Jesus, that is evident throughout scripture and this is no different, He never said or did anything publicly by chance – it was always done to glorify His Father.

Remember, when Jesus stood in front of Lazurus’s tomb?

Scripture says that “Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.”

By publicly acknowledging his father in heaven, even when he didn’t need to, he was telling the people around the tomb about his relationship with God His Father as He was about to show His glory and power.

This exchange Jesus was having with the Canaanite women would ultimately glorify God – just as God was glorified at the tomb of Lazurus.

So, after Jesus told her it was not right to take the food from the children and throw it to the dogs, she then replied “Please Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

Jesus’s next words to her were both affirming and beautiful, “O Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”

Her persistent prayers were answered by the Lord.

Although this exchange started with what seemed like harsh words, they end with the sweetness of Jesus affirming her faith. The purpose was always to glorify God.

There are three key aspects of the Canaanite woman’s prayer that we can imitate in our own prayer lives. This is not the only way to pray but it is a way to pray.

First – she acknowledged who Jesus was – “Lord, Son of David.”

In our own prayer do we remember to recognize and acknowledge who God is?

Second – she states clearly what she is asking for – the healing of her daughter who was being “tormented by a demon.”

When we are praying to God, are we specific about what we pray for? It’s OK to ask Him for the resolution of a specific situation in our families or at work, or even a miracle healing for someone who is sick. It’s OK to use the names of those we are praying for as well.

Third – her prayer was persistent. Even after Jesus did not initially respond to her, she persevered. Then, when Jesus told her that it wasn’t right to give the food of the children to the dogs, she responded by asking the Lord for just a small portion – the scraps of the grace and mercy that are available from God in His abundance. She did this because her faith told her that even a small amount of grace and mercy from Jesus could heal her daughter. That is just like the woman who believed she could be healed if she could just touch the tassel of Jesus’s cloak.

This Canaanite woman’s faith and her prayer is an example for all of us to follow in our own prayer life.

Of course, when it comes to the answers to our prayers, they will always be God’s will for us because he knows what is best for us – even with things we persistently pray for.

However, persistence can result in answered prayer because remember the example of St. Monica who prayed for 30 years that her son, St. Augustine, would be converted and we all know what happened as a result of her prayers.

That is persistence in prayer. Are we ready to be that persistent in our own prayers?

Whatever our prayer might be, follow the Canaanite woman’s example and acknowledge who Jesus is; clearly state what you are praying for, and then be persistent with your prayer by taking it back to the Lord again and again.

This weekend, I attended the funeral service for the wife of one of my Navy buddies. I had been looking for a couple of words to close this homily and the pastor who preached the sermon at this service used the words “confident hope”. He was of course referring to confident hope in the resurrection, but those two words also describe how we approach prayer – with “confident hope”.

Confident that the Lord will hear us as pray to him and with the hope we have been given through his gifts of grace and mercy.

So as we approach prayer, we should always do so with “confident hope”.

Homily for Fourth Sunday of Lent – Laetare Sunday (Year A)

By Deacon Richard Hay

“Are we there yet?”

When I was growing up with five brothers and sisters near Louisville, Kentucky in the 70’s, my maternal grandparents lived in the southwest corner of Kansas in a city called Syracuse – roughly a 1,000 mile trip in one direction.

Back then my parents had this massive station wagon that we called the Brown Bomber because it was so big and well – brown. It made that trip multiple times and there was always drama including losing a wheel once coming off at an exit for lunch and having to push the car home at the end of one trip for about a mile because we ran out of gas.

The very back of this station wagon wasn’t used for luggage – it had two seats back there which faced to the rear of the vehicle so you would see where you had been rather than where you were going. I loved sitting back there on these trips.

No matter what type of car any of us have made these types of trips in, there are a couple of common aspects to these journeys.

First is the ever-persistent question – “Are we there yet?”

Second is that the trip to our destination always seemed to take much longer than the trip home.

That is why some of you might be thinking – “Has it really already been four weeks since Lent started?” and others are thinking “Has it really only been four weeks since Lent began?”

While we are all considering our progress for this forty-day period of Lent and how fast it is coming or going, there is another group in our midst that has been on a journey towards Easter that has been much longer – the catechumens and candidates – now the elect – who will receive the sacraments of initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. Many of them have been on this journey for the last year or even longer.

This weekend, they will participate in the second of the three scrutiny’s as they continue this long journey to join us in full communion with the Church. We should all continue to offer our prayers of support for each one of them and you can see all their names out in the Narthex. For all of the elect and all of us, the answer to this journey’s “Are we there yet?” question is – almost.

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, just past the midway point in our journey to Easter. With three more weeks to go, it is a good time to evaluate how our own experience of Lent has gone so far – to evaluate how fruitful our season of prayer, almsgiving, and fasting has been so far.

If it has gone well – then give thanks to God for that and of course, also ask for continued blessings in these final weeks of Lent.

If things have been a bit more challenging, then give thanks for that too because that usually means growth is happening. Offer prayers of thanksgiving for that as well.

If necessary, anyone of us can also change our plans for Lent – that is OK too.

In the first reading, we hear the story of Samuel anointing David as the new king of Israel. We are reminded that God sees beyond our outward appearance and peers deep into our hearts. David was the youngest and smallest of his brothers, but God chose him to be king because of his great faith. It wasn’t about his size or looks. This is a reminder that God can use anyone, regardless of their background or circumstances.

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that we were once in darkness but are now called to live as children of light. He encourages us to live in that light, which means living in the truth and avoiding sin. This can be difficult at times, especially when we are tempted to give in to our desires or when we are faced with challenges and struggles. But St. Paul reminds us that we are not alone in this journey because Christ has redeemed us and has given us His grace and strength which we receive through the sacraments.

In the Gospel reading, we hear the familiar story of the blind man who is healed by Jesus. While there are multiple layers to this story – the bottom line is that Jesus’s healing power has the ability to transform our lives. The blind man represents all of us who are spiritually blind, who are unable to see the full truth and beauty of God’s love. But when we turn to Jesus and ask for His help, He can open our eyes and help us to see.

As we reflect on these readings, we are encouraged to examine our own lives. Are we living in the truth and avoiding sin?

Are we seeking God’s plan for our lives, even if it means going against the norms of society?

Are we asking Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness and to help us see the full truth and beauty of His love?

As we pause and think about our relationship with God and approach these final weeks of Lent, remember that this is a time of repentance, renewal, and preparation. A time for us to turn away from sin and to turn toward God’s mercy and grace, while making changes that will bring us closer to Christ – changes that will hopefully last beyond Lent.

Remember – we are called to be like David, who was chosen by God to do great things even though he was the youngest and smallest of his brothers.

We are called to be like St. Paul, who lived as a child of light and who encouraged others to do the same.

We are called to be like the blind man, who had the courage to ask Jesus for help, was healed and later professed Him as Lord.

As we continue our journey through Lent, remember that God loves each one of us and that He is always there for us, no matter what.

However, It is up to us, just like it was to the blind man, to profess – “I do believe, Lord.”