A Letter to my Sister on her Confirmation

Dear Ruth, 

As your sponsor, I’ve been trying to think of a way to talk to you about Confirmation and everything you have to be excited about in becoming a full member of the Catholic Church. It’s easy to talk about these things to people who say prayers daily, never miss Sunday mass, and have lists of their favorite saints. But you, alas, are not that Confirmandi (though let’s face it- we know our mom was).

You often tell us that you aren’t sure God exists, though you often tell us about how you see signs of God in your life. You talk about how you see God answering your prayers. You often drag your feet when we go to mass as a family, yet you go to confession more than anyone else in our family. You complain about doing service hours, yet you always step up to serve- whether at your school or in the community. You have so much anger toward God, but in many ways you have the beginning of a rich relationship with God too.

You are full of passion and fire for the things you care about. You are never afraid to stand up for the things you believe in. I was talking to your catechist today, and he beamed when he told me about how you taught the class to always remember not to refer to God as “he.” I think you often worry that being a person of faith will stop you from being the strong woman you are. What you don’t see is that you can be both. You can take your thirst for justice and equality and channel it into your faith. There are so many women of faith who are able to make a huge difference in the world (link). God is always calling you to take your talents, your strengths, and passions and use them to help other. You just need to listen to God and find your call!

I can’t promise that I will always be a perfect model of faith, but I’m so happy you picked me to be your sponsor. I can, however, promise that I will always be there for you- if you have questions about God and faith, if you want someone to pray with you, or even just to listen to you. So on this very happy and blessed occasion, I encourage you to recognize that this is the start of your new grown up faith life. A chance to show the world how you can live your faith in your own way.

Sincerely,
Megan