September 27, 2026 - Pastor Message
September 26, 2026ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS PART 3
ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
PART 3
“After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it…Then the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus, the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.’ Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me’” (Matthew 28:1-2, 5-10).
Concluding our reflection on the OCIA this week, we will look at the high point of the Order this week, the celebration of initiation at the Easter Vigil, and the transitional stage after initiation called the Mystagogy. The Easter Vigil is the most sacred celebration of the whole liturgical year because it is the celebration of the night Christ rose from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus is the very center of our faith, the whole reason we are Christian, because his resurrection opens the door to eternal life for all of us. This is the “good news” we proclaim to others, inviting them to share in that same risen life, and the reason people enroll in the OCIA. So we celebrate the sacraments of initiation with them on this night. If they are catechumens, that means Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. If they are candidates who have already been baptized, that means Confirmation and First Eucharist. Either way, it is a very special time of grace for all of us as the catechumens and candidates receive God’s saving grace directly, and we share in that experience indirectly, recalling the grace of our own initiation into the risen Christ and welcoming the newly baptized and confirmed into our community.
But the journey doesn’t stop there. While no longer catechumens, elect, or candidates, the newly initiated enter a new order in the Church as neophytes, those who are beginning their lives as fully initiated disciples of Christ. In this stage, the Church offers her support in the period of Mystagogy, further exploring the mysteries of our faith and encouraging the neophytes to fully enter into the life of the faith community through prayer, study, and service. In a sense, this period includes all those who are fully initiated, whether at the most recent Easter Vigil or at our Confirmation years ago. It reminds us that the journey into Christ and the life he brings does not end at Confirmation, it only begins, and challenges us to keep growing in our faith, which is not a one-time deal but a rich deposit that keeps growing through our continual efforts to open ourselves ever more fully to God’s limitless grace.
I hope this brief reflection on the OCIA has helped all of us understand and appreciate it more and has helped us to increase our efforts to both invite those who could benefit from the OCIA to participate in it and to increase our own efforts at ongoing prayer, conversion, and study. Please pray for those who have already enrolled in the OCIA this year, and know I am praying for all of you as we grow together in the faith here at St. Boniface.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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