During the First Friday gathering in Saginaw on May 1, Bishop Gruss quoted Pope Francis and reminded listeners that every baptized person is called to be a missionary disciple.
“A missionary disciple is someone who knows Jesus personally, loves Him deeply, follows Him faithfully, and shares Him boldly,” he said.
He stressed that evangelization is not about having all the answers, but about sharing one’s encounter with Christ.
“A witness is someone who says, ‘I have met the Lord and He has changed my life,’” Bishop Gruss said.
Bishop Gruss reflected on the Sacrament of Confirmation and missionary discipleship, and encouraged Catholics to rediscover the power of the Holy Spirit already at work within them through the Sacraments. He emphasized that Confirmation is inseparable from missionary discipleship. “The Spirit was poured upon the Church for one reason,” he said. “To evangelize.”
“Wake Up the Sleeping Giant”
Bishop Gruss encouraged Catholics to develop a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and rely less on self-sufficiency. “The Holy Spirit is already in you,” he said. “But perhaps He’s dormant. Wake up the sleeping giant in your life. You have everything you need to live as a disciple of Jesus in the world today.”
First Friday attendees were encouraged to pray simple prayers each day asking the Holy Spirit to become more active in their lives.
He also encouraged young people preparing for Confirmation to approach the Sacrament with openness and courage. The Sacrament of Confirmation is meant to be a life-changing moment in one's life and call to discipleship, as it was for the disciples of the early church."
“Don’t be afraid to live an extraordinary life in Christ,” he said. “Christ is calling all of us to be saints.”
Speaking during the Diocese’s confirmation season, Bishop Gruss reflected on visiting parishes across the Diocese to celebrate Confirmation with young people.
“Confirmation is not an ending. It doesn’t complete anything. It’s a beginning,” Bishop Gruss said.
He explained that Catholics often reduce the Sacraments to events they attend rather than encounters with Jesus Christ himself. “When we look at the Sacramental life merely as events, then we have diminished them by 99.9%,” he said.
Instead of saying, “I’m going to Mass,” Bishop Gruss suggested Catholics think differently: “I’m going for an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus.”
Jesus Is the One Who Confirms
Bishop Gruss reminded attendees that Jesus himself is the minister of every Sacrament. “Jesus baptized you. He confirmed you. He gave himself to you in Holy Communion,” he said. “In the Sacrament of Confirmation, he uses my thumb.”
Reflecting on his own Confirmation and Baptism dates, Bishop Gruss encouraged Catholics to learn and celebrate those dates as important milestones in their lives of faith. “These are two of the most important dates,” he said, “more important than your birthday.”
He urged Catholics to contact the parish where they were baptized to obtain their Sacramental records and reflect more intentionally on those moments of grace.
Confirmation and the Holy Spirit
Drawing from the Acts of the Apostles, Bishop Gruss compared Confirmation to the transformation experienced by the apostles at Pentecost. Before receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles hid in fear. Afterward, they boldly proclaimed the Gospel.
“Peter went from fear and denial of Jesus to being a strong, faithful witness of the Gospel,” Bishop Gruss said. “Everything changed.”
"That same Holy Spirit is given to the disciples is given to each person in the Sacrament of Confirmation, not diminished in any way. This is why it should be a profound life-changing experience."
Bishop Gruss encouraged Catholics to ask the Lord to “bring alive the grace” of Confirmation again in their lives.
“The Spirit is never dead,” he said. “Ask the Holy Spirit to ignite your faith.”