Jan 28, 2014
As the young general, Constantine, prepared to do battle against Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge in 312 A.D., he understood that he needed the help of a higher power. He had lost confidence in the traditional Roman gods and so he prayed to the True God that He would reveal Himself to him and stretch forth His right arm to help him. In response to this prayer, Jesus showed Constantine His Glorious Cross in the sky and Constantine saw the words: In hoc Signo vinces: in this Sign you shall conquer. Constantine then had his entire army place the Cross on their shields and they went on to rout Maxentius and his army. The prayer of Constantine, the tangible sign of the Cross, and the victory that followed changed the course of history. The Sacrament of Confirmation has many similarities to this prayerful encounter between Jesus and Constantine. The rest of the homily took a look at the comparisons between those two events: battle of the Milvian Bridge and Confirmation.