Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
Rite of Election 2026
23 February 2026
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today our community of the Church rejoices because we gather today, in this holy Season of Lent, for the Rite of Election, which is a moment of grace and holy anticipation.
My dear catechumens, you have come with your sponsors and catechists, with family members and friends, and with the faithful from across our parishes. I am sure that you come with many feelings. There may be joy and excitement. There may also be uncertainty, even a little apprehension. Whatever you are experiencing, know this with confidence and peace. God is doing good things in you. The Lord who has begun this work will bring it to fulfilment.
In this sacred rite, the Church, acting in the name of God, chooses you for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion at Easter. This Election is not simply an administrative step. It is a spiritual reality. Through the testimony of your sponsors and catechists, the Church has listened carefully to your story. We have heard of your faith, your conversion, your prayer, and your desire to walk as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. And today, in this cathedral, as your bishop, in communion with the whole diocesan Church, I shall declare you to be among the Elect.
Soon your names will be inscribed in the Book of the Elect. The enrolment of your names is a pledge of fidelity. It is a sign that you intend to remain faithful to Christ. Yet even more profoundly, it is a sign that God has called you by name. Long before your name was written in the book, your name was written in the heart of God.
The Scriptures proclaimed today illuminate the depth of what is taking place. In the Book of Genesis, we hear of the creation of the human person. (Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7) God forms man from the dust of the earth and breathes into him the breath of life. Life begins not with us, but with God. The right ordering of creation begins and ends with the Word of God as the origin of life.
Yet we also hear of the tragedy of original sin. The temptation in the garden was the attempt to displace God from the centre and to replace God with self. It was the subtle suggestion that the human person could become the origin of life, that the ego, the “I”, could define good and evil apart from God. Creation became disordered when humanity forgot that life is gift. This ancient story is not distant from us. It speaks to every human heart. Each of us knows the temptation to place ourselves at the centre. Each of us has experienced the muddling of life that follows when we do so.
But Saint Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, proclaims a word of immense hope. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Through one man, sin entered the world. Through one man, Jesus Christ, righteousness and life are given to all. When one comes to faith, there is certainty that Jesus Christ will cause everyone to be made righteous. The disorder introduced by sin is not the final word. Grace is stronger. Jesus Christ restores what was lost.
In the Gospel, the Evangelist Matthew reminds us that Jesus was tempted after forty days of fasting in the wilderness. The devil urged him to turn stones into bread. Yet Jesus replied that no one lives on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (cf. Matthew 4:4)
In this moment, Jesus reveals the true order of creation. Life flows from the Word of God. Jesus himself is that living Word. Where Adam grasped at equality with God, Jesus humbly entrusts himself to the Father. Where humanity said I will define my own path, Jesus says I live by the Father’s will.
My dear catechumens, your journey in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is a journey from the illusion of self-sufficiency to the freedom of trust in God. It is a turning away from the ego as the centre of life and a turning towards Christ as Lord. This is ongoing conversion. It does not end at Easter. In truth, it never ends. It is the pattern of the whole Christian life.
Your sponsors stand beside you today as witnesses and companions. Catechists have patiently handed on the faith of the Church. The wider community gathers in prayerful support. This is not a private decision.
Through this Rite of Election, your parish journey is united with the broader diocesan Church. You are becoming part of something far greater than yourselves. You are being grafted into the Body of Christ.
To the sponsors and catechists, and to family members, I say thank you. Your encouragement, your example, and your prayer have been instruments of grace. Continue to walk with these Elect. Continue to be signs of Christ’s faithful love.
And to all the baptised here today, this rite speaks to us as well. Lent is not only for those preparing for the sacraments. It is a time of ongoing conversion for every member of the Church. We too are called to examine our hearts. We too must ask whether God truly stands at the centre of our lives. We too are invited to rediscover that we do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
My dear Elect, as you move towards the great night of Easter, when you will be baptised into the death and resurrection of Christ, sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, and nourished with the Eucharist for the first time, hold fast to this truth.
Grace abounds. Christ restores. God is faithful.
Walk these Lenten days with courage. Pray with openness. Fast with purpose. Listen deeply to the Word. Allow the Lord to reorder your hearts, your minds, and your souls. The One who called you is trustworthy. The One who breathed life into the first human person now breathes new life into you.
With the whole Church, we await the joy of Easter. And with confidence we say, thanks be to God, who in Christ makes all things new. Amen.