As the harvest of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage and Congress plays out over the next year, decade, and perhaps century, we would do well to contemplate what comes next. The source and summit of our faith has been “institutionally” re-inserted back into its proper place. The faithful have encountered the Eucharistic and risen Christ. What should be our response? Belief that the confected silent white wafer is, in fact, the God-man, the uncreated, eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and every other “omni” that is good? What exactly are we called to do as we accept the great gift of faith that before all time was deigned to be bestowed on us at this moment?
The gates of hell have been unleashed on the world. The bruised and bloodied body of Christ must be made beautiful and ready for the return of the Divine groom. What do we do?
Enter the superheroes. Now is the time that all of you who have had this nagging angst, knowing that you were made for something more, something greater, will discover anew your true identity. Now, the game plan, kept from you in the shadows, is made manifest.
The Eucharistic Revival is not the end game, but the starting gun to a new race. It is the bread that will feed us for our unique journey and mission.
He lay down and fell asleep under the solitary broom tree, but suddenly a messenger touched him and said, “Get up and eat!”
He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake and a jug of water. After he ate and drank, he lay down again, but the angel of the LORD came back a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat or the journey will be too much for you!” (1 Kings 19:5-7)
Let us gaze deep into our spiritual navel and grasp our identity, our calling. You who are reading this now are to go “in the spirit of Elijah” to confront the false prophets, the weak kings, the Jezebels of this world.
Renew your baptismal promise. You are a king! You are a prophet! You are a Priest! Smell the chrism…the oil is still fresh. All power has been given you to do the supernatural. The revival is not the end, but the fresh meal that renews us before this epic battle.
Everyone has been marked and must take their place. Souls rely on our faithfulness. Some will be in heaven because we were faithful to God’s grace. And tragically, some will be in Hell because we were not faithful. Yes, heavy is the cross, and its weight can overpower were it not for the supernatural food set aside for us.
You say, “I’m too old; I don’t have the resources; I don’t have time.” Cast it out for the demon that it is! Let yourself be fed. The Eucharist, Adoration, and Confession…get up now, walk resolutely, waiting for the tiny whisper that is the voice of God.
Realize that every word, every gaze, and every tear have the power to build up or tear down. From this moment forward you’re called to be the superhero. Stare into the face of evil. It is the very thing that seeks to destroy you and every member of your family. Just as God has a will for us, so too does Satan. The enemy wants you and your family to spend eternity in Hell, separated from the love of the Father.
Ponder this, your beloved child, for all eternity, enshrined in agony, hatred, separation from light. It should be unbearable to even imagine. Maybe it’s not your child, but some other parents’ child. What will you do?
Bishops, priests, lay leaders, what is the next “phase?” Our current model of living is not moving the needle. Why? Many of our youth have left the institutional church. The church must go out after them. As Pope Francis said early in his pontificate, we must leave the comfort of our rectories and pursue the lost sheep (and we should smell like them as well).
The endgame, my friends, is the renewal of marriage. It is said that the last apparition to Sister Lucia by our heavenly Mother revealed that the final battle would be over marriage and the family. Satan knew well to disfigure the image of the Trinity in the family. The model of handing down our faith is through the family, and a broken family does not allow grace to flow.
Let me share a “robust” exchange I had with a prominent priest. I had mentioned that our leadership had failed marriage in our church, and he adamantly pushed it back on me and said the real problem was that the laity was not doing their part.
Because I greatly respected him, I took pause. I prayed about it and tossed what he said back and forth. Let me ask you your opinion. (I have mine.) If 95% of the clergy were in a perpetual state of serious sin, do you think our bishops would do something about it? Let me answer for you and say YES. Well, about 90% of married couples use some form of contraception, which the church has said is seriously sinful, and leadership knows this…
The bride will never be beautiful if we don’t address the elephant in the room. The problem…well, it is myriad. To enforce this now is to create a major upheaval in the Church (and they know it). No matter how we come to love our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist, we will never have the renewal we seek if we do not FIX MARRIAGE. Catholic superheroes, now is your time!
Author’s Note: I wrote a fiction novel entitled Catholic Joe: Superhero to attempt to ignite my brothers and sisters. To sow hope and to pour gasoline on the flame in their hearts. The iconic main character Lieutenant General Joseph Salvatore is meant to be “Everyman.” His mission is the restoration and renewal of marriage. This, my friends IS what we are called to fight for. This is the next battle!
Photo by Steven Lelham on Unsplash
