Afternoon Keynote: The Darkness has not Overcome

As we gathered back together following our afternoon break, Fr. Brian Fallon spoke  to us about the places of light and darkness in our lives. He explained that God did not create us to be the light, rather to see and share in the life of Christ who is the  light of the world. We often strive for perfection, grasping at worldly things that we cannot attain, when in reality we should open our arms and be received by our loving Father.  Fr. Fallon reminded  us that, “Jesus loves us too much to keep us in the darkness.” Jesus bore the cross, thinking of us and our struggles, demonstrating that trusting in the Lord allows us to experience more than mere earthly obligations. He urged us to abandon the need to be the light and instead witness and reflect God’s light. As bearers of the light, how are we called to bring the love of Christ to others?

Watch the live stream of the afternoon keynote here.

Keynote: The Road Illuminated 

Tonight, Jackie Francois Angel reminded the conference of the importance of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We receive the Holy Spirit for two reasons: to grow in our own holiness and to build up the body of Christ. Jackie said, “Let’s let our heart be burning with the Holy Spirit,” as we are called to let that fire spread to the world around us. She also spoke of Saint Jose Sanchez Del Rio, a teenager in the early 1900s who was captured during battle and told to deny the faith. With the strength of the Spirit within him, he held true to the Lord, shouting, “Viva Cristo Rey!” without fear. God calls us to be His hands and feet in the world, but we must remember we cannot do it alone. Looking at Luke 24,  we hear of the disciples who were on their way to Emmaus. Jesus met them on their walk, and as they journeyed with Him, they invited Jesus to stay and He broke bread with them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him before He vanished from their sight, illustrating how the Holy Spirit illuminates and opens our hearts to understand and recognize the presence of Christ.  Let us continue to ask the Holy Spirit for the fortitude we need to be courageous witnesses to the Lord in all that we do.

Adoration

Fr. Brian Fallon processed through the crowd with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance. And just like the disciples stood in Christ’s presence over 2,000 years ago, we were able to be with Jesus in the Eucharist. We had a moment of encounter with the Lord, and something happens when a group of people encounter the Lord and decide they are going to respond. As Fr. Fallon said, “We know for sure, Lord, that You will show us the path to life. The fullness of joy is in Your presence. At Your right hand, happiness forever.”

Watch Saturday night’s live stream here.

Afternoon Keynote: The Darkness has not Overcome

During our evening keynote, Fr. Chris Martin recalled the solar eclipse that occurred this past October. When the moon partially covered the sun, the earth was placed in its shadow, but still the moon could not totally block out the light. It is like that with Jesus. Even though sin has made this world more difficult, the light of Christ continues to illuminate the darkness. We are never too far for Jesus to reach us. Fr. Martin read from John 13:1 that states, “Having loved His own…He loved them to the end.” The darkness is no match for the love of Jesus.

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Jesus was present with us this evening: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The Blessed Sacrament was carried in procession through the crowd of participants gathered to worship and praise our God. This is Jesus Christ. This is the one and only true refuge. The world has counterfeits, but nothing can compare to Jesus Himself.

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“Jesus is on His way to you, and that’s all that matters.”
– Sr. Josephine Garrett

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“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16) 

This New Testament verse is so well-known that even non-Christians can recite it from memory. Its beautiful words reveal the deep love that God has for each of us. But as beautiful as this verse is, it doesn’t tell the whole story. As much love as it took for God the Father to give His only Son to us and the Son to endure death so that He might draw all of us to Him, there’s more to the love story that is the Catholic faith.

The Infinite Love of Jesus

Did you know that Jesus, True God and True Man, also gives us His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist at every Mass? He humbles Himself to become our very food–stopping at nothing to give us everything–out of His infinite love for us. Although His Body and Blood still appear like bread and wine, the Eucharist is truly Jesus.

As Catholics, we don’t have to just accept this on faith alone, although faith is a large part of it. Throughout the centuries, to help bolster that belief and reveal Himself, Jesus has given us Eucharistic miracles that give scientific proof of His Eucharistic Presence. Click here to read a story about how a Catholic man and priest are spreading the word about Eucharistic miracles. In addition, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are launching a three-year Eucharistic Revival to help everyone better understand and love our Eucharistic Lord.

Trust Leads to Love

During Eucharistic Adoration tonight, Fr. Chris Martin talked about trust: not only to believe in the Eucharist but also to believe that we are loved so fearlessly by Jesus. To help us build that foundation, Fr. Martin led us in the Litany of Trust prayer from the Sisters of Life. When we trust in our good Lord, we’re able to realize the true purpose of our life: to love God in return with our whole heart and our neighbor as ourselves.

Watch the live stream of Adoration here.