A New Hope
Two and a half weeks ago, I embarked on one of the craziest adventures of my life. I boarded a plane with a fellow FOCUS Team Director, Laura Scharmer, as we made our way to Rome, Italy, via Moscow, Russia. No, this was not simply a pleasure trip, or what Southwest Airlines calls "Wanna Get Away" sojourn. Rather, Curtis Martin, founder and president of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, invited the Team Directors from across the country to join him for the last week of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization at the Vatican, to pray, to fast, and to witness an important meeting of Bishops.
Though we did not get to actually play in the game (metaphorically), we had amazing seats! Sitting practically front row, we had the distinct honor and privilege of meeting with, dining with, and talking to a number of Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals. They shared with us their insights on the Synod. Their thoughts on the state of the Church. Their perspective of the Church around the world. Their words of affirmation for FOCUS. Their jokes. (I especially loved when these holy men cracked some jokes).
The most beautiful thing to witness though was watching how these men walked in from the Synod tired, worn, and frustrated, and left filled with hope, inspired, and rejuvenated. I don't know if I can necessarily attribute this to us, a smattering of 100 missionaries from across the United States, but I couldn't help but be in awe and inspired by what we represented. Each of us missionaries represented approximately three other missionaries who were serving with us on our teams. But we weren't just a group of 340 individuals running after Christ, but rather we also represented all of the students we had encountered on campus and who were going through conversions, deeper conversions, and reversions. Each of those students represented their roommates, their friends, their classmates, whom they were evangelizing just by their very witness. But let's go back, even the 340 missionaries doesn't necessarily represent just the students we are reaching and impacting, but rather we also represent our families, our mission partners, our friends, all those whom we are telling stories from campus, having conversations about our faith with, and sharing our lives with. I can only imagine how inspiring looking out at a crowd of 100 devoted, faithful, and dynamic Catholics could be for these bishops...but how much more inspiring and amazing when you thought of how that 100 was only the tip of the iceberg. That behind each of these faces, these eager faces, were so many more people. So many more people answering and hearing Blessed Pope John Paul II's call for a "new evangelization," a call to re-invite those who have stepped away from the Gospel and the truth to return, to come home! I can only imagine these holy, beautiful men looking out into the crowd and not just seeing one hundred people, but seeing a sea of people, a sea of people looking up, ready, waiting, eager to respond to the call of the Church. I can't help but imagine how we must have been a new hope for these men. I can't help but imagine that we are a source of inspiration for our brothers and sisters. I can't help but sit in anticipation of how Christ will use us to bring fire back to His Church.
Though we did not get to actually play in the game (metaphorically), we had amazing seats! Sitting practically front row, we had the distinct honor and privilege of meeting with, dining with, and talking to a number of Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals. They shared with us their insights on the Synod. Their thoughts on the state of the Church. Their perspective of the Church around the world. Their words of affirmation for FOCUS. Their jokes. (I especially loved when these holy men cracked some jokes).
The most beautiful thing to witness though was watching how these men walked in from the Synod tired, worn, and frustrated, and left filled with hope, inspired, and rejuvenated. I don't know if I can necessarily attribute this to us, a smattering of 100 missionaries from across the United States, but I couldn't help but be in awe and inspired by what we represented. Each of us missionaries represented approximately three other missionaries who were serving with us on our teams. But we weren't just a group of 340 individuals running after Christ, but rather we also represented all of the students we had encountered on campus and who were going through conversions, deeper conversions, and reversions. Each of those students represented their roommates, their friends, their classmates, whom they were evangelizing just by their very witness. But let's go back, even the 340 missionaries doesn't necessarily represent just the students we are reaching and impacting, but rather we also represent our families, our mission partners, our friends, all those whom we are telling stories from campus, having conversations about our faith with, and sharing our lives with. I can only imagine how inspiring looking out at a crowd of 100 devoted, faithful, and dynamic Catholics could be for these bishops...but how much more inspiring and amazing when you thought of how that 100 was only the tip of the iceberg. That behind each of these faces, these eager faces, were so many more people. So many more people answering and hearing Blessed Pope John Paul II's call for a "new evangelization," a call to re-invite those who have stepped away from the Gospel and the truth to return, to come home! I can only imagine these holy, beautiful men looking out into the crowd and not just seeing one hundred people, but seeing a sea of people, a sea of people looking up, ready, waiting, eager to respond to the call of the Church. I can't help but imagine how we must have been a new hope for these men. I can't help but imagine that we are a source of inspiration for our brothers and sisters. I can't help but sit in anticipation of how Christ will use us to bring fire back to His Church.
Comments
Post a Comment