You are so good to me!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just know that the Lord is speaking to you? When those moments happen, my heart is filled with pure joy and an indescribable peace that can come only from my heavenly Father.

Monday nights at NAC there is a Praise and Worship group that meets and...does exactly what the name of the group implies: praises and worships. They sing contemporary Christian songs, praising the Lord. There are also breakout prayer teams if someone would like to be prayed over. I am slightly embarrassed to admit that, after going in the beginning of my New Man year, I stopped going in order to hang out with a different group of guys and watch Home Improvement on Monday nights...and I would get my "praise and worship" music fix on my iPod when I went to the gym, or just chillin in my room.

This morning at school, however, a good friend told me that his apostolate was invited to come to Praise tonight, meaning that the Blessed Sacrament would be exposed, and it would be more than just seminarians there. Figuring it's been way too long since I've gone, I told him I'd be there. (Having just returned from Praise...God clearly invited me through my friend, because He had something deeper to communicate to me.)

Like any good Catholic, I took my place in the back of the Chapel (knowing I was't going to stay the whole time, and not wanting to sit in the front pew, only to leave 20-25 minutes in...), and silently prayed "Come Holy Spirit, Come Holy Spirit", and He did! 

Before exposition began, I looked around the chapel, and was edified to see about 20-25 college students from the different apostolates in the chapel, who would momentarily be singing to our Lord who would be present on the altar. As Jesus was placed in the monstrance and put on the altar for us to adore, my mind immediately went to a verse from the Book of Deuteronomy:

For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? (4:7) 

I raised my head opened my eyes and looked upon Jesus Christ present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity on the altar in front of me. GOD, the Creator of the universe was staring at me in the Consecrated Host. HOW BLESSED are we as Catholics?! We're promised that when "two or three are gathered in my Name, I am there among them in their midst" (Mt 18:20), but to also have the Blessed Sacrament...the TRUE Flesh and Blood of the Word become Incarnate!! 

I knelt there thanking God for the reminder of His closeness, and I prayed for myself as well as my brothers and sisters present in that chapel. We began to sing a song by Matt Maher ("Lord, I need You")... oh man! The joy that I felt at that moment, the beauty of being in a room praising Jesus with other Catholics whom I've never met, but am united to by being a member of the Body of Christ was extremely powerful.

The deacon stood and read from Ephesians 6:10-18, and I knew that this was why I was invited to Praise tonight by my friend. I was told by several trusted friends back home before returning to Rome that Third Year would be difficult. As it is the final (God willing) year of formation before diaconate ordination, the Devil is going to be hitting me harder this year than in past years of formation, trying to make me doubt my vocation, trying to make me think I'm not good enough and there's no way the Lord would be calling me to be His priest.

St. Paul's words to the Christians in Ephesus are just as true for me tonight as they were for the Ephesians 2,000 years ago when he wrote to them...and it was exactly what God wanted me to hear tonight. You are so good to me, Lord.

Praised be Jesus Christ...

--kpl