Darkness...is not Dark

If I say: "Let the darkness hid me and the light around me be night,"
Even the darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as clear as the day.

~ From Psalm 139

Perhaps we are on the cusp of something in Chicago. Today our great Cathedral suffered another blow, as fire tore through the roof. My heart went out to the Cathedral pastor, Fr. Mayall, as I watched him stand behind Cardinal George, who addressed reporters early this morning. The look of sadness and disappointment on the priest's face was obvious--after months of renovations at the Cathedral and massive debt...yet another blow. Thankfully, Cardinal George appeared optomistic.

And here we are again, amidst disorder and chaos, within and without. Yet, there is still cause for hope. I began getting text messages and voicemails at 6:30 a.m. about the Cathedral fire, but it wasn't until 7:45 a.m. that I got a text saying "It is o.k., Jesus got out safe."

What Faith! I was honored when I heard later this morning that Fr. Matt Compton had rescued Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament from the Cathedral this morning. Now, you may have never heard the name of this priest before, but today and forever, he is a hero in the order of St. Tarcisius and those other vailent saints who risked thier lives to protect the Sacred Body of Jesus Christ from destruction.

The readings from Liturgy of the Hours today were fitting (as they always are). What stuck out to me most...was "even the darkness is not dark for you." As my friends might ask, "Is that deeper than deep?" I beleive that it is.

We are living in times that sin is celebrated and self is central. And yet, there are still people like Fr. Matt in the world who remind us what is really central: Jesus Christ. A life without Jesus at the center is a life centered on darkness...but do you see the hope in that? "Even darkness is not dark for you." Christ is not afraid of the dark, not afraid to let His light shine--but He wants our help.

I think about this city, and how we are just beggining a renewal here in Chicago. What a sad day to see our Church burnt down, but...isn't this the kind of day St. Francis would embrace?

"Rebuild my Church, for you see it is in ruins."

I think the image of Holy Name Cathedral, struck but not destroyed, is truly an icon of the life of our Chruch today. We are under sever attack by the forces of the Enemy: Modernity, Apathy, the Culture of Death, Selfishness, Sexual Perversion...to name a few. But, even in that darkness Christ's Light Shines. Even in that darkness God raises up heroes. The question is: Am I, are you, willing to be one of those heroes? Are we willing to risk everything for Jesus Christ?

The Church needs to be fortified today, rebuilt...the Chruch needs Saints...in college we used to call ourselves Urban Saints. Oh, Chicago is waiting, waiting for her Urban Saints to hit the streets in the name of Jesus Christ...and let His light shine into that darkness...are you ready? Are you willing? He needs you now, more than ever. Answer the call...you'll never regret it!