Lift Jesus Higher Rally April 24, 2010

Even the cover of The Word Among Us featuring a headline, “50 Ways to Keep the Joy Alive” confirmed the theme of the eighteenth annual Lift Jesus Higher Rally, “Joy for Tough Times.”  While a meeting of Internal Medicine Fellows convened in the south building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the north building came alive with internal medicine for the soul on April 24, 2010.

Throngs of God’s people gathered long before the doors opened at 7:30 a.m. that Saturday, thirsting to hear reassurances of the Lord’s presence no matter their circumstances.  Beginning the day, Deacon Tom Welsh and other Deacons blessed the hall and then proceeded to soak the later arrivals with blessings as they got off the escalators on the second floor.  In keeping with the rally’s theme, the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary were recited prior to a welcome from Toronto’s newest shepherd, Bishop Vincent Nguyen.

The first speaker, Marcus Grodi of the Coming Home Network, mentioned how, in keeping with God’s great sense of humor, he never expected, as a former Presbyterian minister, to ever be speaking to a group of Catholics.  His ministry has helped over 1700 former Protestant ministers from 100 different denominations find their way into the Catholic Church.  Each week, two to five new Protestant ministers approach his organization inquiring about entry into the Catholic Church.  He asked the prayers of those gathered at the rally for these men and women, many of whom are married and who often have to sacrifice their livelihoods and friends to convert.  They do so, however, for their love of Jesus Christ.

Marcus said how much he appreciated Mother Angelica’s request that he host the weekly show, Journey Home, on EWTN to give hope to Catholics.  As evidence of the need for this, he mentioned that 30% of his former congregants were x-Catholics.  In the twelve and a half years he has been on the air, he has hosted over 500 converts and reverts and has traveled to England, Ireland, Canada, Sweden, and Norway highlighting the worldwide phenomenon of God calling His people back.

He felt that in coming to Canada, he, too, was coming home; because his family had sailed to Canada in 1667; however, his great grandfather had pulled the family out of the Catholic Church.  He felt that he doesn’t “deserve” to be Catholic, that it was God’s mercy that he came home.

Marcus then pinpointed seven Bible verses which he felt would help restore joy.  First, his favorite, Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.”  Marcus suggested that everyone start their day with the Divine Mercy phrase, “Jesus, I trust in you.”  Straight roads still have ups and downs; and, as T.S. Eliot, wrote, the way up and the way down are the same. We should concentrate not on the ups and downs and ourselves but on God.  In short, focus on Jesus.

Second, Marcus referred to Philippians 4:4-7, which says to rejoice in the Lord always, to have no anxiety, and peace will be present.  Bottom line, it’s grace that turns people, through prayer, into thanksgiving; and that is necessary for the peace which surpasses understanding.  Every single thing we have is a gift from God, and He gives and takes away.  “The Christmas Carol” is the greatest conversion story, as Scrooge gave everything away.  He became kinder, more loving, gentle and forgiving.  Has our conversion changed us?  We have to have time for Jesus in prayer and thanksgiving, listening to him with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Marcus then mentioned 2 Timothy 3:12, which states that all who live a godly life will be persecuted.  This is followed by the admonition to continue in what we have learned.  We should ensure that we’re in the Word and that we take time to be in the Word.  It’s a living Word, which is profitable and infallible.  We should read the Word every day.

The fourth citing was 1 Timothy 3:15.  The Church is the “bulwark of truth.”  Without the Church, there would be no Bible and no belief in the Trinity.  All graces flow through it.  In other denominations, with 6,000 people, there are 6,000 beliefs.  We need obedience to the Church and to read the Word in context and beauty, which is the Church.

Another of Marcus’ favorite passages is John 15: 4-5. “Apart from me, you can do nothing.  Abide in me.”  As a Protestant minister, Marcus had never noticed John 6:56, which shows the way to abide in the Lord, “He who eats my flesh abides in me.”—the Eucharist.  In addition, he never paid attention to 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “Stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.”  We need the sacraments as a source of grace.

As the sixth reference, Marcus pointed to 2 Timothy 3: 1-5.  “In the last days, there will be difficult times, for men will be . . . holding the form of religion but denying the power of it.”  In many denominations, the power of the sacraments and the Holy Spirit are missing.  Catholics, on the other hand, have the audacity to believe that miracles actually happen.  We should expect His power to make a difference in us.

Finally, Marcus mentioned Philippians 3:13-14 in which St. Paul states that he is also on a journey and that he is pressing on.  The key to growing in joy is to continue on and not to look back.  Forget what went before and start over.

Marcus closed with a prayer that we focus on and trust in the Lord to guide us, that we pray without ceasing in thanksgiving, that we make time for the Word daily, that we listen to God and stand up for the Church, that we make use of the graces of the sacraments to stay faithful, and that we expect the Holy Spirit to lead us.

Next up, the “Joyful Culture Warrior,” Teresa Tomeo reminded those attending not to have sour faces or, in the words of her father, “fungo faces”—“mushroom faces.”

Teresa said that the Lord saved her marriage, which, at the time, was “a few sandwiches short of a picnic.”  As successful as she was, the secular world did not make her happy, and she was a “poster child” for what’s going on nowadays.  Trying to look like Susan Dey of The Partridge Family, Teresa became anorexic and only weighed 89 pounds in 1973.  She became a radical feminist but had her own Damascus Road experience thanks to the St. Joseph’s Sisters.

Everything God allows us to go through is for the greater glory of God.  Teresa said that the dots should be connected between The Papal Document to Women and Humanae Vitae versus what is going on in the world, and she offered the acronym, JOY—Jesus, Others, Yourself.  The world offers bondage, not happiness; the truth will set you free.

Teresa quoted Peter Kreeft, who said that “God keeps offering us joy in His right hand and misery in His left, and we keep saying, "Duh, I think I’ll try the left hand."  It’s insanity to continue doing the same thing and to expect different results.  The Church teachings have proven true over and over again.

Because of the world’s noise around us, we are no longer able to hear God.  We need to silence ourselves.  As Mother Teresa put it, trees grow in silence, and that is the way we will hear His voice.

Pope Benedict has created a YouTube page.  We need to see the impact of the media with respect to God and with respect to the family; and, in turn, what can we do in terms of the media.  We are all called to evangelize.  In 1 Peter 3:15, we are exhorted to speak the truth in love.  We need to be in full communion with the Church, not Cafeteria Catholics.  From the Catechism 1785-1787, Teresa said, “In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice,” guided by the Church and Divine Law.

She noted that the “dictatorship of relativism” leads to chaos, and many trends have pointed us in that direction—poor catechesis, the expansion of the media, media bias, cultural movements, radical feminism, and total dissent.  Teresa then led an overview of statistics from the Pew Center on Media Influence and the Kaiser Family Foundation that show the excessive amount of violence and sexual messages which are aimed at youth.  As a result of Internet usage and the proliferation of text messaging, personal connectedness among people is gone.

Teresa warned that we should not take what the media says about the truth of the Church as gospel.  Oftentimes, the media is just regurgitating what’s on the wire services.  As an example, she pointed to the occasion when Pope Benedict, at a Mass during Ordinary Time, spoke about the environment.  Because of the color of his vestments, the headline read, “Pope Goes Green.” 

Two–thirds of Canadians believe that the media covers up its errors, and only one-third believe that it’s fair and balanced.  There is a group think in the media, leading to a lack of objectivity.  The media doesn’t examine the fallout from abortion and the resulting psychological and substance abuse.  In looking at the sexual revolution, the media skims over the fact that there are 19 million cases of S.T.D.’s in the U. S. each year and the number of out of wedlock births.  $567 billion is spent on substance abuse to fill an emptiness that temporal joy cannot bring.

Teresa again used a Peter Kreeft quotation, "The national anthem of Hell is ‘I did it my way."  The media has unfairly attacked Pope Benedict over sexual abuse, but Catholics can count on the Church’s infallible teachings.

There are things we can do to help in the media wars.  First, we can support family friendly TV.  Pope Benedict bestowed the Cross of Honor on Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN TV.  The Catholic media continues to grow, and EWTN is the biggest religious media outlet.

We can support pro-life.  We can get involved in media activism and write letters to the Editor, providing the only bit of truth that the Editor may see in a “teachable moment.”  We can provide both positive and negative feedback to the media.  With the expanding sources of media, every person counts.  We should speak up and defend the faith.

There is good news out there.  Orders which are following the Church’s teaching are growing.  We should limit media time—enjoy media free meals with our family.  Monitor TV and computer usage in the home.  Mother Teresa said, “God doesn’t call me to be successful; God calls me to be faithful.”  Teresa reminded the gathering, “In the end, we win.”

Concluding, Teresa quoted St. Theresa of Avila, “God has no hands but our hands to do his work today; today, God has no feet but our feet to lead others in his way; God has no voice but our voice to tell others how he died; and, God has no help but our help to lead them to His side."

Following a lunch break and a review of Renewal Ministries evangelization efforts throughout the world, Ralph Martin spoke on the topic “Count it Pure Joy.”  One example of that is that there are 100 seminarians in Detroit—the largest number ever.  From John 16:33, Ralph quoted, “In the world you will have trouble, but I have overcome the world.”  Jesus set us free so that we can live in joy.

In a very personal fashion, Ralph looked back on his life and recounted that during his time at Notre Dame, he let himself be lured by the world, the flesh, and the devil.  His philosophy studies led him away from God; but, by the grace of God, he was invited to a Cursillo.  He had to undergo a painful purification to realize that Jesus Christ is Lord, not himself.  Too often, we devise our own religion, making God in our own image, which is idolatry.  Instead, we need to focus on the reliable and true words of God, a treasure we have been entrusted with.

God saved Ralph—the “s” word, and Ralph is eternally grateful to those who prayed and fasted for him.  If you have Jesus, you literally have everything you need, which is in opposition to the world’s beliefs.  Ralph referred to Luke 12 where Jesus points out that unbelievers are always worried.  “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added on to you.”

Ralph empathized with those who had lost employment, because he had been through it himself.  The first time, he found that he had been fired from his work with Cursillo when he came to his office after a weekend away only to find that the locks had been changed.  After digging sewers for a living, he went into Campus Ministries in Michigan.  At the time of Ralph’s engagement to Anne, he was fired for the second time, because the student center was too filled.  He, however, then helped to found New Covenant Magazine.

Ten years later, he was working with Cardinal Suenens, doing the Lord’s work with his own energy.  He had to learn to depend on the Lord.  In Colossians 1:11-12, we hear that by the might of His glory, we can get strength from God, the energy of God.

St Paul had it right when he wrote in Philippians 4:12, that he knew how to live in every circumstance.  We need to trust in the Lord.  The secret of contentment is that steady, stable joyful peace which surpasses all understanding.  It is written in Hebrews 13: 5-6:  “Keep you lives free from love of money, and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘I will never fail you or forsake you.’ . . . The Lord is my helper.  What can human beings do to me?”  I know the Lord, the King of Kings, Creator of the Universe and am set for life.

We are all terminally ill with the genetic flaw of Original Sin.  Our deepest fear is death, but perfect love, through the Resurrection, casts out fear.

François Vautour, an international television personality, followed Ralph’s talk with an inspirational testimony on the present power of God to heal.  In 1998, after 25 years of excruciating pain, he had C1 and C2 discs fused in 1998.  Ten years later, he had further degeneration in his back, became almost non-mobile, and was scheduled to be operated on October 5, 2009.  After much insistence from his brother, François agreed to have Father Paul Erzoah-Behodu pray over him asking the Holy Spirit to heal him.  During the prayers, François heard a crack, crack, crack in his ears and a warm, burning sensation extending from his head to his stomach.  Feeling his throat closing, François begged the priest to help him; but the priest ignored him until they finished with an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.  Father Paul then said this was the eighth miracle God had performed through his prayer but the first for a Catholic.  On the scheduled day of his surgery, François checked into the hospital; but, instead of surgery, he was introduced to six or seven surgeons with the phrase, “Meet the Miracle Man.”  Jesus Christ is alive and can still heal.

In the place of Archbishop Collins, whose schedule would not allow him to be at the Rally, Bishop Nguyen and, our grandfather in Christ, Bishop Lacey concelebrated the Eucharist.  The second reading, Revelation 7:9, 14b-17 confirmed one more time the Lord’s compassion with “the vision of a great multitude whose every tear was wiped away.”

In his homily, Bishop Nguyen, in the Mass of the Good Shepherd, asked that the Lord bless His Church with shepherds.  The Good Shepherd calls out, and the flock knows his voice.  It’s an intimate relationship, and the Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep.

Pope Benedict called for the Year of the Priest.  The priest has a friendship with Christ, drawing life from him.  The priest then offers the gift of himself to God and lives a life of communion with his fellow priests and with his flock.  The fruitfulness of our efforts for vocations depends on our actions and the witness of those who are in the consecrated life.  There is a universal call to holiness, and we all awaken new vocations through example.

Bishop Nguyen then shared his own story of the time in 1975 when Vietnam had fallen to the Communists.  His pastor was concerned that he might be imprisoned, not for his own well being but for the fear that his parish would be without a priest.  Bibles were scarce, so he had the young Nguyen write down the following week’s Gospel; and Nguyen, as a young boy, was impressed with the priest’s love for the Church and his commitment to the people of his flock.

Bishop Nguyen then asked those in attendance to acknowledge the priests, deacons, and nuns in attendance and requested prayers for vocations.  In “The Consecrated Life,” Pope John Paul II said that we see there the fatherly face of God and the motherly face of His Church.  Bishop Nguyen said that parents should give thanks if any of their children choose the consecrated life.

Shortly after 6:00 p.m., an energized group of joyful Christians returned to the real world, exhilarated by an infusion of God’s joy and peace.