The Guardian Angel Cathedral

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in front of the tabernacle in one of the two side chapels at the Guardian Angel Cathedral in Las Vegas, and contemplating what it was that God was trying to reveal to me in that moment, if anything.  Honestly, I was not expecting anything, even though I sat there with my journal and pen, hoping that God was going to say something to my heart.  As I looked at the tabernacle, I thought about how me and the other 10-15 brothers and sisters in Christ, who were their in adoration of the sacrament, could not see it because it was behind the door of the tabernacle.  Here is a copy of what I wrote:

“Like the tabernacle that shelters the body of Christ, but also keeps it hidden, how sad is it that we shelter him in our temple and keep him hidden…”

I thought that this was amazing in the moment to have this truth revealed to me.  I am sure that it had a lot to do with the fact that I had prepared my heart to receive the truth, and more appropriately guarded my heart from falling into temptation that surrounds you in Las Vegas.  It did not make it a sgnificant impact on me however.  I stayed there in front of the tabernacle for only a few more moments, because I was sure that my Mom was wondering where I had gone.  I found her in the gift shop, after I took a few pictures of the interior of that amazing Cathedral.  The date from my journal shows that this happened on the 14th of November.  Before I left Las Vegas, I shared the story with a few members of my family that I was given this gift of being able to share time with on that wonderful weekend, and I am pretty sure that I shared it with my wife and kids once I returned home.

Vigil at Saint Alice…

However, it was not for another week, when I was attending an all-night youth vigil, that was put on by our young adults, that this revelation came more completely into focus.  It was during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance that I started to see more clearly what I was being called to be like.  It was not until the following Monday, when I heard that response for the Responsorial Psalm for that today exclaim, “Glory and praise to our God forever and ever!”  that I journaled these words:

“Let me be more like the monstrance and less like the tabernacle today and forever…”

I shared this story last night with a group of young adults that I tagged along with to a 9:00pm student Mass at the Newman Center, and it seemed to make an impact on them and I thought that it would be a good story to share on the youth ministry blog.  I hope the story encourages you to follow God’s call in your own life, and I pray that all of us disciples remember that we are called to be the monstrance and show Jesus to the world some times, and not just retreat to our interior temple and be the tabernacle that guards his body in ours every time we receive Him.

Advertisement