Why I Am Catholic
It’s been a week since World Youth Day wrapped up and everyone checked out of Rio and headed back from whence they came. Pilgrims from every clime and place, reinvigorated after resting awhile with their peers, their Church, and the Lord.
A lot of hoopla was made about some of the events. The supposed indignity of dancing bishops became one of the most polarizing of moments for some, but not for me. The event I happened to tune in for was the Vigil and Adoration, that took place on the Saturday evening before the event came to a close.
All were quiet, and all were reverent. All that could be heard in between the readings was the gentle rolling in and rolling out of the surf at Copacabana Beach.
Sitting in my den, even I was compelled to get down on my knees. The Presence of the Lord was palpable, and you could sense the Holy Spirit resting over the hosts that were on their knees on the beach, and in the dens and TV rooms in every village and town that tuned in from around the world.
A guy with prematurely gray hair and a guitar was also there on his knees, back behind Pope Francis and his coterie of fellow priests as they knelt before Our Lord in the monstrance on the altar. Let’s relive the moment, shall we? After the readings, a few seconds of precious silence…
It doesn’t get much better than that, folks.
I’m aware that many don’t care for guitars being used in sacred settings or in conjunction with worship. Perhaps the memory that King David strummed ten and twelve string lyres will mollify them a little? Maybe. All I know is, my daughter remembered the words to this song from her time at Catholic Heart Work Camp, and she sang along too. That, my friends, is good enough for me.
A few days ago, over on his Facebook page, Maher posted the following video on how this particular song came to be. It’s from an interview he gave with an outfit called NewReleaseTuesday.com.
Check thou it out.
Deacon Greg has more on Matt Maher here.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In