The Tar Heel Knight

Greetings from the mountains of western North Carolina.
 
Transubstantiation.  Well, I bet that’s not how you expected me to start, is it?  It is our Catholic belief that the bread and wine transform into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ when consecrated at the Holy Mass.  This belief is at the heart of our Catholic faith.  Sadly, over 2/3 of Catholics do not believe this teaching, thinking of this as a symbolic ritual.  This sad truth has led to our current National Eucharistic Revival.
 
So, this means another type of transformation is needed – a transformation of our hearts and minds to Jesus.  As I was reflecting on this during Adoration last night, my thoughts turned to the man on the mat from John’s Gospel: “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” (John 5:8).  This man had been ill for 38 years and when Jesus approaches him, he asks him, “Do you want to be well?” (John 5:6). That seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?  But there’s a lot of “illness” out there in society, isn’t there?  People are choosing to live in their illness and denying Christ and His Church instead of turning to Him.  We live in a society of “divide and conquer” when the true answer lies in unity, which is why it is one of the core principles of our Order.  People are leaving the Church and, as evidenced by this survey, many of those who remain don’t fully understand the Church’s teachings and aren’t really seeking to be educated, which is an “illness” in and of itself.  So the question we must ask is the same question Jesus asked that man, “do we want to be well?”  Are we ready to transform ourselves to Christ?  Are we ready to take up our mats and walk?
 
In this matter, we, as Knights of Columbus can play a key role.  Our programs help to bring us and those we encounter closer to Christ.  There are a great number of programs already out there and, as I mentioned to the District Deputies at the January meeting, we are limited only by our imaginations to what programs we can create going forward.  There is a great need for what we have to offer.  Together, with our Brother Knights, we are stronger.  We need to find our brothers in the pews and invite them to get off their mats and join us…and then provide them the support they need to grow stronger in their faith; which, in turn, has the glorious side effect of making us stronger in our faith.  As we grow stronger in unity in Christ and transform ourselves to Him, then we can take on the daunting dask of transforming society.  As Knights of Columbus, we are uniquely positioned to do this, as we answer our call to “be the light” and “bring Jesus to the people and places that need Him most.”
 
“Do not conform yourself to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
 
Vivat Jesus!