Mario Bros. and Pedro (you know, Napolean's friend) Meet Jesus

In looking at the modern world, it's not hard to see that something's awry.  And if you look deep down to the root it's really not too hard to see what's going on - in a word: sin, of course, but we see a particular focus on a lack of faith and the breakdown of the family.  The pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI are very much focused on building these things up again. 

The dictatorship of relativism is rampant and the degradation of the person is like a plague.  Pope Benedict has therefore called for a Year of Faith beginning in October and is intensely interested in the New Evangelization.  We who call ourselves Christian must again avail ourselves of the opportunity to fall in love with God and learn what it really means to be Christian.  How many of us have been presented with a water-downed version of the Gospel and don't even realize that we're missing out on something?  We've forgotten the power of the Gospel, or in many cases, we never even knew how powerful the Gospel really is in the first place.  Are we surprised then that even we Christians often don't seem much different from the culture?  If we receive a less-than-full-and-authentic-Gospel we won't even know that there's a beauty beyond our wildest dreams just waiting to be discovered, so since we don't know it's there we spend our time searching in all kinds of other places trying to satisfy a deep hunger, trying to figure out what the hunger is for and continually being thoroughly disappointed when we can't figure it out.  Wow, tangent - that's not even what I was planning on saying, but ok (haha).  The point is we Christians need to truly encounter Christ and the fullness of the Gospel. 

For years I went to Mass and received Communion, went back to my pew and thought about how I'd really rather be playing tennis or hanging out with friends - I had no real understanding that I had just received Jesus nor did I understand that Jesus was who I was hungry for.  Was my heart ready to receive the fullness of the Gospel at that time?  Would I have been open to know the truth and let it set me free?  I don't know.  Maybe.  Maybe not.  What I do know in looking around is that many hungry hearts exist and most of them are starving for the fullness of the Gospel and ready to receive it if only someone would lead them to truly meet Jesus.  Encountering Jesus is not about a social program or having the latest gadgets to assist us - those things are helpful but that's really not what's it's all about. Encountering Jesus is about transfiguration - receiving the grace of an open heart, welcoming the One who is knocking and becoming transfigured to Him.  It's really about falling in love with the only One who's really ever held the key to your heart. 

Can we get excited about our faith please??  Everything your heart has ever searched for is present and ready to be given here:

Jesus healed the blind man in the Gospels and he can do it for us too - good Lord take off our blinders and help us see!  This ---------->

is JESUS!!!

Recognize! 

I'm saying this to myself just as much as anyone else - we need to constantly evangelize one another so we can all come to know Jesus ever more deeply.  

This little light of mine...forget that! 

I want a blazing fifty foot tall fire ball!

Then I wanna do this: 

...in a spiritual sense, of course. I've never thought of Mario as an evangelist before, but hey, even Mario needs the new evangelization and once he receives the "fire power" he's able to pass it on to others (I know the analogy isn't perfect cuz in the game he uses his fire power for other reasons, blah blah blah - just go with me here). 

Like Mario, we need the fire power of the Holy Spirit for our own transfiguration and that of others to help each other know that when we truly have an authentic encounter with Jesus...