Closing Remarks
Knights of Columbus 142nd Convention
Quebec, Canada
August 8, 2024
On Mission
We have met in a place of saints and blesseds, a land and a church that took shape thanks to the unwavering faith and courage of men and women who came here from France to plant the seeds of faith. We have been inspired and strengthened by their faith as we joined the Archdiocese of Quebec in celebrating its 350th anniversary. How grateful we are for the warm welcome extended to us by Cardinal Lacroix and by the Quebec State Council.
Looking at the life of St. Francois de Laval and the Jesuit missionaries and the Ursaline Sisters … to name a few … we get some idea of what it really means to be “on mission” … to carry out in our times the same mission that the Risen Lord entrusted to the Apostles in the first days of the Church, in truth, the same mission the Risen Lord entrusts to every baptized member of the Church.
Indeed, we, the Knights of Columbus, have been “on mission” since Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Order in 1882 to strengthen the faith of the men of his parish, many of them immigrants, living in an unfriendly, anti-Catholic society. In our day, the mission is the same but it faces new challenges and urgency brought on by a godless and militantly secular culture. Many, caught up in that culture, are losing their faith. As our Worthy Supreme Knight said, “The days of automatic faith are over.”
As the strong right arm of the Church, we, the Knights of Columbus, have never hesitated to meet challenges head-on and to respond to urgent need. Today, as never before, the Lord is calling us. The Church is counting us. And we shall not fail to respond!
The Army and the Tower
Let us do so wisely and courageously. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the need for a king to calculate the size of his army before marching against a potentially stronger adversary. So too, a builder must calculate whether he has the resources needed to complete the building of a tower. Likewise, we must be equipped with the spiritual resources needed to meet the challenges that confront us when we are serious about engaging in the Church’s mission today.
St. Paul tells us that our struggle “is not with flesh and blood, but with the principalities, the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Eph 6:12). Therefore, he tells us, we must “put on the armor of God” (ibid). In another place, he tells us must engage our mission not merely with good intentions and human cleverness, but rather with “the weapons of righteousness” (2 Cor 6:7) – those which flow from the conquering love of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen.
Among the weapons of righteousness are these: Reading Scripture. A daily life of prayer. Eucharistic Adoration. The frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Friendship in the faith. The mutual strengthening of brothers. Charity and service to the poor and downtrodden. These are the weapons of righteousness. This is how evil is conquered with good, and how, in the darkness of this world, the faith shines forth as a beacon of hope.
The Cor Initiative
This leads me to talk about the urgent importance of Cor. It is not a mere program of personal spiritual betterment, which we can accept or overlook as we may like. Rather, it is an urgent call for you, for me, for our brother Knights, and for Catholic men everywhere, to have the weapons of righteousness placed not only in their hands but indeed in the “core” of their being. For these weapons of righteousness to be effective, they must become part of who we are, how we think, and how we decide.
Here I would like to recall what Cardinal Collins said in his inspired homily. As you recall, he spoke about the quest for wisdom, not an earthly wisdom but the wisdom bestowed by the Holy Spirit, a wisdom which enables us to see ourselves and our world as far as we are able, as God see us and our world. If we are to be on mission, our hearts must be possessed not by our vision of things but by God’s vision of things. This is why you and I must contemplate Scripture, study the writings of holy men and women, unplug from the cacophony of contemporary culture and in silence, allow the heart of Christ to speak to our hearts – all the while allowing God to remove illusions and false Gods from our hearts. Just as the disciples came away with Jesus to rest and pray, so we must come away to be with the Lord and to be with one another to allow the Lord’s words of spirit and life to penetrate our inmost hearts, and to do this in the company of friends and fellow knights.
Cardinal Collins didn’t apply these points specially to Cor, but I will! Cor is about listening to the Word of God, as heart speaks to heart. Cor is all about allowing the Word of God to cleanse us of illusions, such that we come to see ourselves as God sees us. Cor is all about unplugging from the noise that surrounds us so that the voice of God might resound in the depth of our hearts. This is what knits us together in unity and fraternity. For when we listen to God’s Word, strip away illusions and pretense, and clear away the noise and confusion of daily life – then at long last, not only as individuals but as a band of brothers – we are able to see and discuss openly and honestly what really matters, to have among ourselves and those who join us an honest to God discussion. Could the Apostles have gone on mission without this? Neither can we!
The Eucharistic Revival
But we are not yet there! Listening to the Word of Life makes us hunger for the Bread of Life. If we wish to be on mission, we must recognize, acknowledge and receive the One who is the Bread of Life, his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. For, as Pope Francis says, the Eucharistic heart of Christ is the beating heart and pulse of the Church’s mission. In a word, we cannot be “on mission” unless the Eucharist is at the heart of our faith.
For, what is our mission, except to gather God’s scattered sons and daughters around the table of the Lord, the banquet of his sacrifice. This is the be all and end all of all evangelization worthy of the name. For that reason, I am most grateful for the inspired leadership of Bishop Andrew Cozzens who has proposed, led, and organized the Eucharistic revival now underway in the United States, the focal point of which last month’s Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis – with Cor as our principal follow-up to this life-giving event. But don’t take it from me! Let’s listen to Bishop Cozzens himself in the video that follows . . . .
VIDEO
Let’s be clear, brother knights! Our Order originates in the eucharistic heart of Blessed Michael McGivney. This good and loving parish priest leads us to Eucharistic the source and the summit of our mission. Through his intercession, may we return home ready for mission, the mission of proclaiming the Name above every other name, the One who alone heals our wounds, reconciles us to his Father and one another, and helps us to build a civilization of truth and love, fit for the Kingdom of God.
Vivat Jesus!