THE CHURCH WILL REVIVE! Lent is an occasion of hope for the Church. As the world moves through uncertain times, this ancient annual ritual touches the hearts and souls of so many people as a source of refuge, stability, and belonging in the midst of anxiety, crisis, and isolation. There is also revival that can come from the efforts of active Catholics and Church leaders who respond to this Lenten experience with boundless hospitality, radical acts of kindness, and unconditional compassion for yourself and others especially for the thousands of Catholics who are no longer active in their faith. Over the years thousands of parents have ask me “Noel, what do I do? my son, my daughter, no longer believes in God; they do not want to go to church anymore!” As we go about practicing the Faith we see so many empty parishes; some of which are only crowded on the holidays and feasts but during the week, only a few small groups gather. This trend is only increasing within the Church. So much so that in 1969 Pope Benedict XVI, well before his pontificate began, said “we will soon have priests reduced to the role of social workers and the message of Faith reduced to political vision. Everything will seem lost, but at the right time, at the most dramatic stage of the crisis, the Church will be reborn. She will be smaller, poorer but also more Holy. Because she will no longer be the Church of those who seek to please the world, but the Church of the Faithful to God and His Eternal Law. Rebirth will be the work of the seemingly insignificant yet indomitable few, who passed through the process of purification. This is how God works. Because that's how God works. Against evil, a small herd shall resist.” a prophecy that is becoming fulfilled in front of our very eyes, though there is still more to see. Clearly, this small flock, this small group will bring a new fire and through that fire we will see our Church reborn from the ashes of purification. I certainly think that God has been calling us all, but only few have responded to His voice. God is preparing us to do His work in a hurting world full of evil, selfishness, and vanity blinded by the illusion of this world. This is when we will see the true disciples of Jesus Christ; this small flock referred to by Pope Benedict XVI survive the coming flames. A group that is being purified and based on their faithfulness to God and the practiced of works of Mercy, will see the glory of God alive in them and the world! I firmly believe that a time of revival in the Church is at hand, born of crisis and blessed of God. I am convinced that the CHURCH WILL REVIVE AFTER A TRUE ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CHRIST. The true encounter results in the desire to do the Will of the Father…