REVIVAL is happening.

It’s obvious if we know where to look.

And people are so hungry for it. 

REVIVAL is coming!

All we gotta do is breath and receive it, and it will start to happen to us. In our diocese. In our parish. Our family. Our own individual hearts.

We have heard about the recent Asbury Revival, right? An impromptu prayer session among college students lasted sixteen days — roughly four hundred hours —  it attracted seventy thousand people to come and worship the Lord together.

Revival is happening! Are we ready for it? Are we hungry for it?

But first, let’s ask: what is Revival?

The best definition I’ve seen is this: Revival is God’s arrival.

It’s a divine visitation — a sovereign act of God in response to sincere, fervent prayer and desire. Revival is marked by a deep conviction of personal sin. It’s an outpouring of power and love. It’s an explosion of  energy and zeal to share the Gospel. It’s a renewal of desire to read Scripture, for silent prayer, and heartfelt praise. It can’t be organized or caused by any human effort. You can’t reserve space on the calendar for it. It just happens.

God arrives. Because He wants to revive dead things.

The Lord promised that revival would happen.

In the Psalms we read: “REVIVE me again!”

In the prophet Hosea, we hear: “He will REVIVE us after two days; on the third day he will raise us up to live in His presence!”

In the prophet Ezekiel, we find this promise: “Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves; I will make you come up out of your graves, my people!”

All these Old Testament promises and many many more were pointing to today.

Easter Sunday.

The greatest REVIVAL happened on this day.

Until that moment, the tomb was lifeless. Hopeless. Despair seemed to have the final word.

But then… BAM. CRACK… the Light suddenly shined! Angels descended with trumpet blast. The earth shook. The King leapt up again!

The FIRST REVIVAL happened! 

Jesus Christ was RAISED FROM THE DEAD!

ALLELUIA!

And now, because Jesus has already died, He can’t be stopped! 

His Heart already stopped once — it will now go on forever.

His life is forever invincible now.

But thankfully, that’s not the end of the story.

Because now that Jesus has died and is risen from the dead — He now wants to get HIS LIFE… his INVINCIBLE LIFE into each of us… 

His REVIVAL was the first, but it wouldn’t be the last! 

He came to REVIVE this entire dead world!

And the way He does this is through the Sacraments He instituted for His Church:

Therefore, every baptism is a brand new REVIVAL! — Sixteen dead people were raised last night. It is true! Dead people went down into the waters of baptism at the Easter Vigil, but they came back out REVIVED…

Every confirmation is a brand new REVIVAL! — Holy Spirit fire kindles new charisms, gifts, blessings of every kind for the building up of the Church!!!

Every confession is a brand new REVIVAL! — Dead people go into the confessional… dead in their freely chosen sins! But they walk out confidently ALIVE again!!!!!

But most especially: Every single Mass is a brand new REVIVAL! 

Think about it: 

We bring dead bread up to this altar, and it literally becomes the Resurrected flesh and blood of the REVIVED Jesus! 

If the definition of REVIVAL is God’s arrival, then where does this happen more perfectly on earth than in the Most Holy Sacrament? God arrives on the altar. And then He arrives in your mouth!

We ALL need revival… We ALL still have dead aspects in our lives that  need to be raised.

Invite REVIVAL right there! 

Be revived you all! Don’t stay in your grave of apathy! Don’t dwell any longer in your mausoleum of doubt. Your crypt of resentment!

Come out from there!

Haven’t you heard that REVIVAL is happening?

Jesus is RISEN! — It’s time for all of us to come ALIVE with Jesus.