God is the Grand Sculptor, and His masterpiece is not what I look like on the outside. The masterpiece is my soul and Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, came to show me how to reveal God’s masterpiece to the world. While God’s imprint is on me, and a part of me, my purpose is to be an imprint of His love on the world and to allow myself to continue to be imprinted upon by Him through how He works through the Church, the sacraments and through others.
Recently, I came across an art project one of our sons made in the second grade. It was a small concrete slab with an imprint of his hands and his name roughly carved on the top of this masterpiece. Holding this piece of art took me back to the time when it was created. I remember what he was like in the second grade, what our life was like and the things that our family did together. The imprint of his hands captured a moment in time, but I realized that what I was really drawn to was the imprint of his life and how it captures me every day. This opened my eyes to see the many imprints of God on me in the way He has worked through my other children, my wife, family members and friends. However, I realize that when it comes to the Church, sacraments and other opportunities, I can be closed off. Maybe I’m stuck in a rut, angry or just going through the motions. Sometimes I just feel “unsculptable.” How do I allow myself to be more open to God, sinking His imprint into me through the Church, the sacraments and other opportunities? To help me in these unsculptable moments, I came up with an acronym: M.O.L.D
Meditate on why I am feeling “unsculptable.”
Offer a prayer asking Jesus to soften my heart.
Listen to Him calling me and guiding me.
Dare to trust and follow Him.
Engaging in opportunities with God is nice, but in the long run, it’s not enough. The question that follows is, “What will you do with it?” For example, I receive the Eucharist at Mass, but what do I do once Mass is over? For many people, myself included, this is the most challenging part because we lack the confidence to do what Jesus has asked of us—”Go make disciples.” I mean, who am I to go and make a disciple? The answer to this question is in the imprint of your Sculptor. It is because of His imprint on us, His indelible mark and His unconditional love for us that equips us with everything we need to take the next step. Imagine how different our Church and the world would be if we all left Mass with this confidence. The key to this is that we are stronger as a community when we have true and meaningful relationships with those around us.
In one of Aesop’s fables, a father attempted to reconcile his constantly fighting sons by using a bundle of sticks to demonstrate how the sons were more powerful when they were not divided. He showed them that the sticks, when bound together, cannot be broken. However, when the bundle is divided, each stick can be easily broken. In the real world, Satan is the great divider. That’s why our parish communities are so important. They are not just for worshipping and praying together but also for going out into the world and making disciples together.
Now, visualize your own parish community and combine it with other parish communities from around the Diocese of La Crosse and beyond. This vision is the hope for “the ANSWER” Eucharistic Rally being held on June 7. Not only will we all come together, but we will leave with a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and our relationship with Him, a solid sense of support and a purpose to “go make disciples.” I hope you have registered to be with us at this event. If you haven’t, I hope you will consider joining us. You are needed and wanted, and your presence will make us stronger. At “the ANSWER,” we will live the experience of the Eucharist together.
The Eucharist is the nourishment of our souls, which are considered God’s masterpieces. What distinguishes us from the masterpieces displayed in museums and art galleries is that our Sculptor endowed us with the ability to move, speak and share His message with the world.
Story by Chris Rogers, Director of the Office for Family Life
Published in the May/June 2024 issue of Catholic Life Magazine