During a break. Ninth row seats. Yeah!
I think I am still floating from the weekend! We attended “The Lord and Giver of Life” conference featuring Father John Corapi. Although it was a quick trip, it was memorable and it’s hard to articulate what an impact Father Corapi had on us. He is one of my heroes! We all went to NY and my mom and dad took the boys to Niagra Falls while we soaked up the Spirit.:) He is so passionate and talked about “the Spirit we’ve been given is no cowardly (timid) Spirit” (2 Timothy 1:7). I took 6 pages of notes and Jim and I walked out fired up!:) Lol. I lost my first page of notes (bummer) but here are a few of my favorite quotes from the day. *Some may not be exact but it was the best I could do to write as I listened:
“When I was younger this was a much more virtuous, polite, society and it starts at home. Our society won’t change for the better unless we get serious about our faith, and families. Strive for excellence in all you do.”
“History will record that this generation was irrational and immoral. We are too afraid of being politically correct, we need to stand up for right and wrong. Do not be afraid to speak up about things like homosexual marriage, abortion, euthanasia, etc. There is a difference between judging and condeming. We make judgements every day (I need to make a judgement not to walk in front of a bus, or to dress for the cold, etc). Be soft hearted, but not soft headed”.
“Loving your country does not mean confirming it in sin through guilty silence. Speak up! Have courage! Stand up for your faith, your family. I am too old, too far along in the game to sell Christ out for 30 pieces of silver”.
Quoted TS Eliot: “If Christianity goes, the whole of our culture goes.”
There were over 10,000 people at the event and at one point I started to tear up because many of the attendees were older and one man in particular created quite an image. He was frail and looked like a WWII vet. When Father Corapi started talking about standing up for the unborn, this old man who could hardly walk, stood in his seat and shook his arms in the air and cried out in defense of the helpless. One of those quotes was:
“If you can murder a child in what should be the safest place in the world for them, you can do anything. From assisted suicide to genocide. Being insane means to be apart from reality. Some polititians today could be considered insane as to justify abortion and to be so far from reality as to think it’s not a sin, or not a “human” in the womb.”
Another good quote here.
What I love about Father Corpai is that he is never afraid to defend the teachings of Christ, our moral obligation, and the mission we have to preserve our Christian faith for future generations.
It might sound super intense (and perhaps he is) but Jim and I both appreciate that passion so much. The highlight of the day was mass. The Bishop of Buffalo celebrated the liturgy and there were about 60+ priests that spread out through the arena to distribute Communion. Wouldn’t you know, right in front of us was Father Corapi! It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life to receive the Holy Eurcharist from someone who has affected my life in such a deep way and brought me closer to Jesus. God is so good! Anyway, that is my probably-to-long recap but I am still excited and wanted to share. Bring on the week ahead, I am ready for anything!:)
Father John Corapi- Surrender is not a option
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