God is inviting us on a great journey of redemption, healing, and joy. The Great Novena in the Archdiocese of Louisville has the potential to become a great treasure for those who discover it. Jesus is referring to our mystical encounter with Him in our daily lives in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel. The theme of this first year of Louisville’s Great Novena is focused on the Kingdom of Heaven and all that God is inviting us to sacrifice to enter this place of eternal joy. What are you willing to sacrifice to find true union with Jesus in one another?

When we invite someone to pray with us, we must be gentle, intentional, and reverent. There is a sacred space between our hearts and theirs, whether it’s through a friendly text message, phone call, or conversation after Mass. That space is meant to be filled with the words of the Holy Spirit, where the truth is only spoken with love. If we wish to inspire others to walk this journey to Calvary with us, if we wish to compel them to commit to this long journey of prayer and transformation, then we must allow them to discover it in their own time.

One huge trait of the Great Novena is the longevity of it. This is a 10-year process of prayer, formation, community, and transformation. Whether one discovers this movement now or in 2033, Jesus is still working in their lives right now to open their hearts to His love. All we are called to do is reveal His Kingdom to those He sends us, while allowing those very same people to reveal the Kingdom of God to us as well. After all, this is an infinite Kingdom with souls all over the earth made for this eternal life and love. When we come to understand that profound reality, I think it can settle us in for the long haul. Catholics learn to play “the long game” when we accept that we are not the savior of humanity.

However, when we have encountered Jesus, who IS the Savior, He draws us into His great adventure of evangelization in the Great Commission. We just don’t have to have all the answers or please every person we meet. Jesus knows their hearts, and He most definitely knows their wounds. Only He can reveal to them the treasure of their truest selves, contained most perfectly in the Eucharist. As we delve more deeply into this Year of Mission in the Eucharistic Revival in the United States, let the beginning of Louisville’s Great Novena be a part of that mission of inviting and inspiring everyone we meet into the bigger story of salvation.

Right now, for most people in the Archdiocese of Louisville, this treasure of their Catholic Faith and true humanity is still buried in the field. There is still much work to do in order to build greater union in the Church, and without putting these efforts at the center of the universe, we must still remain committed to showing people the importance of true union, not just objective obligation to others. The structure of the Church is given to us by Christ certainly, but our receptivity to this structure and our subjective experience of this union needs great revival and restoration. Let this first reflection of the Great Novena be an opportunity for us to pray more deeply for this union so we can inspire solidarity in the world when the Good Lord shows us how.

We invite you to consider starting a small group of 5-8 people in your parish or community to reflect on this theme each week during Advent and Lent of this year.

Please pray for the Great Novena Leadership Team and all those discerning their commitment to this great movement. Now, as we conclude, let us pray our Official Prayer of Union and Solidarity of Louisville’s Great Novena.