Courtyard
“O come, bless the Lord, all you who serve the Lord, who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.” Psalm 134
The courtyard of the castle is an important location. This is where the community comes together. The castle’s defense and strength lies in community. Without a strong community, the castle stands as just enough walls that begin to be breakdown and crumble becoming just a site of old ruins – “which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.” Matthew 23:27
But when the community within is strong, that even the powers of hell will prevail against. Matthew 16:18
The castle’s community is the Church. What occurs within the 4 walls of the Catholic Church is hyper-critical to all creation and history. Nothing bigger under Heaven or upon earth has ever occurred than the Holy Mass and Eucharist. This is where Heaven comes down to earth and the full community comes together. This is where the Church Triumphant stands shoulder to shoulder with the Church Militant. This is where all the hosts and choirs of angels kneel in humble love and adoration alongside the people.
But, this community’s strength and power comes in still being together when it is outside of the physical church building.
I have been so blessed to be part of greater communities like this. Emmaus at St. Thomas More and St. Benedict the Abbot have been my strength for years. Nothing could ever match the power of this community of brothers and sisters in my heart. Someday, I plan to stand before the throne of God praising amidst a sea of men and women clad in Emmaus white. From Emmaus has come many smaller but no less powerful communities. A Marriage Enrichment group that has exponentially multiplied the power of our Sacramental Marriage, men and women that stood in fellowship after Mass for an hour or more because of the joy of just being together. I have brothers who hold me to a higher standard, accepting nothing less than total sanctity in me but not condemning any failure, only stepping up beside me to lift me up and help me forward again when I have fallen short in attaining that standard.
That community still is strong and always will be. Showing His Love, God grew and strengthened further our community when we moved away from these brothers and sisters. He has blessed our lives with a new community within the Apostles of Joy United with the Brothers of the Torch. With these new communities formed around us, we praise our Lord, reach out through prayer and act to strengthen God’s Church and fight head on the battles we are called to face. We have been Inbound in a Victory in Spiritual Warfare. We stand along with gifted men and women, gifted with the Power of the Holy Spirit unlike I’ve ever realized existed.
Find a community to bring within your castle. Then within that community, learn to pray as you lift each other in prayer, learn Scripture and strengthen the Sacraments together, attend Mass tougher when possible, join in praise together when opportunity presents. Most of all, become friends – come together in joyous and sorrowful times. And never let one stand alone.
Against this, no powers can prevail. That the King of Glory May enter – Psalm 24:7