Unleash Your Power-Divinization

Unleash Your Power

As I began the final lap of the 1600-meter race, I felt like I still had some strength left. It was only my second time running the event in a meet, and I didn’t particularly enjoy it. Two runners were ahead of me– one from the opposing school and one of my teammates. I effortlessly cruised on by the opponent from the opposing school and trailed my teammate for the next 200 meters. As I approached the final curve with 100 meters left, I kicked it into the next gear. I passed my teammate, and the roar of the crowd greeted me as I triumphantly crossed the finish line. It was my first-ever first-place finish in the event and marked the beginning of making the 1600 meters my signature race.

In that final lap,  I unleashed my power and discovered my ability to compete successfully in the 1600 meters. As Christians, we too need to unleash our power. We must recognize our ability to be effective evangelizers, knowing that Christ is in us and works through us.

God did not come just to be our friend. And He did not only come to show us the way to eternal life. God came so that we might be partakers of Divine life with him. If we can fathom this it will change the way we look at life. It will unleash our power. Because our power is God’s power and it flows through us. 

In Roman Catholicism, there is a beautiful practice in which Jesus, under the appearance of bread, is placed in a monstrance and adored. The glorious and powerful devotion has grown greatly, and in July 2024, 60,000 individuals gathered at Lucas Oil stadium in Indianapolis Indiana to worship Christ in the monstrance. 

While this event was undeniably powerful, something even more amazing happens to Christians who receive the body and blood of our Lord: we become living monstraces. Imagine, instead of thousands of people lying prostrate and on their knees at the congress, they kneel before you. Not because of who you are or what you achieved, but  because of who you hold in your body. You hold the living God. 

How do we treat those around us who are living tabernacles? Treating people with love is not just about who they are but what they behold.

As tabernacles we transport Christ to places where His love does not always penetrate- our corporate jobs, entertainment stadiums, secular schools,  and even the doctor’s office. We need to adopt the mindset of “I am Christ.” I write this not in a blasphemous way, but to encourage introspection. Our union with God can become so profound that without losing our own identity we become like Him. And if we become like God we will be able to think like Him.

This concept is called divinization or theosis. Jesus expresses this with the analogy of the vine and branches in John 15:5-6, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

This does not mean we become gods or are God. Pope John Paul II explained it well when he said, “your eternal, embodied union with God will not absorb your personhood but will make you even more distinctively you in your masculinity or femininity.” (cf. TOB A67:3)

This is where our power and strength is attached to: God’s life in us. The holier we are the better perfected this union becomes. As evangelists we need to unleash this power. The apostles and saints did this so effectively. 

Challenge yourself to see each moment as an opportunity to unleash this power. Treat others with the reverence they deserve as bearers of God’s image and presence. Take this call seriously and recognize the divine life within you and let it shine. Unleash your power, for it is God’s grace working through you. As you do, you’ll find that you’re not just running a race; you’re leading others toward the ultimate victory of life through Jesus, with Him, and in Him.