Jesus Visits the House of Mouse

I'm a bit of a Disney nerd.

Admittedly, some might quibble with the descriptor "a bit." The Mickey ears embroidered "Father Pastor," Mickey Mouse topiary, and mechanical nutcracker playing "It's a Small World" near my desk aren't signs of a problem. They're just why my staff heroically avoids my office.

So when, last Fall, an unbelievable deal arrived in my inbox and my fellow priests generously offered to cover some Masses, I seized the opportunity for a quick pilgrimage to the House of Mouse.

I planned three days of working vacation, preparing material for an upcoming preaching series and crafting a new class for the diaconate program.

Within eight hours of arrival, I encountered someone unexpected.

Jesus.

Mercy in the World

One of the draws of visiting Disney World during fall is the annual food and wine festival. During this celebration, there are several dozen food booths throughout the park that offer taste-size portions of some amazing food. As part of that festival, there is an “Eat to the Beats” concert where different bands play free concerts throughout the several-month festival. It was never much of an interest to me, but as I was strolling through the park, internally debating how to distinguish between celebrating and gluttony, an advertisement for that evening's concert caught my attention. It seems that MercyMe was playing in the World.

For those who don’t know, MercyMe is a well-known Christian band. Some of their greatest hits include Almost Home, Shake, I Can Only Imagine, Greater.

A Christian rock band planning in the middle of Disney World?

I immediately put down (into my stomach) my kaluha pork slider from the Hawaii booth and made my way over to the concert. What I found there shocked me - three one-hour concerts were played over the evening, each with a full theater of over 1000 people joining their hearts and minds to praise and worship music. In the middle of Epcot, one of the four parks of Disney World, the name of Jesus echoed out from massive speakers, permeating the park.

Jesus, it seems, was also spending some time at Disney.

One would be forgiven if the term Christian praise and worship didn’t evoke images of unnaturally large mice and pirates in the Caribbean. But there I was, singing along with 1000 others as many raised their hands in prayer while wearing Mickey ears and their “Grumpy for Life” t-shirt (don’t judge me).

The contrast of what was happening struck me. It’s hard to deny that the company, created to be family-friendly over 100 years ago, has recently evolved into an organization that advocates for many things contrary to the well-being of the family and human flourishing. With that reality, one would forgive a Christian who thought a Christian shouldn’t be found in that world.

But there, in that hub of consumerism, consumption, and questionable values, the name of Jesus was being said louder and prouder than most Sundays at your average Catholic parish.

Battle Lines

A former colleague often reminded our parish: you can't evangelize a culture you're at war with.

To evangelize means recognizing that nothing is beyond Christ's redemptive power. We must act with love-driven urgency, trusting that bringing Jesus into a seemingly hostile world is the greatest gift we can offer.

In essence, we can't view culture as an irredeemable enemy. Fr. John Riccardo of Acts XXIX Ministries rightly points out that our true enemy is Satan and his demons. Losing sight of this wastes precious resources on the wrong battle.

If Jesus can appear in Disney World, He can manifest in families, workplaces, neighborhoods, and stores. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us:

“Since, like all the faithful, lay Christians are entrusted by God with the apostolate by virtue of their Baptism and Confirmation, they have the right and duty, individually or grouped in associations, to work so that the divine message of salvation may be known and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ. Their activity in ecclesial communities is so necessary that, for the most part, the apostolate of the pastors cannot be fully effective without it.”CCC 900

A Surprise Visit

Post-Disney, I'm more attuned to Jesus in unexpected places. He was already easily spotted in the church Tabernacle, in our Leadership Team's prayerful decisions, and in those I spiritually direct.

Now, I glimpse Him in sweltering theme parks, in scowling parishioners, and in forgotten urban corners.

On my best days, at least.

And perhaps, just perhaps, I'll see Him in myself.

For He certainly appears in the most unexpected places.