“Even Atlas bows to the King of the Universe.”

I sat in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral with my friend, right before Holy Mass, and we talked about the symbolism taking place right at the heart of New York City.

Atlas is depicted as a muscular, powerful man carrying the entire world on his shoulders. He struggles under its weight, and his knees are bent.

Christ, on the other hand, appears “weak,” yet He is so often depicted holding a globe in the palm of His hand with complete ease.

There is so much symbolism around us. But you know what is not a symbol?

Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist!

We are all familiar with Flannery O’Connor’s famous quote: “Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.” I remember seeing it for the first time on a T-shirt worn by Jonathan Roumie during the Eucharistic Congress a couple of years ago.

I thought, “That’s so good!”

If it is a symbol, it is nothing.

But if it is the Real Presence of Christ, it is everything!

Once again, thousands of people joined the Eucharistic procession starting at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I knew I had to be here again, trying to use my medium to capture what was happening in New York on this autumn Tuesday.

I came all the way from Chicago just to be here. I met so many friends and made new ones. We all knew why we were there. We knew that our presence made a small difference. It was a witness to our faith.

Perhaps someone walking through New York wondered, “What is going on here?”

We may never know.

But God does.

And He will do the rest!