As you read this, the National Eucharistic Congress is unfolding in Indianapolis!
Tens of thousands of Catholics from across the country are gathered to pray together, to learn and share the faith, and to serve others, all focused on the Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist.
International Eucharistic Congresses occur regularly (the next one is this September in Quito, Ecuador) and we had our first ever Diocesan Congress last fall at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee.
Those of you who participated in ours know the spiritual power of gathering with fellow disciples, seeking to be ever further enveloped in the presence and power of the Lord in the celebration of the Eucharist and His enduring love in the Blessed Sacrament.
The last National Eucharistic Congress in the United States was held in 1941. Clearly, it is time for another one for our entire country. We need the Lord!
For several years now, we have been engaged in the Eucharistic Revival, seeking to deepen and broaden all Catholics’ belief and participation in the Eucharist as the source and summit of our faith.
I am convinced that, if every individual Catholic understood and believed in the Eucharist, our churches would be overflowing, not just on Sundays, but every single day of the year.
Only in the Eucharist can we truly grasp the enormity of God’s love for us, His eternal plan of salvation, and the meaning of Jesus’ sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection.
In the Eucharist, Jesus Christ comes to abide within us in the fullness of His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.
Opening ourselves to fully embrace the Eucharist
Because Mass and the Eucharist are so familiar to us, the rituals are so imbedded in our minds and hearts, and we have heard the Gospels so many times before, we can easily let our minds drift during the celebration, not really listening to the readings, lost in our own thoughts, and routinely march forward to receive the Body of the Lord, as we have so many numerous Sundays before.
We must regularly and consciously choose to disrupt this sense of distracted repetition, if we seek to truly allow the Eucharistic Christ to reign on the throne of our heart and to transform us into His likeness.
Here are some practical ways to enliven and deepen our participation and experience of the Most Holy Eucharist.
Read and pray over the Scripture readings before you come to Mass.
So many distractions, both internal and external, can prevent us from truly hearing the Word of God, both in our minds and hearts, and receiving the message of the Good News.
We may even find it difficult to remember what the Gospel was about or what points the priest made in his homily.
If we both read and meditate on the feast of God’s Word before we even come to church, we will clearly hear what God is saying to us and this saving message will remain with us throughout the week, inspiring and encouraging us.
Many people tell me they get nothing out of Mass.
Such an attitude is the wrong place to start.
The first question is what we are bringing to the Eucharist.
As members of the priestly People of God, we bring our own sacrifices of the past week, spiritually lay them on the altar, join them to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and offer them to the Father.
What prayer, work, suffering, struggle, or effort from this past week do I want to give to the Lord as the oblation of my heart?
If I enter into the Eucharist, conscious of what I am ready to give to Him, my participation in the Mass will be more fruitful and beneficial.
The unconsecrated host that I will later receive as the Body of Christ symbolizes my tiny, little offering.
Through the prayer of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit, our gifts are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ.
We receive back as the fullness of Jesus Himself, the gifts that we originally offered.
This wondrous exchange is a spiritual marvel, revealing the depths of God’s love for us, poured out in Jesus Christ.
The power of the Eucharist
Eucharistic Adoration has remarkably grown in popularity.
Millions of Catholics have discovered the spiritual power of spending time in the Real Presence of the Lord, exposed in the monstrance.
A married couple, who are friends of mine, have unfailingly spent one hour together in Adoration every Tuesday night of their marriage.
They would testify that this spiritual practice has strengthened, healed, and blessed their marriage throughout the years.
How could it not?
To spend time with the Lord in silence, peace, and praise is to enter into the great mystery of His Heart, enfolded in the life of God Himself. The Lord freely offers the radiant spiritual power which flows from the Eucharist to everyone who takes the time and effort to be with Him in Adoration.
I pray that the Eucharistic Revival and the National Eucharistic Congress will continue to light the fire of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our people.
The greatest gift the Lord could ever give us is the wondrous gift of Himself in the celebration of the Mass and His enduring, saving Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.
Come to the Eucharist! Let the Lord love you! Abide in Him! Bring Him to our brothers and sisters in lives of love, service, and praise!
O Most Holy Eucharist, we love, adore, and worship You!