Greetings my brothers and sisters,
This month the Church in the United States will be celebrating one of the central events of the three
year Eucharistic Revival: the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. From July 17-21, faithful from
dioceses all over the country will come to worship, celebrate and adore the Lord Jesus in the Most
Blessed Sacrament. What a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our belief and acceptance of the
awesome treasure and gift which God has bestowed on us in giving us the very Body and Blood of his
Beloved Son Jesus. Article 1324 of the Catechism states very clearly:
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all
ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are
oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the
Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.
We are then challenged to ask ourselves if this is true in our lives, which is so important especially in
discerning our vocation. Do I experience the celebration of the Mass and the reception of Holy
Communion as the source and summit of my life…of my week…of my day? I can honestly say that this is
the case for me. Just the other day I had the opportunity to make just that statement. Right before I was
going to celebrate the mass, I was asked how things were going and I replied that everything was going
great because I was about to celebrate the very best and awesome moment of each day! Unfortunately,
this is not always the case with all believers. Why? Here are some possible reasons.
First, the belief in the real presence of Jesus is missing. Some people believe that the celebration of the
mass and of the Eucharist are merely a sign and symbol of the presence of Jesus among us who believe.
While it is certainly true that Jesus is present where we gather together in his name (as he himself
assured us), to understand this as the only presence of Jesus during the celebration of the mass and in
the Holy Eucharist makes the celebration much less meaningful. And, it puts more pressure on us who
celebrate to make the celebration more enjoyable and sacred by our innovative and creative ideas. Our
participation, and even creative participation, can indeed enhance the sacredness of the celebration and
make it more enjoyable…and yet, the celebration is not from us but from God. And God is the main
protagonist of the celebration, not us. Imagine if we were to recognize that each time we went for the
celebration of the mass and the Eucharist that God himself was descending from the heavens and
coming to meet us. For that is exactly what happens! And not only does he come to meet us, but he
offers himself to us both in word and in deed. He offers us his very life in the form of bread and wine
become the very Body and Blood of his Son Jesus. God is truly present with and in us and it is the
Eucharist that assures this for us. This is also a privileged time for hearing God as he calls…let’s make
good use of it!
Second, at times we get too caught up in the other aspects of the celebration; aspects which are
important to the celebration but which are most certainly not the most important. The music and
singing, for instance, are meant to enhance the celebration and lead us deeper into the encounter with
God, but at times, instead, are distracting, either because given too much time and effort or because
they are not appreciated for their style. Another aspect which seems to take on great importance for us
Catholics here in the US is the homily or sermon. When I was in Italy, serving on the general council of
the OSJ, and would celebrate the mass on Sunday, it was very clear to me that the faithful were not
finding as much nourishment in the homily as they were in the Eucharist and holy communion. If
somebody felt the desire to compliment me after the celebration, it was not for the sermon but for the
celebration itself. This does not happen as often here in the US, where people are more inclined to
comment on the sermon (either as helpful or not!). Concentration on this very minor aspect of the
celebration (Pope Francis encourages short homilies also for this reason!), can detract from the wonder
and beauty of the whole celebration and most especially the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the reception
of holy communion. Do we go to mass to hear a “good homily” or to encounter the Risen Lord Jesus and
receive him once again into our very beings?!
May our love and appreciation for the wonderful gift of the Eucharist grow and increase in a special way
during this Eucharistic Revival so that we can grow closer to the Lord Jesus and so to each other. And so
that we might better hear and answer his call.
Fr. Brian, OSJ
