Last month, I had the awesome privilege of attending the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. God’s grace was tangibly present throughout the entire event!
On the first night of the Congress, we began in Lucas Oil Stadium with videos and images of the four Eucharistic pilgrimage processions that had traveled from four corners of our country to Indianapolis over the course of the previous two months. The “perpetual pilgrims” — young adult volunteers who traveled the entirety of the routes with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament — walked in, to applause and standing ovations, with images of the patron saints of their various routes and placed them around the altar where we were to have adoration each night of the congress.
After the epic video highlighting each of the pilgrimage routes, a booming stadium voice said, “And now… He… is… here.” I had tears in my eyes as the 50,000 people in the stadium jumped to our feet and erupted again into applause. Then, in the midst of our hollering and clapping, we were instructed, “If you are able, please kneel.” And the entire stadium went instantly silent and dropped to our knees, as Bishop Cozzens began processing in with the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance.
“He is here.” Truly, the two responses at the congress — one an eruption of excitement and joy, and the other reverent silence in awe and longing for Him — are the appropriate responses to His presence among us. He was not just “here” with us at the congress. He is here, in our midst, in every Catholic church in the world. He is here, and He is waiting for you. His excitement and joy and awe and longing for you to come to Him are the reasons you have those same experiences in His presence. He always takes the initiative, He who loved us first.
Over the next few weeks at Sunday Masses, we will be hearing the Bread of Life discourse from St. John’s Gospel. “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst… The Bread that I will give is My Flesh for the life of the world… Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him on the last day…” (John 6). This Flesh and Blood is the source and the summit of our faith.
Jesus waits for you in the tabernacle. He longs to have a personal relationship with you. He wants you to find joy and peace in His presence, as you adore Him. He wants, too, to feed you — with His very self! He wants to give you, though the Eucharist, His abundant life.
How much do you and your family make the Mass, especially Sunday Mass, a priority? Is it just something you have to get out of the way so that you can do other Sunday activities or even something that you might skip for other things? Or is it, as the Lord intended it to be for us, the highlight of your week, the moment when you touch heaven, the source from which everything else in your life flows? Come to Jesus in the Eucharist that you may have life! He is here!
Sr. Mary Martha Becnel is a member of the Ann Arbor-based Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.
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