Revival…
… Meaning ‘to live again:’ from Latin re (again) + vivere (to live); as in Eucharistic Revival!
I was overwhelmed by the experience of being at the National Eucharistic Congress- it’s a lot to take in!
Fifty-five thousand Catholics attended the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis! And growth opportunities were abundant. Planners spared no effort to revive participants’ enthusiasm for Eucharistic conversion, worship, catechesis, and mission. Sometimes it was like trying to get a cup of water from a fire hose!
National Eucharistic Revival
This Congress culminated the three-year Eucharistic Revival launched by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. In part, the continuing Revival was designed to mitigate the American Church’s shortfall in forming the faithful in the Eucharist. Consider that…
One in three Catholics do not have a working understanding of the Real Presence, in other words, that the bread and wine, consecrated by the celebrant, becomes wholly the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And how many Catholics feel Mass/Eucharist is irrelevant to authentic life? And how many are uninspired by the idea that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, No.11)?
Of course, in Salesian praxis, Eucharist is front and center. We know it assures our spiritual vitality. St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) was himself formed in the revival known as the Catholic Reformation. And here is a fragment from his famous description of the Mass in outline form to feature his descriptors (Introduction to the Devout Life, II.14) …
“…the rich mystery of God’s self-communication
the sun of all spiritual exercises
the most holy, sacred, and supremely sovereign sacrament
and sacrifice of the Mass
center of the Christian religion
heart of devotion
and soul of piety ...”
For St. Francis, the goal was to become the person who, on fire with sacred love, promptly, actively, and diligently reaches out to others in need. (Introduction. I, 2) This surge of sacred charity formed in sacred charity is the hallmark of spiritual wholeness in Salesian tradition.
Do you feel that surge? Does your experience of Eucharist convict, change, charge, or revive you? For St. Francis to know yourself as devout (and have that corresponding urge to serve) is a sign of Eucharistic transformation. Now, consider an idea posed by Archbishop and Papal Nuncio Christophe Cardinal Pierre.
Speaking on opening night on behalf of Pope Francis, Cardinal Pierre asked, “How will I know I am ‘revived’?” He proposed that the world’s logic compels us to be defensive among strangers or those we see as different. On the other hand, …
Men and women revived in Eucharist, having met the real Christ: body, blood, soul, and divinity, are not defensive; they are compelled to serve as a bridge to unity. For was not Christ the first Eucharistic bridge, spanning the chasm between the Father and the human family?
St. Francis de Sales and Bishop Perre both suggest that:
(a) Eucharistic culture stands in contrast to how the world sees and learns
(b) Eucharist is grounded in a personal meeting with Christ. And…
(c) Eucharistic ‘becoming’ is manifest when we are immediately ready to position ourselves where there are those who hunger and thirst for Him.
This may be a good time to assess your sense of Eucharist and discuss with a spiritual confidant or your faith sharing group what changed in you, or for you, when you were last at Mass. It is also a good time to discuss any obstacles to reviving your Eucharistic instincts that you may be facing.
Meanwhile, see John Paul II (2003). Ecclesia et Eucharistia (Church & Eucharist).
Also, see National Eucharistic Congress videos via YouTube.
Bread of heaven…
O Eucharistic Lord, am I now at last ‘arrived?’
Have I found the Way by Gospel Word as advertised?
Repenting sin and the tedium of my smallish thinking?
You-So-Real, I am revived by your courteous restoring…
My heart for sacred purpose,
And now refreshed by Holy Bread for vital service.
Fr. Mark Plaushin, OSFS
Love. Learn. Serve. Charlie Mike