There’s talk around the Church in the United States about a “post-Congress spiritual surge.” Dioceses and parishes, priests and lay leaders are getting together, praying before the Eucharist, and intentionally talking about what they should be doing during this Eucharistic Mission Year of the Eucharistic Revival.
When I first heard the word “Revival,” I have to admit I was a bit turned off. It reminded me of the old-time revivals or tent meetings of Pentecostal churches that I read about in history class. The National Eucharistic Revival is not like that. It’s more like a fire, more like the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
I remember winter evenings when my dad would carefully tend the fire he had built in our family-room fireplace. As the flames began to die down, he would nurse the embers back to life with twigs or even newspaper until the fire was sizzling and popping once again.
Reigniting a Fire in the Church
The Eucharistic Revival’s purpose is to reignite the embers of a fire that had died down almost without our realizing it. A Pew Study in 2019 reported that only one-third of U.S. Catholics said they believed that “during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.” It was clear that to reignite the fire of people’s relationship with Jesus within the Church, Catholics needed to encounter, not just some great preaching, but Jesus himself.
For me, and for tens of thousands of others, this Congress was exactly such a Pentecost experience, and nothing will ever be the same. We’ve seen for ourselves what can be done by giving a little support to the fire that may have been burning low in our own hearts. The blaze has been rekindled.
“What miracles!”
It is in the Eucharist that we can most directly and powerfully encounter Jesus Christ: at Mass and in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. How powerful is this encounter?
I’m looking at a holy card that has a prayer written by Saint Maximilian Kolbe:
“You [Lord] come to me
and unite yourself intimately to me
under the form of nourishment
[in the Holy Eucharist].
Your Blood now runs in mine,
Your Soul, Incarnate God,
compenetrates mine,
giving courage and support.
What miracles!
Who ever would have imagined this?”
Blessed James Alberione, founder of the Pauline Family, wrote that when we spend time in adoration we are:
“living lamps before Jesus in the Eucharist…
handmaids of honor at the tabernacle and with its Divine Dweller;
angels of the Eucharist who receive and who give.”
How To Get Your Faith Blazing Again
When we encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, we understand that God has called us in Christ to be his sons and daughters and that this Eucharistic identity causes us to ask ourselves such questions as: how does this affect the way we talk to our friends, love our family, and interact with strangers on the street? How can I give what I’ve received to someone that I care about?
If you can use some help with this, here are some “twigs” that can get your own faith blazing again so you can share it with those you love:
- You can’t fall in love with someone you never spend time with. Consider the parishes near you. Where and how can you get closer to Jesus in the Eucharist? The more you maximize the time you bask in the radiance of the Light of the World, the stronger will be your desire for his company and the more beautiful your life.
- Jesus will always give you more. It’s just like anything else in life, the more you put into something, the more fruit you will receive. Be curious and find ways that you can learn more about Jesus, how to pray with the Bible, the meaning of the Mass, and what to do at Eucharistic Adoration. Start with YouTube and Google, and then move on to one or two of the great new books being released during the Revival.
- Take what you receive from Jesus into the rest of your life. Jesus has so many ways of revealing himself to us: an inspiration, a verse from the Scriptures, a strong conviction, an image, word, or feeling, or just a strong assurance of his presence. Jesus’ love for you extends beyond your time in prayer. Let it surround you for the rest of your day.
Do you have some ideas about how you can go about this? Share them in the comments below.
