To know Christ better and to make
Him better known.
Him better known.
Search
National Eucharistic Congress reflections from Fr. Lawrence D'Anjou
-
What a week at the National Eucharistic Congress!Dear brothers and sisters. I want to share with you some highlights from my week at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, which took place July 17-21. Over the course of days, it is said that up to 60,000 people from across the country joined. As the title of the event implies, the NEC was a communal event to give thanks to God who in his goodness became incarnate in Jesus Christ, and to grow in appreciation of the enduring gift of the Eucharist, which is Jesus' Real and perduring Presence in the Church throughout the ages. The events took place in the Indiana Convention Center and in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.The first night 40,000 plus gathered in the stadium as pilgrims who carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament from the four corners of the U.S. entered the stadium. Then the lights went down, and Jesus was brought into our midst in a beautiful, large monstrance blessed by Pope Francis. And the silence of 40,000 - on our knees in the presence of our Savior and King - was simply precious. Such gratitude and devotion! During the week notable Catholic speakers shared powerful and inspirational words that, I think, helped us all appreciate even more personally how close we are to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and how intentional this gift given to the Church the night before Jesus died, means to us. I highly recommend watching on YouTube talks by Sr. Bethany Madonna, Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, Gloria Purvis, Sr. Josephine Garrett, Bishop Robert Barron, and Chris Stefanik among others. Also on YouTube, watch the stadium Masses such as the closing Mass with Cardinal Tagle. Though there were so many people in the stadium, amazingly these Masses were intimate, reverential and beautiful.The NEC wasn't just something for a week, to be lived and forgotten. The NEC helped us to refocus our attention on the great gift of Jesus, God incarnate, and the centrality of the Mass as our communal sacrament of His love, grace, and Real Presence in the holy Eucharist. May our worship of Jesus at Mass in all of our parishes be ever more beautiful, heartfelt, and fruitful as we proudly live our faith in these troubled times. Let us show it forth with great devotion and fervor and in so doing bring more and more souls to Christ.Perhaps it is not surprising to see in the same week that we concluded this event honoring Jesus' Real Presence in the Eucharist, He would be mocked during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Yes, during the opening ceremony the television camera broadcasting to a billion viewers across the planet showed a group of people dressed in drag mockingly depicting Leonardo DaVinci's famous "Last Supper" scene. In a strange way, this mockery only emphasizes the Truth of what we believe about Eucharist. Why else go to such great lengths to depict Jesus' greatest gift - His enduring gift of His very self - in such a way?Dear brothers and sisters, the juxtaposition of these two events is something of a wake-up call for us. Our battle as faithful Christians is with dark powers and principalities (Eph 6:12). These dark powers know that Jesus has already defeated them. They know that the Eucharist is what sustains and empowers His Church in every age. They are emboldened to use any means possible to disparage and mock our faith so as to bring everyone under their mastery. With Bishop Andrew Cozzens who organized the NEC, please pray and, if possible, fast for those who do such things, that they may repent and come to know the One who died to save them too.Fr. Lawrence D'AnjouPastorSt. Bonaventure Catholic Community5562 Clayton Rd.Concord, CA 94521Very Reverend Lawrence C. D’AnjouVicar GeneralDiocese of Oakland2121 Harrison St.Oakland, CA 94521Office: 510-267-8317 / Email: [email protected]