A Foretaste of Heaven
Reflections on the National Eucharistic Congress
Reflections on the National Eucharistic Congress
I spent five days last week at the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. And I was not alone. Depending on the day of the week, somewhere between 40,000 and 70,000 of my fellow Catholics were in attendance, making this the largest gathering of Catholics in the United States in decades. This was the first National Eucharistic Congress to take place in America since 1941. (The next one is scheduled for 2033, when the Church will celebrate the 2000th anniversary of our Redemption). It was the culmination of a three-year Eucharistic Revival instituted by the USCCB in response to survey data indicating a decline among Catholics in belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
In Indianapolis last week, faith in — and love for — the Eucharist was center stage. Literally. The first Revival session on Wednesday night concluded with a Holy Hour in Lucas Oil Stadium with 40,000 adorers kneeling on hard concrete floors for an hour while Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chair of the National Eucharistic Congress board, led us in prayer. It was magnificent. It was inspiring. And the same thing happened every night of the Congress, with different priests and bishops presiding.
During the day, I bounced back and forth between various talks and liturgies. Many big-name Catholic speakers were on hand — Scott Hahn, Bishop Robert Barron, Fr. Mike Schmitz, Sister Josephine Garrett, Jonathan Roumie, Chris Stephanic, and so many others. But none of them were the star of the show. The big attraction was Jesus, always, thanks to the efforts of the event organizers to keep the liturgy front and center.
One thing that really impressed me about the Congress was the diversity of liturgical celebrations, with Masses celebrated not only in English, but also Spanish and Vietnamese. Masses were also offered in the Byzantine and Syro-Malabar Rites, as well as according to the 1962 Roman Missal. It was beautiful to see the Eucharist being celebrated by diverse cultures expressing our one faith in Jesus Christ, in unity with the Catholic Church under the leadership of the Holy Father. The Church’s unity in the Eucharist was definitely a major theme of the event.
I confess, after the first full day of the Congress I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the size of the crowd. At a luncheon hosted by Bishop Michael Martin for attendees from the Diocese of Charlotte, I sat next to Dr. Mario Sacasa, Catholic therapist and host of the Always Hope podcast. Maybe it’s because he’s a therapist, but during our conversation, I confided in him that I had a problem. My exhaustion due to the crowds made me worry about the great multitude of the heavenly host described in Revelation. “I’m too much of an introvert,” I said. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to manage heaven — God’s just going to have to do something to fix me between now and then!”
But reflecting on my experience at the Congress, there were certain times when I did not feel overwhelmed or lost, even though I was surrounded by tens of thousands of people. It was during the Mass. It was during the Eucharistic Procession through downtown Indianapolis. It was during Adoration. At those times, we were not 50,000 people each going our own separate ways, seeing to our own affairs, concerned with our own pursuits. We were 50,000 people united in worship, each fulfilling his or her role as clergy, consecrated religious, or laity. We were 50,000 people united in love for Christ in the Eucharist. We were 50,000 people, but in those moments we were one. Those moments, for me, were a foretaste of heaven.
I received many consolations from God during my time at the Congress, but that was perhaps the biggest. And it left me convicted that for our Church to be truly united, the Eucharist must be at the center. It must be in practice what the Second Vatican Council says that it is, “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The Eucharist is the beating heart of the Body of Christ. Tens of thousands of people were united in the rhythm of that heartbeat last week. May this be the start of a true revival of faith, hope and love in our nation, in the Church, and in the heart of each believer.