Jesus, We Did This for You: A Personal Reflection on Eucharistic Unity

“If it’s a symbol, to hell with it.” – Flannery O’Connor on the Eucharist.

In last week’s bulletin, Fr. John highlighted several recent experiences in our parish and in the American Church that ought to give us a rightly-ordered sense of pride about being Catholic. He encouraged us that when we have pride in our faith we are ultimately acknowledging the power and goodness of our God. It is from that place of faithfulness that we ought to live our lives and share what we have received.

In response to his challenge, I want to share some words about one of those experiences that Fr. John mentioned: the 10^th National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis. I do not have an active, updated list of the “Top 10 experiences of my life” but mulling over some key moments in my life especially as a Catholic I think that these five days would make the list. I have attended events with tens of thousands of Catholics before – FOCUS conferences and the beatification of Solanus Casey – but these days possessed something special that I can only begin to describe as a renewed Eucharistic and ecclesial (church) unity.

Several times throughout the Congress Bishop Andrew Cozzens from the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, who led the U.S. Bishops in organizing the event, uttered these words to crowds at Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration: “Jesus, we did this for you.” Among tens of thousands pilgrims, I felt that attitude throughout the week. 

Jesus, we flew here for you. Jesus, we volunteered 18-hour days for you. Jesus, we pushed our kids in strollers for you. Jesus, we waited in line for you. Jesus, we walked across the country for you. Jesus, we shut down the streets for you. Jesus, we adore you. Jesus, we love you.

There were many powerful moments for me personally in these days that were both ordinary and extraordinary. The ordinary included reconnecting with many friends from my years in graduate school, missionary life, and seminary. The extraordinary included the experience of the Eucharistic procession and the opportunities to meet new people like the founders of our parish’s new marriage preparation initiative, Witness to Love.

I arrived in Indianapolis on July 17^th with the belief as a Catholic that Jesus Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I left Indianapolis on July 21^st with a renewed and reinvigorated conviction that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, truly present in His Church, and is truly calling me to serve Him more faithfully as His priest.

Even though you may not have attended the Congress, I implore you to take advantage of the resources made available from the event by visiting EucharisticCongress.org. Additionally, you can find an excellent compilation of videos from the Congress on EWTN’s YouTube channel. If you can only watch one video, please view the 35-minute talk by Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart. Trust me.

Gracias a Dios.