As I write this article, I am preparing to leave for the National Eucharistic Congress. Over the last 60 days, over 100,000 men, women, and children joined the four Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes from our northern, southern, eastern, and western borders to the middle of our nation in Indianapolis. The routes covered 6500 miles, an unprecedented accomplishment. The four routes took Eucharistic Jesus and his followers through prosperous, underprivileged, industrial, wooded, rural, suburban, and urban America. He is the Lord of all of it. He passed crowds of believers and non-believers, kneeling, baffled, indifferent; He is Lord of all of them too, whether they know it or not. We will never be able to know or comprehend the enormity of the impact on those regions, participants, and passersby that encountered Jesus along the way, but we can be sure that Jesus will not leave them untouched.
Our United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has prepared Lucas Oil Stadium and surrounding facilities for over 50,000 Catholics converging there this week. When have we ever seen such crowd of people in one place for one event? Major sporting events draw thousands of fans of their sport for a two- or three-hour game, but the Eucharistic Congress will host tens of thousands of fans of Jesus for five days from 8:30 in the morning until 10:00 at night. Again, unprecedented.
I have attended large gatherings of Catholics before: at conferences, when the popes visited New York, and in St. Peter’s Square. It is awe-inspiring to hear and feel thousands of people reciting the same prayers, kneeling, standing, and sitting in faithful unison. We can feel insulated here in Brewster and Patterson, surrounded by family and friends who have left the Church and speak badly of Her. We can become overwhelmed by the news reports of evil, injustice, and calamity that appear to be gripping our nation. But in reality, we are part of something far larger and incomprehensively powerful: Jesus and his Church. We are part of a 2000-year movement that has spread to all corners of the earth and back.
This week the center of Christ’s Church was Indianapolis, Indiana. I am convinced that Christianity is experiencing a groundswell. Our worldly leaders and influencers may be trying to push God out of our nation, but faithful Christians will not tolerate it. I am proud to be Catholic. I hope you are too.
Scripture: Read Acts 8:4-8. What stands out?
Call to Action: Continue to pray for our nation to be converted and transformed as a result of the Eucharistic Revival.
