By John Andrews
The Eucharist is…
“The medicine of immortality.” (Cardinal Daniel DiNardo)
“A lifeline that keeps our people tethered to the Church.” (Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone).
As a wordsmith, I love a good metaphor, and these were two I heard on Day 2 of the National Eucharistic Congress that stuck with me.
It was the first day of the morning (Impact Session) and afternoon (Breakout Session) talks. I attended the Renewal Impact Session that is tailored to ministry leaders in the Church. We were advised that these sessions would help us “fill our cup,” and there was, indeed, some discussion about the sometimes difficult periods when we are trying to discern God’s will for us in our ministry, perhaps one that we have worked extremely hard at for a long time and struggle to see its impact.
My afternoon talk was on the ministry to LGBTQ+ persons, and given by Anna Carter, a member of that community and a faithful and articulate, Catholic, herself. Speaking about this topic in our diocesan communication and media channels in a way that is pastoral and recognizes God’s unconditional love for all his children, but also witnesses our Church’s belief in God’s life-giving creation of man and woman can be challenging. So I am always open to learning and dialoguing more about it. There was no magic prescription, of course, but Anna encouraged us to look at in the sacramental framework of the Congress: Taken – Blessed – Broken – Given.
Later in the afternoon, feeling the need for the Eucharist, myself, I walked across town to Holy Rosary Church for a Latin Mass celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. The church was packed and there were perhaps 500 more people watching via technology under a tent across the street. Wow. There is unmistakenly a hunger and devotion for this more traditional manifestation of the liturgy. It was a reverent and moving experience, and I was struck by the contrast between this traditional set-up and the high production, contemporary feel of the opening Revival Session last night. In his homily, Archbishop Cordileone proposed “10 ingredients to make a good recipe for a Eucharistic Revival.” They included recovering a sense of silence before and after Mass, observing at least a one-hour fast before Mass, wearing your Sunday best, practicing a good prayer life throughout the week and making a regular Confession so you are fully prepared to receive the Eucharist. This made me think of our diocesan Synodal theme “back to basics.”
Well, that’s the report for today. Thank you for your prayers and keep looking for updates on our diocesan pilgrims in our media posts.
John Andrews is the Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of San Bernardino.