Dear Friends,
It is always a joy to recall great events, remember special occasions, and reminisce about grand historical moments that took place either in the life of an individual or in the narrative of a community or a nation. The National Eucharistic Congress, which took place from July 17-21 in Indianapolis was an event that cannot be easily forgotten. Its memories are inscribed in the hearts of many faithful Catholics, enshrined in the story of American Catholicism, and imprinted in the souls of countless men and women whose love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament cannot be compromised by either the growing secularism of today or by the ignorance of the disaffiliated members of the Church. The 2024 National Eucharistic Congress was a foretaste of heaven. It was an unprecedented spiritual voyage deepening the religious conviction of what it means to be Catholic. The solemn Eucharistic Adoration, which gathered about 60,000 people, who knelt to worship the Blessed Sacrament in one place at the same time, is considered one of the pivotal moments of this entire spiritual gathering. The Eucharistic Procession that took place on July 20 was also a powerful experience, allowing participants to relish the profound delight the Blessed Lord has for His people. According to the report given by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the Chairman of the National Eucharistic Revival, the Eucharistic Procession was the largest in this country in almost 50 years. God’s people gathered to show their love and honor for Jesus Christ. It was as if the whole Church was in procession toward heaven: The various orders of Knights and Ladies, First Communion children, over 900 women religious, hundreds of seminarians and deacons, over 1,200 priests, and 200 bishops. During the solemn procession, people were singing and praying, many of them with tears- it was overwhelming. Thus, the Eucharistic Congress was una fiesta de fe (a feast of faith), a journey of hope, and a great display of the love of God.
The story of American Catholicism would be grossly lopsided if no reference is made to this Eucharistic Revival, which was a response by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to address the growing indifference, lack of knowledge and lack of appreciation of the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Andrew Cozzens succinctly observed and admonished: “While the National Eucharistic Congress this past July 2024 - the first of such national Eucharistic Congress in our country in 83 years - stands as a key moment for the National Eucharistic Revival, it is by no means the conclusion of our Revival. The next phase of the Revival invites us to go out and share the love of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist to transform the world.” This beautiful admonition from Bishop Cozzens constitutes the locus classicus of my reflection on how to become a Eucharistic missionary during this Year of Mission.
In essence, a Eucharistic missionary is one who has encountered Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, received Him in Holy Communion, and allowed this encounter to transform their lifestyle, and ways of seeing God, self, and the world. With conviction, that person then goes out to transform the world by witnessing how the personal experience with Jesus has changed everything in their life and religious sensibilities. A Eucharistic missionary must faithfully embrace the four spiritual pillars of the Eucharistic modus viviendi during this Year of Mission: (i) Eucharistic encounter, (ii) Eucharistic identity, (iii) Eucharistic life, and (iv) Eucharistic mission. To be a Eucharistic missionary, it is imperative for the individual to encounter our Lord and seek Him with their whole heart, soul, might, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4). Pope Benedict XVI, in his first Encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is love, 2005), pastorally intuited that “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction” (Deus Caritas Est, no.1). On December 22, 2005, in his address to the Roman Curia, Pope Benedict also said, “Indeed, we do not merely receive something in the Eucharist. It is the encounter and unification of persons: the person, however, who comes to meet us and desires to unite himself to us is the Son of God. Such unification can only be brought about by means of Adoration. Receiving the Eucharist means adoring the One whom we receive. Precisely in this way and only in this way do we become one with him. Therefore…Eucharistic Adoration is the most consistent consequence of the Eucharistic mystery itself: only in adoration can profound and true acceptance develop. And it is precisely this personal act of encounter with the Lord that develops the social mission which is contained in the Eucharist and desires to break down barriers, not only the barriers between the Lord and us but also and above all those that separate us from one another.”
In the same vein, Pope Francis in his homily for Ash Wednesday of this year 2024, articulated “Let us make space for the prayer of silent adoration, in which we experience the presence of the Lord, like Moses, like Elijah, like Mary, Like Jesus. Have we noticed that we have lost the sense of worship? Let us return to worship. Let us lend the ear of our hearts to the One who, in silence, wants to say to us: “I am your God-the God of mercy and compassion, the God of pardon and love, the God of tenderness and care…” This encounter is reflected in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). As Jesus was about to leave them after having explained the Scriptures to them, the two disciples urged Him to stay with them as they approached the town of Emmaus. Jesus sat down with them, took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them; and in that moment they recognized him. Although they had, begun to understand through the mediation of Scripture, they still did not fully grasp who He was. But in the Eucharistic moment, in the breaking of the bread, their eyes were opened. Thus, the ultimate means by which we understand Jesus and truly encounter Jesus is not solely through the Scriptures but through the Eucharist, for the Eucharist is Ipse Christus - Christ himself, personally and actively present in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. The Eucharist is the embodiment of the Paschal Mystery. It is Jesus’ love for the world unto death, as he said in John 6:51, “The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Eucharist according to Bishop Barron is Jesus’ journey into godforsakenness in order to save the most desperate of sinners, His heart broken open for compassion. It is on this note that we can joyfully sing at every Eucharistic encounter: “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus truly present in the Holy Eucharist, I placed all my trust in You.”
St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) drew strength from her daily encounter with the Eucharistic Lord to combat evil. Legend has it that Emperor Frederick II of Sweden declared war against the Pope and attempted to conquer territory from Assisi to Sicily. In 1241, he recruited an army of ruthless Saracen mercenaries, who advanced toward Assisi and stationed themselves outside the convent of San Damiano. They began placing ladders up against the walls, preparing to overtake the convent, which lay in the path of the rest of the city. In terror, the women of the Order of Poor Ladies ran to their Mother Superior, St. Clare, for help. St. Clare, though ill and bedridden, was helped by two nuns to the convent chapel to get the Blessed Sacrament. Holding the monstrance in her arms, she pressed her head against it, and prayed: “Doth it please Thee, my Lord, to deliver Thy defenseless handmaids, whom I have nourished with Thy love, into the hands of the pagans? Defend O Lord, I beseech Thee, these Thy servants who I in this hour am unable to defend.” A sweet, childlike voice answered, “I will always defend thee.” St. Clare added another prayer, “My Lord…if it please Thee, protect the city, for it supported us for love of Thee.” Christ replied, “It will be troubled, but it shall be defended by My protection.” She comforted the sisters: “Rest assured, I bid you, little daughters, that ye shall suffer no harm; only trust in Christ” (Thomas of Celano, The Life of Saint Clare, Philadelphia: Dolphin, 1910, 37).
Then Clare rose, her face covered with tears, and held the monstrance up before an open window that faced the army in the convent courtyard below. The army gazed at the monstrance as if seeing in the Lord God Himself, and they promptly retreated back over the walls in fear. The people of Assisi were astonished that the Saracens had not attacked the city. The invaders fled without setting one foot in the town. This “Miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi” speaks of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Host and his divine power over all things. It demonstrates of the power that comes from each and every Eucharistic encounter. St. Clare devoutly adored Jesus in the Sacrament of His Love, as was testified by her religious sisters, “How great was Saint Clare’s affection and devotion to the Sacrament of the Altar is shown by their effect…When receiving the Body of the Lord, however, she at first shed burning tears and, approaching with trembling, she feared (Him who was) hidden in the Sacrament no less than (Him who was) ruling heaven and earth.”
From St. Clare of Assisi, we learn that to be a Eucharistic missionary, we must promote devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Eucharist ought to be the source and summit of our lives. We need to remain in prayer for long hours, at least one hour every day, as Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to do (Matthew 26:40). St. Clare of Assisi and the poor Clare Sisters prepared sacred linens for altars. Despite their poverty, they would obtain and send ciboria, chalices and altar cloths to poor, neglected churches. We can also imitate the virtues of St. Francis de Geronimo (1642-1716), who took it upon himself to grow flowers for the Blessed Sacrament altar. At times he miraculously made them grow that Jesus would never be without flowers. He would say to everyone, “A flower for Jesus.” This was a beautiful custom. They may be a small weekly expense, but Jesus will repay it a hundredfold. Our flowers on the altar, through their beauty and fragrance, express our presence of love beside Jesus.
Ad majorem Dei gloriam
Father Benedict Nwachukwu-Udaku, Ph.D. Director of Academic Formation at St. Junipero Serra House of Formation