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September 12, 2024Even though the global COVID-19 pandemic is a few years behind us, recalling those strange and challenging times can still stir up strong emotional responses.
Many among us lost loved ones. Most of the familiar routines and rhythms of life were suddenly disrupted. People lived in fear of both the disease itself and of the toll exacted by the precautionary measures taken in response to it. In so many ways the rug was being pulled out from under us. It was disorienting and exhausting.
Particularly painful for us as Catholics was the period during which we were unable to gather to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Those few months were emblematic of that difficult time. Though not unprecedented in the life of the Church, our local response to the crisis was something painstakingly deliberated and prayerfully decided. It was the occasion of much misunderstanding and division among us.
For Catholics, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the bedrock of our communion in Christ as members of his Body here on earth. It is through this one, perfect sacrifice of the Son to the Father that we are gathered as scattered grains of wheat and brought together into the unity of the Living Bread by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The faithful and fruitful reception of the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion weaves and binds us together as Christians. In the words of St. Augustine, we receive what we are, and we become what we receive.
The inability of the faithful to participate fully in the regular celebration of Mass brought a deep sense of loss. But for many, paradoxically, it also stirred up a deepened appreciation and hunger for the great gift of the Eucharist. Live-streamed Masses cannot satisfy that hunger of our hearts, nor bring us the nourishment we need. Of course, the Eucharistic Sacrifice was still unfailingly offered daily by the priests of the Church for the entire people of God. While our physical presence and participation at Mass were not possible during this sad time, the faithful remained united in Christ as his priestly people through the sacramental reality of our communion in him as the Body of Christ.
Many have struggled to return to the regular practice of attending Sunday Mass. We have rejoiced as each member of the Body has again been reunited at the altar. Tragically, some have never returned and are still absent from our celebration. This stands as a sorrow we carry and a reminder of our commission to gently invite those who have fallen away. The Eucharist binds us together and impels us to draw back into communion those who are far off.
It is clear to me that on the heels of such an abnormal season that the Eucharistic Revival has been an animating and providential gift to the Church. These three years of the Revival have brought about a renewed esteem for the treasure of the Eucharistic assembly and the abiding, real presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.
Beyond mere deepening in private devotion, the fruits of the Eucharistic Revival aim to animate in us a missionary form of discipleship so that no one may be missing from the Eucharistic banquet. The Church gathered at Holy Mass, most especially on Sunday, is the source and summit of the entire Christian life. It is from the Eucharist that we go out into the public square, and it is to the Eucharist that we bring this entire world and all its cares and concerns.
Looking back on where we have been as a people of faith these last few years, taking account of all the highs and lows, the blessings and the burdens, we strive to view it all through the lens of faith, hope and charity. Enlivened by the Eucharist, formed by the word of God in the living tradition of the Church, we are sent as Christ’s faithful people to be his presence the midst of the world until he comes again.
