The US Catholic bishops have begun a three-year Eucharistic Revival to lead us all to a greater appreciation of Jesus’ True Presence in the Holy Eucharist.  For years, studies have shown that Catholics misunderstand the meaning of the Eucharist, seeing it as a mere symbol and not the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. As the Eucharist is Jesus’ abiding presence in our lives and churches, we need to bring Jesus to the center of our worship.

At Christmas, we celebrate God entering into our human family and transforming it from the inside out. Similarly, in the Eucharist, Jesus becomes our Bread of Life and nourishes us on his own divine life. We are perfecting the image and likeness of God within us. This is why the Eucharist is so central to our faith, unity, worship and spiritual growth.

Let us pray for the grace to put Jesus in the center of our lives more each day. O Come, o Come, Emmanuel!


For those of us who are visual learners, look for the short 7-minute film on YouTube.com entitled, The Veil Removed. This film shows visually how the Mass is the offering of God the Son to God the Father for the salvation of the world as well as how Jesus is present in the Eucharist. It’s well worth checking out!

Jesus is present to us in our churches—waiting in the tabernacle— all week long. Any time is a good time to sit before our Eucharistic Lord in church and give thanks for his abiding presence!

Articles: How Do I Go to Adoration?

Seven Steps for Personal Eucharistic Revival



 

 

Prayer for the Eucharistic Revival 

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I beg pardon for those who do not believe,
nor adore, nor hope, nor love You. 
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. And, through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of sinners. 
Our Lady of Fatima, Pray for Us.

 

EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL 101

The USCCB has initiated a three-year national campaign of Eucharistic Revival to renew our faith understanding that Jesus Christ is truly present in the Eucharist at Mass and reserved in the tabernacle.  Launched this summer on Corpus Christi–June 19, 2022–this effort celebrates our oneness in the Lord and reminds us of the True Presence of Christ in our midst.

 

For years, studies have shown that Catholics misunderstand the meaning of the Eucharist, seeing it as a mere symbol and not the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (see paragraph #1322+) explains how ordinary bread becomes the Precious Body of Christ by the term, Transubstantiation, a change (trans-) of substance (-substantiation):

 

1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."

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• Liturgically speaking, there should be a visible connection between the altar, crucifix and the tabernacle.  Jesus died on the cross; his sacrifice is made present on the altar; and his True Presence abides with us in the Eucharist, reserved in the tabernacle.
• In practical terms, placing the tabernacle in the center of the church allows us all to be closer to Jesus.  Post-covid, people don't like to sit as close to one another.  Having the tabernacle in the side chapel allows for adorers to be close to Jesus, but it also puts parishioners awkwardly close to one another.  And  young women have even complained of feeling vulnerable if someone else invades their space or sits too close to them in the side chapel, out of sight of the assembly.

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An Article from Fr. John Riccardo:  Recued People Rescue People.

 

The following quotes, references and learning assignments are designed to promote a greater understanding and reverence for this miracle of the Most Holy and Blessed Sacrament.  Enjoy studying these quotes and references for your own devotion and growth in intimacy with Jesus!

 

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Eucharistic References in Sacred Scripture:

The Gospels and letters of the New Testament were all written within the First Century AD despite opposition within the Jewish Community (e.g., Saul of Tarsus) and persecution from Rome (after 64AD).  Terminology and doctrinal definitions were being sorted out in these first centuries after Christ and may not appear in their full form within the New Testament.  Even basic terms such as “Trinity” are nowhere to be found in scripture.  However, the following passages–even if in rudimentary form–teach us much about God’s plan to spiritually nourish His people on the Bread of Life.

 

• The Garden – Sadly, even though God the Father offered Adam & Eve the entire Garden of Eden with all of its contents, our first parents–tricked by the Serpent–chose to steal the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  They stole food when God had provided for all of their needs.  Many of the following passages will show how God seeks to restore our trust by providing for our needs, especially for our hunger.
   
• Melchizedek – Abraham, our father in faith, asked Melchizedek (name meaning - King of Righteousness) to offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, for Abraham had just inflicted a defeat upon the local pagan kings.  In a day of animal sacrifices, strangely, Melchizedek offers bread and wine to the Lord.  In Jewish tradition, as no lineage is ascribed to Melchizedek, he is thought to have an eternal priesthood (see Psalm 110).  And so the eternal priesthood of Melchizedek becomes an analogy for the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews, chapter 7).
   
• The Bread of the Presence - Have you ever noticed references to the unleavened loaves kept before the Holy of Holies in the temple, the showbread (of Lev. 24:5-9) or Bread of the Presence?  “So the priest gave him (King David) holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by fresh bread when it was taken away” (I Sam. 21:7).  This tradition prepared the children of Israel for the ultimate gift of the Bread of Life.  (For more information, watch Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist on Formed.org.)
   
• Manna in the Desert - During the time of the Exodus, the Israelites needed food for their 40-year journey in the wilderness.  God fed them by raining bread from heaven as we see referenced in the first books of the Bible (e.g., Exodus 16, Numbers 11, Joshua 5:11-12).  In his Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:31-51), Jesus makes the comparison between the miraculous manna in the wilderness and the superior Bread of Life that he will offer to overcome even death itself.
   
• Multiplication Miracles of Jesus - Preparing us for the gift of the Holy Eucharist, Jesus–the Good Shepherd–feeds his flock and slakes their thirst just as God did for the Israelites in the wilderness at the time of the Exodus.  Whether turning 120+ gallons of water into wine at Cana (John 2) or feeding the multitudes with loaves of bread and fish in 6 separate Gospel accounts, Jesus calls us to trust in Divine Providence to satisfy our deepest needs.
   
• Ist Letter to the Corinthians - St. Paul warns the early Christian community of Corinth not to take their Sunday gatherings lightly.  This is no ordinary meal; this is the Body and Blood of the Lord!  It is well worth reading First Corinthians, chapter 11 to hear St. Paul explain, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.  Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.  A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself” (I Cor. 11:26-29).  This is an early reminder of the connection between the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist.  We must examine ourselves and confess our serious sins before approaching the Eucharist so that our reception of Holy Communion doesn’t become a mockery or falsehood.
   
• The Bread of Life Discourse - After the multiplication of the loaves and fish, Jesus tries to get the crowd to look to their spiritual hunger and not just their empty stomachs.  Although Jesus hasn’t revealed the gift of the Eucharist yet, he tries (perhaps unsuccessfully) to prepare his audience for this reality of spiritual nourishment and identifies himself as the Bread of Life, one of the seven “I AM” statements in John's Gospel.  Read John, chapter 6, to hear Jesus reveal this great mystery to us.
   
• The Early Christian Community - Remembering that the early Church was persecuted and wasn’t in a position to hold large public assemblies so as to work out catechetical definitions and faith terminology, we won’t find terms like “The Mass” in the Bible, just as the term “Trinity” also wasn’t employed yet.  However, in speaking of the communal life of the early Church in Acts, chapter 2, we see a distinction between speaking of community meals held in common and “the breaking of the bread” as a Eucharistic action: “They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42).  Any claim of the Mass being a medieval invention of the Catholic Church is a poor attempt at scripture scholarship.
   
• The Journey to Emmaus - Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus parallels the structure of the Mass, where a Liturgy of the Word (breaking open the scriptures) leads to a Liturgy of the Eucharist.  Read the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, to see how the Mass keeps us from wandering away from Christ and redirects us back to “Jerusalem” and the heart of the Church.
   

Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament:

If Jesus is truly present–Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity–in the Blessed Sacrament, we should reverence him in the Eucharist just as we would kneel before him in person, for he is present under sacramental signs.  Consider our posture at Mass and during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.  If actions speak louder than words, how can we know, love and honor Jesus more by the way we prepare to receive him in Holy Communion?  Here are a few tips to consider and devotions to practice.  Follow the blue hyperlinks for further resources and information.

 

• Preparation Prayers - If you were about to meet a pope or president, wouldn’t you prepare yourself ahead of time and rehearse your petition or reason for approaching them?  St. Thomas Aquinas had a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist and wrote much about this sacrament.  Follow this link to see his pre-Communion and post-Communion prayers.  These prayers are in the back of our Gather hymnals so that you can pray them and reflect on them when you come to Mass.
   
• Confession before Communion - As St. Paul states, “A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup” (I Cor. 11:28).  If we have serious sin on our soul, we need to confess these sins and be absolved before receiving Holy Communion.  Here is a thorough Examination of Conscience to help you to prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Let us approach the Lord with a pure heart!
   
• Pre-Communion Fasting - Many years ago, it was forbidden to eat between midnight and your reception of Holy Communion at Sunday Mass.  Since Vatican II, the pre-Communion fasting laws have been relaxed; however, fasting is a powerful way to get in touch with our spiritual emptiness so as to hunger for Jesus’ Bread of Life.  Fasting is also a weapon against temptations as it trains us in self-discipline.  On the same topic, although chewing gum technically doesn’t violate the Communion fast, please don’t bring gum to church.  You really don’t want to forget and receive Jesus in the Eucharist with gum in your mouth.  That would be a great disrespect of our Lord.
   
• Posture: Genuflecting & Bowing - As Catholics, we humble ourselves before the Lord with our posture and gestures (e.g., bowing before receiving Holy Communion, kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer, and genuflecting toward the tabernacle when entering or leaving the church).  These postures help to teach us reverence for the True Presence of Christ in our midst.  Don’t hurry these gestures.  Take your time and pay your respect to the Lord.  Note: When genuflecting before the Blessed Sacrament, we put our right knee on the floor.  Should you kneel before a monarch, pope or other temporal leader in respect, put your left knee on the floor.  It’s a simple difference, but it puts the Lord first.
   
• Holy Hours of Adoration - So as to spend time in the Presence of the Lord, the Eucharistic Host can be placed for display in a monstrance for the faithful to adore and spend an hour with Jesus.  Often these Holy Hours conclude with a blessing, a Benediction, where the priest or deacon blesses those assembled with the Eucharist in the monstrance so as to impart the Blessing of Christ.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?” (Matt. 26:40).
   
• 40-Hours Devotion - Honoring the 40 or so hours that Jesus’ body rested in the tomb, hosting 40 hours of continual Eucharistic Adoration has been a popular devotion since the 16th century.

 

Saints of the Holy Eucharist:

If you want to learn something, learn from the best.  Here are saints and martyrs with a special devotion to the Eucharist.  May their lives inspire you!
 

• Eucharistic Saints Summary - by Fr. John Hardon, SJ
   
• Young Martyrs and Saints of the Eucharist Article
   
• Three Female Saints and the Eucharist, Sacred Heart & Divine Mercy

 

Media about the Holy Eucharist:

With our parish subscription to Formed.org and what is available for free on the Internet, here are a few media resources that will help you to appreciate the Most Holy and Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
 

• The Veil Removed (YouTube) 7:15 minutes
   
• Presence: The Mystery of the Eucharist (Formed) 6 Sessions
   
• Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist (Formed) Look under Audio

 

Eucharistic Miracles:

We walk by faith and not by sight…however, the occasional miracle does help immensely!  Here are a few resources that relate Eucharistic Miracles over the centuries.

 

Bl. Carlo Acutis (1991-2006) - He is a young Italian man who died of Leukemia at the age of 15.  Carlo had an interest in computers and a great love of the Eucharist.  It was his desire to promote devotion to the Eucharist by documenting Eucharistic Miracles around the world and placing that information for all to access on the Internet.  Visit his Eucharistic Miracles Website to discover over 100 supernatural encounters.  The following are some of the most famous such miracles in Church history (ancient & modern):
 

• Lanciano, Italy (8th century)
   
• Santarem, Portugal (13th century)
   
• Siena, Italy (18th century)
   
• Tixtla, Mexico (2006)
   
• Legnica, Poland (2013)
   

 

Resources - Join the Revival! 

Register to receive the National Eucharistic Revival regular newsletter Cor Ad Cor (Heart to Heart). Click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page to register. Cor Ad Cor will provide you with provide you with regular updates and equip you with resources. 

Learn, What is the Eucharist?

The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church the United States Bishops’ recent document about the Eucharist.  You can read it here.
 

Bishop Cozzens’ Course: The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church
Take Bishop Cozzens Revive Parishes course for free here.