Jesus shows up in any place, in all times, for all of us

Have you ever been in an enclosed space with 55,000 other people who were there because of their Catholic faith? Perhaps you have been to some papal event where there was that kind of crowd. But have you ever experienced 55,000 people in an enclosed space who were completely silent?
 
At Adoration each evening of the Eucharistic Congress in an enclosed stadium, in between the songs, when it seemed like it was just you and Our Lord, it was also 54,999 of your fellow adorers. And the only sound was the low hum of the stadium’s A/C … or occasionally the cry of an infant from some section across the stadium. Otherwise, total silence. How is that even possible?
 
That was just one of our amazing experiences of the Eucharistic Congress. But the most amazing experience of them all was one that you have experienced … every time you go to Mass.
 
My wife, Rosemary, has a saying she uses whenever she hears anyone complaining about the Mass (“the church is so cold.” “I couldn’t hear the reader,” “did not like the songs today,” “homily was way too long,” “do you believe how late those people arrived?”) She will say in response: “And yet Jesus still showed up ... like He always does.”
 
That “showing up” is what Jesus does every Mass once the bread and wine is consecrated – because now it is no longer bread and wine, it is Jesus, truly present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. By partaking in that Eucharist, we are able to be as intimate with our Lord as is possible in this lifetime.
 
In reflecting on the Masses held in the stadium at the Congress (how did they manage to distribute communion to tens of thousands of people in 15 minutes?!), I was brought back to three weeks before the Congress when Rosemary and I attended the 60th jubilee of her cousin, Father Bob, a Maryknoll missionary priest who has spent the last 45 of his 60 years as a priest in various small villages of Bangladesh.
 
He came back to New York for his 60th anniversary celebration. He writes letters a couple of times each year that describe how he models Christ to a population which is mostly Muslim, spending much of his time taking children to the nearest city hospital for medical attention.
But here is what struck me as we attended the closing Mass of the Congress with that huge crowd: Father Bob has written that his daily Mass is frequently offered on the dirt floor of the hut he lives in. Contrast those two images of Mass in your mind. Bottom line: it is the same Mass with the gift of Our Lord present in both. Jesus still shows up … like He always does.
 
When I process into the church with the monstrance at our parish novena on the first Wednesday of the month, there may be 30 people in attendance. But what I am privileged to bring to them for Adoration is the same Lord and Savior that was processed through the streets of Indianapolis amidst tens of thousands. His love is boundless, and He desires to be in close relationship with each and every person He created whether they be alone or with thousands of other people.
 
I had the privilege last year of assisting as deacon at the funeral Mass for my son-in-law’s mother, who was born in Bangladesh. The Mass was celebrated in the Bengali language (except for the Gospel proclaimed by the deacon). The language was impossible for me to understand, but all the movements of the Mass were easily identifiable. And at the consecration, that gift of Our Lord was once again offered to all the baptized – no translation needed.
 
We returned from the Eucharistic Congress exhausted, but exhilarated. There was evangelizing work to be done for sure, but we needed time to process all of what we experience … the glorious liturgies, the excellent talks and presentations, the inspiring music.
 
I decided to serve as deacon at a daily Mass two days after our return. There was nothing unusual about the Mass that day … an ordinary day in Ordinary Time. There were about two dozen people in attendance. But as I knelt at the consecration, as the priest said the words of institution, I was awestruck again at how extraordinary this gift of divine love really is ... whether offered in a football stadium, a primitive hut, or a local parish church.
 
Jesus still shows up … like He always does.
 
Deacon Stephen Kearns serves as diocesan director, Office of the Diaconate.