Taking the zeal of the Eucharist into the world

My first “large Catholic event” was in 1993, when I attended World Youth Day in Denver. I only became a seminarian about one year before. I did what I was told to do: Meet the bus. Go to this talk. Go eat breakfast. With Pope St. John Paul II present, how could it not make a big impression as I moved closer to Priesthood?
 
Now, just over thirty years later, I attended the National Eucharistic Congress with our diocesan delegation. As Vicar General I had been sharing information about the Congress with pastors for about two years, but it was all “on paper.” Then on Memorial Day the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage made its way through our Diocese, and that was the first feeling that we were going to be part of something big. Indeed, from the moment we travelers caught sight of a welcome message on the floor as we descended an escalator at Indianapolis Airport, I realized how big this was going to be.
 
Twenty-six years of priesthood and two pastorates after Denver, I can’t help but see things through the filter of “How much work will this take?.” That’s the impression that has lingered in me about the Congress. I can’t imagine how many hours went into meetings and preparation. I know what planning went into twenty-four hours for our segment of the Eucharistic Pilgrimage, and I thought that was a lot. God bless the thousands who made the Congress events seem flawless.
 
I remember the massive number of attendees. Anyone who has planned an event inevitably has the thought (usually waking you up at 3 a.m.), “What if no one shows up?.” The numbers could be seen on the streets, in restaurants, in the Convention Center, and in Lucas Oil Stadium, easily identifiable thanks to orange lanyards and string backpacks (though I must say our blue diocesan bucket hats made us stand out and made spotting each other easy). Even if we came from different places around the country, we were all there for the same reason: To rejuvenate and deepen our faith, so we can better share that faith back home.
 
The organizers combined targeted sessions on various topics (called “impact sessions”) each day with general sessions (called “revivals”) each night. The Congress wasn’t just a “pep rally” but an opportunity for catechesis from nationally known speakers. Registering for the Congress, all talk options were presented to you. Were you looking for a talk on a specific subject? It was there. Were you looking to see a favorite personality in-person? No problem. Priests had an option of a specific track of talks geared for them, besides the options like everyone else. It was great to hear and see presenters like Dr. Scott Hahn and Bishop Robert Barron.

Now, about the large gathering pep rallies. To have been in Lucas Oil Stadium for Masses and the nightly programs was downright breathtaking. I know sitting in the stadium with a panoramic view of the 50- or 60,000-person crowd must have given everyone present a boost of optimism and the encouragement of any talk. There was singing, bouncing of beach balls, doing the wave, and pure happiness and joy. There was plenty of “joyful noises unto the Lord.” But you know what else there was? Silence. Reverential silence. For as loud as the stadium got, the nightly times of Eucharistic Adoration had powerfully quiet times (besides the moments of hymn singing). Imagine tens of thousands of people quietly adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, each person there bringing their own petitions to Jesus in prayerful silence. Imagine, Christ knows each adorer and heard each and every person. What a gift we have in the Eucharist! I hope this Eucharistic zeal makes its way back to our parishes. It was one of my own prayers.
 
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have been there. In full disclosure, I was originally not enthusiastic to go (certainly not because of content, but because of the hassles that go with travel today). It will join World Youth Day ‘93 and be one of those events I will be happy to say, “I was there.” What was my favorite part? I am grateful to have been there with dozens of people from our diocesan family and that I was able to get to know them better. So what’s next? Cardinal Tagle told us at the closing Mass, “Go! Go! Go! And what you have heard, touched, and tasted, you must share with others. We have received the gift of Jesus. Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world.” Now as a Diocese we have to bring the graces from the National Eucharistic Congress to our people and our parishes. Let’s all include that in our prayer list