Joyously Worship- National Eucharistic Congress

“Lord Jesus, we love you. We honor you, Jesus. We praise you with our song and with our hearts,” proclaimed Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Bishop of Crookston, Minnesota and chairman of the board of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.
 
“Jesus, we did all this for you. We want the world to know who you are and how much we love you, how powerful you are, how good you are,” he said in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament following the Eucharistic Procession in downtown Indianapolis Saturday, July 20, day four of the Congress.
 
As he spoke, thousands gazed upon the brilliant monstrance on the altar set on the Indiana War Memorial. Many could be seen kneeling and genuflecting in the plaza or on the streets during Saturday’s procession, a pinnacle moment in the five-day sacred gathering honoring Jesus in the Eucharist.
 
What a welcoming the Lord received in the heart of America, where representatives from 17 countries, all 50 states, ranged from age 0-96. Prior to Adoration and Benediction in Memorial Plaza, Bish[1]op Cozzens and Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson had accompanied the Blessed Sacrament in procession on a float adorned with flowers through tens of thousands of faithful pilgrims.
 
As the float emerged from the Indi[1]ana Conference Center to make its way to the Memorial, the crowd cheered while church bells rang out across the street at St. John the Evangelist Church. More than 2,600 priests, seminarians, bishops and cardinals, and more than 1,200 religious sisters and brothers preceded the float, followed by thousands of pilgrims who joined in behind a banner that said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
 
One could feel the love radiating from the hearts of the faithful and from the Sacred Heart of Jesus ever present in the Eucharist. Many testified to the extraordinary mystery and profoundness of what they witnessed: The greatest love story ever told – a love story that continues ad infinitum.
 
Many said the event was somewhat overwhelming to take in – the processions, sacred liturgies, incredible music, inspiring talks, hundreds of exhibits, daily rosary and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the sheer number and availability of priests at Mass and in the Confessional, the undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit. There was so much joy for the Lord it was as if the heart of the Church opened pouring forth all the love she had been holding in the center of one of America’s landmark cities.

As part of a three-year Eucharistic Revival, the Congress kicked off Wednesday, July 17 with welcoming the “perpetual pilgrims” – those who had processed with the Blessed Sacrament for two months from each of the four corners of the United States, journeying a total of 6,500 miles through cities, towns and country sides, while stopping in various churches along the way, ending at Lucus Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
 
How fitting and how needed after 83 years, after lockdowns and separation from each other, that we could come together in such a tremendous way. We had survived the desert and had reached our oasis.
 
“My being here is a way to express the Pope’s spiritual closeness to you and his unity with you and with this country,” said Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. “What a gift this is that we can be united as a Church through our Holy Father. At the same time … the Holy Eucharist is also an immense gift for unity.”
 
Tim Glemkowski, CEO of the National Eucharistic Congress, said they began their work because they were convicted that God wanted this moment for the Church. “He’s come for us because he loves us,” he said. “He’s come for his bride – the Church – to come back to the heart of Jesus that birthed it in the first place.”
 
Looking around I saw deep devotion in the eyes of fellow pilgrims, many with their arms outstretched or clasped together in fervent prayer. My mother often said she never felt alone because the Church was her family. I knew exactly what she meant. We were all one in Christ Jesus, the way he intended it to be. Many described it as a “glimpse of heaven.” At the same time, Pope Francis’ description of the Church being a “field hospital after battle” that “heals the wounds” of those in need was clearly evident.
 
An inspirational aspect of the Congress, for me, was its emphasis on healing. During the Litany of Healing at the Opening Ceremony, Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B, said, “Each of us has places in our hearts and in our histories that have been hurting for a long time. Some wounds might be self-inflicted but the wounds caused by others tend to cut us most deeply,” he said. “The most powerful healing can begin by bringing those places into relationship with the one who loves us infinitely: you, Jesus.”
 
In his impassioned talk, Father Mike Schmitz explained that healing comes through repentance. “The remedy to in[1]difference is love, and the road to love is repentance,” he said. “In the history of Christianity you can never have a revival without repentance.” After poignantly referencing his recently deceased mother, he said, “Knowledge will make one great; but only love can make you a saint.”
 
 
At one point a thought briefly came to my mind: “How will the Church feed a stadium of over 50,000 pilgrims at once?” Shamefully, I convicted myself, “Oh you of little faith!” Our Lord rained down manna from heaven and fed five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread. This has been done many times. During the Congress 200,000 hosts were consecrated. But the greatest mystery, the greatest love story, is that Jesus gave us His body and blood for all time. Not just to thousands but to all the faithful for all time. If we can believe in the manna and in the multiplication of the fish and loaves we can believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist.
 
During Communion, as hundreds of priests ascended into the stands, Eucharist in hand, we heard what sounded like a celestial choir of angels sing Panis Angelicus and that glimpse of heaven became all too apparent. Several moments moved me to tears and that was one of them. Another was hearing over 50,000 people sing O Salutaris Hostia and Tantum Ergo Sacrumentum during the first Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
 
“We were born for these times,” said Mother Adela Galindo, foundress of Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary. “It is a time to go out in haste like our Lady, to a world that urgently needs to know God’s love and God’s truth.”
 
In Sunday’s closing Mass, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle cited that in John chapter 6 the disciples decided Jesus’ teaching was too hard. “Jesus is asking all of us, do you also want to leave me like the others? Like Peter, we should believe with conviction,” he said. “Jesus does not impose himself on anyone.”
 
“So I ask you brothers and sisters, will you stay with Jesus?” Applauding, the audience shouted, “Yes!” He responded, “Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus. Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world!”