The 2024 National Eucharistic Congress

The National Eucharistic Congress held in Indianapolis this past July 17th-21st was the first such Congress in the United States in about 80 years. The last such Congress prior to Indianapolis was held in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1941.

From the people I have talked with, to the news that I have read, all indications are that last month’s National Eucharistic Congress was an exceptionally graced moment in the history of United States Catholicism. The graces of which will continue to unfold in years to come. Many people of have likened last month’s Eucharistic Congress to Saint Pope John Paul II’s visit to Denver, Colorado for World Youth Day in 1993.

So, what does this mean for St. Luke’s Catholic Church and School?

Unsurprisingly, I think that a couple Scripture passages from this weekend’s Gospel can illuminate a path forward. Jesus says in the Gospel, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” and, “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.”

The primacy of listening to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, is prominent in these passages. In fact, our whole Christian journey of faith and our eternal destiny depends on this “listening”, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

What was the difference between the disciples who stayed with Jesus after the Bread of Life Discourse and those who up to that point followed him, but after this Discourse, left him because they couldn’t accept His teaching that He is the Bread of Life, come down from heaven?

Faith.

The only motive or reason that we, today, and Peter in the time of Jesus’ public ministry 2,000 years ago, can say along with Peter, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”, is the totally gratuitous gift of divine faith in Jesus as the Son of God.

Faith will tell us Christ is Present, when our human senses fail.

May we pray for a renewed outpouring of living faith in Jesus truly Present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in this great Sacrament we hail. May we have that disposition and posture of attentive and active listening that our Mother Mary showed at the Annunciation and in so doing, through faith, bear Jesus in ourselves in Eucharistic faith, as Mary bore Him as His Mother.

In Christ,
Fr. Ryan