Beacon Of Light… The Eucharistic Revival
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)
- + + On June 19, 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops instituted a much-needed Eucharistic Revival. This decision was made in response to a 2019 Pew Survey Study that 60 percent of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist. So, this means that there are only 40 percent of Catholics who really believe! This is staggering and quite disturbing, considering the number of the faithful who present themselves for Holy Communion. Does everyone who approaches the Altar for Holy Communion really believe or are they just going through the motions?
In order to answer this question and ensure the proper catechesis of the faithful regarding the reception of Holy Communion, the U.S. bishops invoked a three-year plan of revival of the Church’s centuries old teaching on the Eucharist. The revival’s success rests upon the ability to re-evangelize the faithful through a combined effort at the diocesan, parish, and personal levels. In order to assist in this task, the U.S. bishops have presented four pillars to support this endeavor: foster encounters with Jesus, understand the importance of truth, goodness, and beauty, empower grassroots creativity, and reach the smallest unit.
Let us take a look at what these pillars are all about.
The first pillar of the Eucharistic Revival calls us to “foster encounters with Jesus.” This is done through the development of a relationship with Him. This is done through kerygmatic proclamations and experiences of the Eucharist. What do we mean by kerygmatic? Kerygma is the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus. So, in its simplest form, it means we are sinners. Because we are sinners, we will die an eternal death unless we are saved. Jesus died for our sins to save us from eternal death. If we repent and give our lives to Him, we will receive eternal life.
Are you ready to turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? In essence, when we discuss the kerygma, we are referring to repentance and turning back to the Lord. In fact, each year when we celebrate Ash Wednesday, this is proclaimed in the imposition of ashes when the priest says: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
Sadly, many do not know or even understand this, and it is here where the Church has failed. Ever since the 1960s through the late 1970s, there has existed an unfortunate idea that the Church had to “water-down” the faith in order that the faithful might not be offended by her teachings. This has contributed to, and I dare say caused, nonbelief in the Real Presence of the Eucharist.
Even more, the years following the Second Vatican Council caused grave harm in the Church’s teaching of the Eucharist. In many churches the tabernacle was ripped out of the church and placed in some obscure room or chapel where no one saw Jesus anymore. Instead, our Eucharistic Lord was replaced by the theatrical antics of the priest who treated the liturgy as a show, rather than as the sacred action it is.
In another way, the Church harmed herself by trying to be more ecumenical and having an openness or “dialogue” among ecumenical groups. We now see how these innovations have turned out — totally disastrous to our faith in Jesus Christ! Encountering Jesus happens not only through the frequent reception of Holy Communion, but also through Eucharistic Adoration where we sit in the Lord’s Presence. How do we encounter Jesus? We encounter Him by getting closer to Him and having a personal intimate relationship.
The second pillar of the Eucharistic Revival reminds us to recognize the importance of the Eucharist through truth, goodness, and beauty. Several great philosophical and theological minds such as Plato, Aristotle, and St. Thomas Aquinas all taught that God is Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. They all agreed that searching for the truth, goodness, and anything beautiful, was to search for God. Examining our faith, we can see the Truths handed down by Christ Himself. And since our Church is rooted in “the fullness of Truth,” it is only right that the Eucharist is Truth itself. Jesus said He was Truth itself!
The Eternal Liturgy
In looking at the beauty of our faith, our eyes are drawn toward the Church’s Sacred Liturgy. It is here that we are given a glimpse of the eternal liturgy unfolding in Heaven. It is here we are “touched” by God. In essence, beauty can be referred to as a person who invites us to experience all that the Sacred Liturgy has to offer. Music, prayers, incense, and faithful preaching, all contribute to the beauty of the Church.
Where there is Beauty, we experience the Truth and where there is the Truth, we see the Beauty of God. So, when we see a sloppy liturgy being performed in our parishes, is it a wonder why people have stopped believing? In these places the faithful have stopped seeing the beauty of the faith and traded it for the ugliness of the world. Once we have a taste of the Truth and have participated in the beauty of the Church’s liturgy, then a sense of goodness permeates us. Not only do we feel good within ourselves, but we also feel good in helping others. So, the second pillar of the Eucharistic Revival calls us to recapture the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty found in the Eucharistic Lord.
The third pillar of the Eucharistic Revival invites the creativity of “grass-root” movements to assist in helping others to be renewed in the Eucharist. This is accomplished by partnering with ecclesial movements, apostolates of the faithful, parishes, and schools. When we use the term “grass-roots movement,” we are seeking to invite everyone who has the ability to evangelize to become participants in this movement. We need the whole Church, all her members, to unite in this revival. It’s not just the responsibility of bishops, priests, deacons to be out there in the forefront teaching the faith. We are all called to use whatever means we can in our prospective ministries to assist in this endeavor.
How do we measure the success of these grass-root movements during this revival? We measure it by the fruits that are sown. The Lord reminds us that they will know we are Christians through our words and actions. It is the same here, they will know the Eucharistic Lord through the faithful words and deeds of those who witness to the Lord.
The fourth pillar of the Eucharistic revival says to reach the smallest unit. Here the bishops mean us — you and me — to spread the word. Oftentimes it is the small groups of the parish and apostolic communities where most can be done in securing and spreading the truth, goodness, and beauty of the Eucharist. Groups like St. Vincent DePaul, the Ladies Guild, The Holy Name Society, Legion of Mary, First Friday Group, altar servers, lectors — all of these have the potential to spread the message of the Eucharist.
Another place where we can make great progress is in the family. Today, however, society continues to erode the family nucleus and transform it into something totally contrary to the natural law. This is especially seen in the pro-homosexualist and transgender battles before us. These are destroying the family and confusing our children. We need to fight against these societal changes and reconstitute the basic principles of family life. If we have strong families and strong children then we can be assured of a more faithful love for the Eucharist.
Share Your Faith
Finally, this fourth pillar encourages us to be witnesses of devotion to the Eucharist by sharing personal experiences of how we have experienced the Eucharist in our own lives. So often as Catholics we are afraid to share our faith. Sharing our faith, however, is how the Early Church survived and grew. It was through word of mouth and individual stories that the faith was brought to foreign lands and the faithful increased. We cannot be afraid to talk about our faith.
I pray that as we journey through this Eucharistic revival, our hearts may be open to Christ. It’s time we unlock the doors of our hearts again and allow Him in!
