Eucharistic Revival
The same Jesus who was incarnated in Nazareth and born in Bethlehem is incarnated on every altar in the world in the Eucharist. The same sacrifice of the Cross that occurred two millennia ago in Jerusalem may likewise be seen on every altar in the world in the holy sacrifice of the Mass.
This is the great Paschal Mystery, in which we participate every time we attend the holy sacrifice of the Mass. And tomorrow1, in a particular way, we celebrate the mystery of the Eucharist on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Commonly termed “Corpus Christi”, the feast celebrates the Real Presence of Jesus Christ – that the consecrated bread and wine truly are the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. (John 6:51)
This particular Mass is often followed by a Eucharistic procession, where the consecrated host – Jesus Christ Himself – is processed around the church or through the streets, with the faithful following.
An anonymous bishop once famously prescribed a remedy for many of the problems facing the modern Church with the words “less jabbering – more processions“. He was not wrong. In one sense, of course, processions form the structure of the entire liturgy: we begin with an entrance procession (introit), and there are processions for the Gospel, the offertory, and perhaps most strikingly, communion. In each case, we walk towards the altar of God.
During the course of the year, we have other opportunities for procession, including some that take place partially outside the church building. Palm Sunday and the Easter Vigil come immediately to mind.
But Eucharistic processions take this to a whole other level. Not only are we poor pilgrims journeying in search of our heavenly homeland, we are ourselves bringing the Lord to the people in the streets, to where they are. It is the ultimate form of evangelization, because despite all of the preparation and rehearsal we might do, it is not us but Jesus Himself who does the preaching. What use are mere words when here we have the Word Himself?
Less jabbering. More processions.
Last year in our Archdiocese of Seattle, Corpus Christi saw the end of the the Year of the Eucharist proclaimed by Archbishop Etienne.
This year, throughout the United States, Corpus Christi marks the beginning of a three-year National Eucharistic Revival, proclaimed by the United States Catholic Bishops, to culminate in a National Eucharistic Congress in 2024 in Indianapolis.
Scandal, division, disease, doubt. The Church has withstood each of these throughout our very human history. But today we confront all of them, all at once. Our response in this moment is pivotal.
In the midst of these roaring waves, Jesus is present, reminding us that he is more powerful than the storm. He desires to heal, renew, and unify the Church and the world.
How will he do it? By uniting us once again around the source and summit of our faith—the Holy Eucharist. The National Eucharistic Revival is the joyful, expectant, grassroots response of the entire Catholic Church in the U.S. to this divine invitation.
The Bishops envision a “movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission ‘for the life of the world.'” Like many of these sorts of things, the details are somewhat sketchy and the vision is larger than the execution. For example, the USCCB said that they would publish a “toolkit and training resource for diocesan Corpus Christi processions” – if this happened, nobody I know of got one.
Still, nobody’s stopping anybody from holding a Eucharistic procession tomorrow, and I hope that many parishes and dioceses do so.
Less jabbering. More processions.
Corpus Christi Procession, 2013 (Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph, Tacoma).
For seven years, on the Sunday Solemnity of Corpus Christi, our former parish of Holy Rosary had an outdoor Procession of the Blessed Sacrament following the Noon Mass, taking Jesus through the streets of Tacoma and amongst His people. We crossed the bridge over I-5, where thousands of motorists could see the Lord.
It was, if I may quote from Archbishop Etienne’s pastoral letter opening the Year of the Eucharist, the moment when we began to “manifest the real nature of the true Church” as missionary disciples in the streets of Tacoma. And from there, we never stopped.
This was a particularly special solemnity for our parish. Back in 2013, this was the first time our parish had held a procession in decades. It was the first project undertaken by what would become our Liturgy Commission. And the Mass that year was celebrated by Archbishop Sartain.
It’s safe to say that this was the event that put our parish firmly on the road to increased liturgical solemnity and liturgical devotion. From 2013 through 2019, we brought Jesus in the Eucharist to the people of Tacoma, proclaiming Him our Eucharistic King. Right up until the suppression of the parish.
And this is now what we must do in this Eucharistic Revival the Bishops have asked for. Yes, there will be meetings for planning and strategizing, but if we are to have a real revival, if we are to catechize Catholics – many of whom do not believe in this core teaching of our Faith – if we are to proclaim the truth of our Eucharistic King, then we must bring Him to His people.
Less jabbering. More processions.
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam!
Not unto us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy name give the glory!