As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Lk 24:28–35
BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY
Jesus continues to “walk with us” on the journey of our lives and the journey of faith. A few weeks ago, on the third Sunday of Easter, we heard these words from Luke’s Gospel, the story of the “Road to Emmaus.” I hope that we all took the opportunity to prayerfully ask ourselves whether and how often we “invite” Jesus into our lives, as they did, with the words, “Stay with us.” We can also ask ourselves, are we truly open to “encounter” Him at Mass, as they did on their journey, both in His word, “… he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures…” and in the Eucharist, His “real presence,” as they recognized Him, “in the breaking of the bread”?
You may recall that a study published by the Pew Research Center in the summer of 2019 said that “Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree with their Church that the Eucharist is body, blood of Christ.” There have been many varied responses to that survey. At least in conversation, some have questioned the study’s validity. The study itself shows that belief in the “real presence” is much higher among those who attend weekly Mass. Yet, even that statistic is troubling, as it reports that, among those who attend Mass weekly, 63 percent believe what the Church teaches (known as “Transubstantiation”), that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, while 37 percent believe that the bread and wine are symbols.
There are certainly some legitimate questions concerning the survey, but there is no doubt that it highlights some real concerns that we have as a Church. The survey caught the attention of Bishop Robert Barron and many other bishops across the country. During the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) meetings in the fall of 2020 and in June and November of 2021, the bishops discussed meeting this challenge by inviting Catholics to a deeper appreciation and understanding of what we believe about the “real presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist. Readers of the column, I hope, are aware that I have written about this topic on numerous occasions over the past two-plus years.
At this time, I raise the topic again in order to make sure that everyone is aware that one of the ways that the bishops of the country are striving to encourage a deeper appreciation of and devotion to the gift of the Eucharist is by means of a three year “National Eucharistic Revival.” We are fast approaching the end of the first year of the revival, which started last year on the Feast of Corpus Christi on June 19, 2022, and will culminate on the coming Feast of Corpus Christi on June 11, 2023. To learn more about the Eucharistic Revival and the three-year plan, you can go to the National Eucharistic Revival website. There you will see that the first year of the revival is a “Diocesan Phase.” Here in Paterson, we got off to a “head start” by having a Diocesan “Year of the Eucharist” throughout 2022, leading to our Diocesan “Eucharistic Congress” last September. The second year of the three-year plan is envisioned as a year of “Parish Renewal.” I would like to let you know about some plans we have for the coming Feast of Corpus Christi as we move from “year one” to “year two” of the “Revival.” I also would like to let you know about an opportunity to participate in the Eucharistic Revival on a “national level.”
I am happy to share that for the last few months, a diocesan committee has been actively meeting to discuss our involvement in the National Eucharistic Revival. As we discussed a goal of creating greater awareness of the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist among our parish communities, Father Kevin Corcoran, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham Township, along with Father Michal Szwarc, parochial vicar and one of the leaders of the committee, joyfully opened the doors of Corpus Christi Parish to host two diocesan events on their parish Feast Day. It is wonderful to see such enthusiasm and dedication from our diocesan leaders and the parish staff. For many years, it has been a tradition, started by Bishop Serratelli and diocesan catechetical leaders, to hold a special event (usually at the Cathedral) for children who have received their First Holy Communion that year on the Feast of Corpus Christi. This year, the event will be hosted at Corpus Christi Parish in Chatham on Sunday, June 11, at 3 p.m.
Later that evening, from 6 to 8 p.m., we will have “An Evening of Eucharistic Revival” with Eucharistic Adoration, praise, and worship music, and a talk by Father Agustino Torres, C.F.R., one of the designated ‘National Eucharistic Preachers.’ (See flyer for more information.) The Evening of Eucharistic Revival will be bi-lingual, with songs and prayers in English and Spanish. We are excited to offer this “double header” at Corpus Christi, and we hope that many will join us from all over the diocese to come together in prayer, united by our “communion” as the “mystical Body of Christ” and our belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. For more information on both events, please check the provided flyers.
In 1976, Philadelphia hosted an International Eucharistic Congress, but it has been 82 years since the last “National Eucharistic Congress” (in 1941) in the United States. As part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a National Eucharistic Congress is being planned for July of 2024, to be held in Indianapolis, Ind. It is anticipated that somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 Catholics from all over the country will travel to Indianapolis to participate in this historic event. Our Diocese of Paterson has already reserved space for 250 diocesan participants, and we have invited our pastors to nominate at least two delegates from each parish. As we enter a year of preparation for participation in the National Eucharistic Congress in 2024, please check this diocesan page for updates and more information.
As a diocese and as a nation, as individuals and families, we can recognize that, like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, there are moments when our “hearts are burning” as Jesus speaks to us on the journey, but at times, we fail to recognize Him. Let us pray that this Road to Revival will help us all to recognize Him “in the breaking of the bread.”