Revival is Calling
A look at the Tenth National Eucharistic Congress
“I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?” — Isaiah 43:19
In mid-July, I had the incredible opportunity through my diocese (thank you, Bishop Noonan!) to attend the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. It was my first time in the Midwest — so much corn — and I was absolutely floored by all of the incredible work the Lord is doing in our country.
Long story short, the National Eucharistic Congress was a large gathering of American Catholics — the first of its kind in 83 years! It was an explosion of joy: there were countless different breakout sessions, praise and worship, and of course, Mass. The congress honed in on one key thing: the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist.
I loved how massive the scale of everything was. Over 60,000 people were in attendance, filling out the Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center. I experienced dueling feelings of both wonder and smallness. We were all here for one thing: Jesus.
Day 1: Bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, totally not ready to kneel for hours at a time.
The various keynote speakers — major names in the Catholic world like Fr. Mike Schmitz, Bishop Robert Barron, Sr. Josephine Barrett, and others — challenged and inspired congress attendees to draw near to Christ. As Saint Augustine said, our faith is a beauty ancient and ever so new. We spent hours in Eucharistic adoration, dwelling in His presence while singing along to contemplative church hymns and contemporary songs.
As I write this, it’s been just over two months (how?!) since we returned to the Central Florida humidity, and I am soaking in all of the incredible graces and food for thought from this event. I’ve chewed on my pen more times than I can count, having scribbled away in my prayer journal, processing all that I learned in Indy.
I’m confident I will be reflecting on the NEC for blog posts to come, but for now, I leave with you a few takeaways:
Christ loves you. So many speakers reflected on the fact that Jesus loved us so much, and we are called to love. As Fr. Mike Schmitz said, “Knowledge makes one great, but only love makes saints.” Want to be a better person? Love. Simple as that.
Unity is key. In this time of division and utter chaos, we were invited to cling to our faith. We recite the Creed every Sunday, saying we believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, and it’s time for us to start acting like it.
There is so much richness, beauty, and history to Catholicism, and this Congress really rekindled my desire to read, ask questions, and learn more about the gift that is found in this Church.
We are drawn to the good, true, and beautiful. Ah, I absolutely will have to extrapolate on this in another post, but every last detail about the Congress was so intentional. The production design, lighting, music, the branding, all of it — it really drew me in. As a Catholic, and as a creative, I was so inspired to go out and create create create. The Church needs good art - it needs the beauty you bring in. Bring your talents, whatever you do, and do it for His glory (Colossians 3:23). The Church will be better for it.
Overall, I truly believe that revival is calling, and it is time for us to respond. It’s more than a moment; it’s a movement. And it’s only getting started.