Pastor’s Letter: July 28, 2024

Pastor’s Letter: July 28, 2024

26 Jul 2024 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

God’s peace and blessing be upon you all! So…how was the National Eucharistic Congress? If I was summarizing it in one word…I would say: Great! Each day since I have been back, multiple people have asked me to share about the Congress…as well as some related questions like: did I have duties there…or do I have any ongoing duties for the Eucharistic Revival? I had some duties…I helped with the morning shift of confessions each day. I did not serve as a speaker, although I was on standby if needed…thankfully everyone made it on time! When I was able, I attended a tract of talks given specifically for priests…and then joined the large group at the stadium for the evening session each day.  I don’t have many more ongoing duties with the Revival…there will be a few days here and there when I am away (I’ll actually be gone a few days this coming week as well), but those commitments will become fewer and fewer as I settle in here with you all.

Far and away, my favorite experience of the National Eucharistic Congress was seeing so many familiar faces—honestly, everywhere I would go people were stopping to say hello. There were former students from college Newman Centers, people from previous parishes where I have served, as well as many people from mission stops I’ve had the last couple of years. I saw many priests whom I haven’t seen in years, including a seminary classmate that I had lost touch with. I ran into Bishop Lou every day there, along with many people from around our Diocese. I saw Sisters that I have known and worked with, and met many for the first time! Honestly, the whole experience reminded me of a true taste of Heaven. Pope St. Gregory the Great said, when speaking about our unity together in Christ, that in Heaven we will have a perfect reunion with everyone we have known and loved in this life…and he said that we would also have that closeness with everyone we haven’t known before. As the whole stadium of people were kneeling in adoration, as the half hour procession of the closing Mass was happening, as people were making their way at Communion time…I was struck with how true a taste of Heaven we were treated to!

As much as I enjoyed seeing people and families I knew, I was also struck by the joyful greetings of those I’ve never met. During the outdoor Eucharistic Procession, countless people kept thanking us priests as we walked by. On the way to the final Mass, I happened to be walking with a seminarian from New York…he told me his uncle had just died and asked if I would pray for his soul in the Mass. During the processions for the stadium Masses, people would wave and smile. Without a doubt, it was a wonderful gift of peace and unity. Each day as I walked out of the Confession area, people would say thanks so much for offering this grace. Of course, as we all know, it is Jesus who does the work in the Sacraments!  =)

Several speakers during the week noted how united we are with Jesus in the Eucharist. From family unity to national unity, the speakers asked us to recognize just what is possible when all of us Catholics are united to Jesus in the Eucharist. As Cardinal Luis Tagle (special envoy from Pope Francis) said in the final homily, Jesus in the Eucharist invites us to really see the gift of one another. He asked a series of questions, such as married people, do you see your spouse as a gift…or as a problem? Children, are your parents a gift…or an ATM? He got the strongest reaction when he asked priests and bishops if we see each other as a gift! =)  He also asked about a person in need—do we see that person as a gift? If we think about the effects of Holy Communion, seeing each other as a gift shouldn’t surprise us. As Blessed Carlo Acutis and others have said, the more Communions we receive the more and more our hearts become like the heart of Jesus. The more united we are to Jesus, the more we will see one another the way He sees us. The invitation is the same one we receive at every Mass—we are there with the one who loves us best. We are there with the one who gave everything in sacrifice so our hearts can be free. We are there with the one who shows us from the cross that every single person was worth His sacrifice.

The Eucharist, the Mass, the Sacraments—these all remind us who we are! And they remind us of who everyone else is—all of us beloved sons and daughters of the Father. As we move into the last planned leg of the Eucharistic Revival, our concentration will be on evangelization—how do we share with people the gift of the Eucharist and how our lives are better because of Jesus truly present? We will be asked to take up the challenge of an “invite one back” initiative—more info to come in the months ahead. For now, I’ve just been asking people to think of someone they know and love who is away from God or away from the Church. The first step is to pray for that person and ask God to be at work in his/her heart. “Lord, I ask your blessing today on                    .  Help him to know that you love him; help him to know you are with him today. Over this next year, help him to find you present in the Eucharist, in the Church, in our community of faith.”

Know of my prayers for you all this week, and that I send you my blessing from the altar at Mass!

In Christ,

Father Luke