One of the ways we can participate in the Eucharistic Revival is by turning the next three years into a personal pilgrimage. Have you ever been on a pilgrimage? Loaded up a backpack, put on some sturdy shoes, and headed out with the intention of eventually arriving at a specific destination? The answer for all of us is “Yes!” The truth is, every person on earth is on a pilgrimage, all the time. We all put on a backpack, loaded with things we believe are vitally necessary to take, things that we carry with us every day. We dress ourselves in our beliefs and attitudes and we show these to everyone who sees us, for good or for bad. We all have a starting point and we will each arrive at an endpoint, a moment when our journey will be completed. Those of us fortunate enough to be participating in the Eucharist Revival, however, have the ability to elevate our everyday journeying into a holy pilgrimage. We can be intentional about what we carry with us, who we will travel with, how we will travel, and most importantly, our final destination. Pope St. John Paul II said that “All of the spiritual life is a pilgrimage to the heart of the Father.” A holy pilgrimage takes place across three dimensions, sacred time, sacred space and sacred place. We are invited to journey with Jesus in all three areas for the next three years. Sacred Time There are two different ways of looking at time. We are all used to living in chronos time, moving through sequential hours, minutes and seconds. God’s time, however, is called kairos time, meaning the “opportune or appointed moment,” the time for God’s action. In the incarnation of Jesus, both chronos and kairos times are united. The next three years give us an opportunity to unite both chronos and kairos times in our own lives, to use the hours and minutes of our days seeking to make God known and loved more in the world. Sacred Space A sacred space is simply a holy area where we can experience an encounter with God. Sacred spaces are associated with quiet, with being set aside. Think of wide open spaces in nature that inspire wonder and awe, or the quiet, peaceful interior spaces of churches. We are each called to become a holy space ourselves, a place where God resides within, where we can facilitate an encounter with God for others. Sacred spaces are concerned with the spiritual and the unseen. Sacred Place While sacred spaces mediate the spiritual, sacred places are physical. A sacred place is usually reserved for a particular, holy, ritual action, a place set apart to do something special. It might be a place where an action of God was demonstrated in the past, such as the home of a saint or a location where something good happened, or a place of God’s continued presence today, like our churches. Sacred places reveal God in the physical, in specific locations we can visit and see, made holy through specific actions. Taken all together, sacred time, sacred space and sacred place represent the totality of our lives. It is in these three places we are invited to journey in a special way for the next three years. What might that look like? Maybe that means you commit to changing your morning commute into a pilgrimage. Turn your car into a vehicle of pilgrimage by repeating a ritual action, such as prayer or listening to Scripture. Notice the people who are passing by around you and attempt to provide an encounter with God by being generous and patient. Offer the time in your car for a special intention or for the work of God. Or perhaps you can create a dedicated prayer space in your home and commit to using it once a day and invite your family to use it together once a week. Or your pilgrimage might be promising to visit or call a neighbor you know could use extra attention, at the same time each day or week. Pray for this person, even if you don’t pray together. There are so many ways we can create pilgrimages in our lives, of elevating our chronos time, the ordinary moments of our everyday lives, into kairos time, opportunities to be in the presence of God, by intentionally uniting our time, space and place. To help you get started, check out the free online series on Pilgrimage created by Franciscan University, hosted by Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR. What will your pilgrimage be?
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On June 19, 2022. the Eucharistic Revival officially began in dioceses across the United States. In my diocese of Austin, we kicked things off the morning before on Saturday, June 18, with Mass at 8:30am, presided over by the Bishop of Austin, Bishop Joe Vasquez. After Mass, the Bishop, accompanied by the laity and dozens of priests and deacons, led us out of the church on a one-mile procession through the downtown streets of Austin, holding the Blessed Sacrament high in a monstrance, ending with adoration and benediction at the historic “red doors” on the hilltop at St. Edward’s University. The morning concluded with Bishop Vasquez lifting the monstrance and blessing the entire city of Austin, which was laid out in front of us from our view on the hilltop. It was a powerful and visible way of beginning the Eucharistic Revival, and - literally - going forth and bringing Christ to our community.
What is the Eucharistic Revival? The Eucharistic Revival is a three year invitation and call to renewal that will take place across America. More than simply a series of meetings or events, the Eucharistic Revival is a “grassroots call and a challenge for every Catholic across our country to rekindle the fire of love and devotion for the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus,” Bishop Vasquez explains. The first year of the revival runs from June 19 to June 11, 2023, and will focus on revival at the diocesan level. The second year goes from June 12, 2023 to July 17, 2024, and will focus on fostering devotion to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist at the parish level. The final year, July 18, 2024 to Pentecost 2025, called the “Year of Going Out On Mission,” will include a National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. How Can I Participate in the Eucharistic Revival?
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! |
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