The Eucharistic Pilgrimage

For the past week, and continuing until July, the Eucharistic Pilgrimage has been occurring throughout the United States. Four different corners of the United States hosted the sending off sites to meet in Indianapolis, and as many remember, the Twin Cities pilgrimage came through La Crosse and Wisconsin Rapids last week. Jesus, in the most holy Eucharist, processed across the Jackson Street bridge in the special pilgrimage vehicle and then carried to Sts. Peter and Paul on Sunday for a holy hour. 

Here are some thoughts from a parish priest on the entire ordeal, which I pray may feed some prayer and reflection. The Eucharist is processing to the “core” of the United States, or at least somewhat, that is the center or heart of the country. Here I am reminded of the Latin word for “heart,” which is “cor.” The “core” of the United States needs the heart of Jesus. Right now, the United States is a comatose giant in need of heart surgery. She is like the Tin Man, metallic and in desperate need of a heart. Our pews are beginning to follow the footsteps of fallen
away Catholic mother Europe whose churches are becoming coffee shops, her neighborhoods are ever more Muslim, her cities atheist. So what is missing? Why are families gone? It is simple, the Eucharist. A Catholic’s serious religious observance is directly proportional to belief in the Eucharist. If the Eucharist is just a piece of bread, then the pew is another piece of wood. But if that host is God, then the pew is an encounter with the living God. 

As Americans, we can be rather tin
man, empty inside. We can be fickle about religion and the things that really matter. But Catholicism is absolutely true. Period. If we waver on the importance of Catholicism and the Eucharist, so will our children for the next generation. When we say missing Mass is okay to accommodate some sport, sleeping in, or family time, we are essentially telling them that God is not Lord. The Eucharist needs to be our core as Catholics. Eucharistic devotion is not something just for those Catholics at the Marian Center, nor is it just something for Sunday. Sunday Mass is the minimum, and things can survive on the minimum, but they do not live well. We might survive a time without a heart, but living is another matter. Therefore, during this Eucharistic Pilgrimage, I highly encourage you to increase your devotion to the Eucharist. Get at the heart, literally, of Catholicism, the heart of Jesus in the Eucharist.