There is a Longing

On May 17, 2024, four pilgrimage routes began in Mississippi, Connecticut, Wisconsin, & California. The purpose was to cross our nation, presenting Jesus to the people of America, & meeting in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17. Along the way, with Jesus present in the monstrance, the perpetual pilgrims made stops at parishes, schools, & prisons. You can read more about the pilgrimage HERE . About 60,000 people gathered at The National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, July 17-21, to adore our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass daily, pray together, & listen to great speakers.  Fr. Mike Schmitz, Monsignor James Shea, Bishop Robert Barron, Jonathan Roumie, Sr. Bethany Madonna, Chris Stefanik, & more shared their great love of our Lord & how much of an impact the Eucharist has had in their lives.  Unfortunately , I couldn't make it to Indiana, but I was able to watch many of the speakers live & on YouTube....

On this Feast of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), we celebrate the most precious Gift Our Lord Jesus gave to us…Himself.  We hear in the Gospel the preparations for Christ & His disciples to celebrate their Passover meal, The Last Supper.  On this evening, He instituted the source & summit of our Faith…Holy Communion.  The word “communion” comes from the Latin word, “communio” , which stands for mutual participation, sharing, or fellowship.  Each Mass we partake in is a remembrance of Christ’s Passion, Death, & Resurrection, His Holy Sacrifice for us.  In place of an offering of animals at the altar, as in Biblical times, He is the Sacrificial Lamb & we bring our full (or fool , as is often the case) selves to be fed & healed by His Body & Blood.  We are currently in the midst of a National Eucharistic Revival.  There is so much division, anger, fear, & distrust in the world today.  Sadly, man...

               A few years ago, I heard a beautiful story told at a talk and it really touched me.   To my dismay, I eventually forgot the details, making it impossible for me to find a written account of it. However, I held out hope that I would stumble upon it someday throughout my various reading materials…and I was not disappointed! A few weeks ago, as I was working through Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s St. Therese , I found the story, captured in more detail than before. It took me by surprise, as finding it wasn’t on my mind at that moment, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise!                I want to share some of my delight and tell the story. So here is the account (taken from the book, which credits the story to the Cardinal Kung Foundation):                      “There was a little Chines...