I See Jesus: Kicking off the Eucharistic Revival

I See Jesus!

Delia Barr, Director of Faith Formation

In preparation for the Diocesan Year of the Eucharistic Revival, I spent some time in personal reflection about my own thoughts on what this Eucharistic Revival truly means to me and how the Eucharist is present in my daily life. As someone who has been blessed to work for the Catholic Church for many years, I have enjoyed the added benefit of being able to receive the Eucharist at daily Masses at the parishes I have worked. There isn’t a better insurance benefit than daily Mass. Early in the papacy of Pope Francis, he shared, “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This was a truly humbling moment for me - to hear our pope admit to his sinfulness and his trust in the forgiveness of the Lord. What an example of not just “talking the talk” but “walking the walk.” What an inspiring moment of humility and grace. I am a sinner too, and apparently, I’m in good company. Jesus didn’t seek out the perfect people he was seeking those in need, those just like me, sinners. I am a cradle Catholic, and 15 years ago, when my dear husband Tom signed us up for an hour of Eucharistic Adoration from 8:00-9:00 AM every Saturday, I am embarrassed to admit I did not know what this was all about. The bigger struggle was with my husband and my attitude toward him cutting into my precious Saturday morning sleep time, the only day a teacher can sleep in! When I finally got over that, and I drug myself to that first Saturday 8:00 AM commitment to sit with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the Monstrance, I was hooked. That silent hour which was not silent in my head, my heart was filled with joy and praise during my time with the Lord. I came out so excited to share with Tom all the emotions and feelings that flowed through me during that first hour. Each week was better than the last. This experience of Eucharistic Adoration opened so many more experiences in my faith journey. So many close “This experience of Eucharistic Adoration opened so many more experiences in my faith journey. So many close encounters with my friend Jesus grew from my time sitting with him in prayerful adoration. As a couple, our prayer life and spiritual formation grew exponentially.”

encounters with my friend Jesus grew from my time sitting with him in prayerful adoration. As a couple, our prayer life and spiritual formation grew exponentially. We were so blessed to be in this faith-filled parish. A few years later, we were transferred away from this parish to a place far away in Canada! It was an exciting opportunity, and we knew the Lord would be with us and guiding us. At first, we thought we needed to re-create the parish we just came from, quickly realizing that was not our place in this journey. We did find on our Saturday mornings that we now had the opportunity to attend Saturday morning Mass. We went from adoration to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. Awesome. During this time, we were also introduced to a ministry in this parish “Feed the Hungry,” feeding the poor and homeless in the community. We recognized Jesus in those we served. This experience changed us. When it was time to leave Canada and return to the US, our new home parish did not have Saturday Eucharistic Adoration

Are you interested in sharing your “answered prayers” from your time in prayerful discernment with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?

Go to https://www.dioshpt.org/eucharistic-revival and scroll to the bottom of the page and submit your gifts of answered prayers from our Lord.

or Saturday morning Mass, but it did have a Red Door Ministry. This ministry fed the poor and homeless daily out of the “red door.” This ministry needed volunteer leaders to serve Saturday mornings. We arrived early every Saturday, opened the door, coordinated the volunteers, made the lunches, and served. We encountered Jesus every Saturday. We called them “Red Door Miracles.” Are you seeing this journey the Lord has taken us on? From Adoration to Reception, to Mission. We are so blessed. It is so joyful to look back at your journey and see how the Lord works. Now at our new parish here in Shreveport, early on, we found a place to serve those in need at the “Blessing Meal” at the Highland Center Ministries. Our parish offers volunteers one Thursday per month. We gladly went to our first blessing meal with great expectation. This meal truly is a blessing to the community, and many from our parish graciously offer their time on our assigned Thursday night. We found ourselves with a group of more volunteers than those guests attending the meal. After standing with a pitcher of water in my hand, ready to serve the thirsty at a moment’s notice, I realized Tom was missing. I looked around and found him in the kitchen washing dishes. He asked the chef in the kitchen if she would bless him by letting him do the dishes. Not a big surprise that she gave that blessing to him immediately. We now go every Thursday to this meal to do the dishes. And now the full circle, since we have arrived, our parish (Cathedral of St. John Berchmans) has offered Eucharistic Adoration during the week around the daily Mass. Recently, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, they have decided to open Eucharistic Adoration on Saturday mornings. Guess who signed up for that first hour of Adoration on Saturday! We are thrilled and blessed to have the blessing to sit with Jesus on Saturday morning again.

For more information and resources on the Eucharistic Revival, visit our diocesan website, www.dioshpt.org, or scan this QR Code.

JGS Photos by Kelly Moore Clark AUGUST 2022 11