Our world Adore Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist, pope tells U.S. Catholics

CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Catholics need to recover a sense of awe and adoration before the Eucharist, knowing that it is “the real and loving presence of the Lord,” Pope Francis told members of the committees organizing the National Eucharistic Revival and the National Eucharistic Congress in the United States. Jesus spoke of Himself as “the living bread which came down from heaven, the true bread that gives life to the world,” the pope told the group June 19, just three days after leaving the hospital following abdominal surgery.

“This morning, while I was celebrating the Eucharist, I thought about this a lot because it is what gives us life,” the pope said. “Indeed, the Eucharist is God’s response to the deepest hunger of the human heart, the hunger for authentic life because in the Eucharist Christ Himself is truly in our midst to nourish, console and sustain us on our journey.”

Pope Francis blessed the four-foot-tall monstrance, paten and chalice that will be used during the Eucharistic congress in Indianapolis July 17-21, 2024.

The group was led by Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chair of the U.S. bishops’ advisory group for the National Eucharistic Revival. Bishop

Cozzens said it was “an incredible privilege” to meet the pope and experience

“his love, his passion for the Eucharist and for the work that we’re about.”

Pope Francis told the group that, unfortunately, today many Catholics

“believe that the Eucharist is more a symbol than the reality of the Lord’s presence and love.” But, he said, “it is more than a symbol; it is the real and loving presence of the Lord.”

“It is my hope, then, that the Eucharistic congress will inspire Catholics throughout the country to discover anew the sense of wonder and awe at the Lord’s great gift of Himself,” he said, “and to spend time with Him in the celebration of the holy Mass and in personal prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.”

Pope Francis lamented that many people “have lost the sense of adoration. We need to regain the sense of adoring in silence, adoration. It is a prayer we have lost; few people know what this is, and you bishops need to catechize the faithful on the prayer of adoration,” he said, looking at Bishop Cozzens and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., who also accompanied the group.

The pope insisted on the link between celebrating Mass, Eucharistic adoration and sharing the Gospel with others.

“In the Eucharist, we encounter the One who gave everything for us, who sacrificed Himself in order to give us life, who loved us to the end,” he said. “We become credible witnesses to the joy and transforming beautify of the Gospel only when we recognize that the love we celebrate in this sacrament cannot be kept to ourselves but demands to be shared with all.”

“This is the sense of mission: You go, you celebrate Mass, you take Communion, you go to adoration – and afterward?” he asked. “Afterward you go out, you go out and evangelize; Jesus makes us this way.”

“The Eucharist impels us to a strong and committed love of neighbor,” he insisted.

“For we cannot truly understand or live the meaning of the Eucharist if our hearts are closed to our brothers and sisters, especially those who are poor, suffering, weary or may have gone astray in life.” latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Pope meets Cuban president

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis had a 40-minute private meeting at the Vatican with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Holding banners calling for the release of political prisoners and respect for human rights in Cuba, a dozen people rallied at the end of Via della Conciliazione, the main boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square, as the pope was meeting Díaz-Canel in the studio of the Vatican audience hall June 20. The president also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. As has become customary, the Vatican press office released a statement about the cardinal’s meeting with Díaz-Canel but did not comment on what the pope and president discussed. “During the talks with the secretary of state,” it said, “they discussed the importance of the diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Cuba, evoking moreover the historic visit of St. John Paul II in 1998.” The two also spoke about life in Cuba today, “and the contribution that the Church offers, especially in the area of charity,” it said.

Tears are not signs of weakness but of love, says Canadian pastor after tragic bus crash

DAUPHIN, Manitoba — The compassion of Christ is what is needed now as the small Canadian community of Dauphin, Manitoba, comes to grips with the loss of 15 of its members in a tragic accident, said the pastor of the local parish. In his homily June 18, three days after the crash that claimed 15 lives and saw 10 others injured, many critically, Father Michel Nault, pastor at St. Viator’s Parish in Dauphin alluded to the Gospel reading about Jesus showing benevolence to the crowds in His midst before charging the disciples with the power to drive out unclean spirits and cure all manners of disease and illness. “Jesus showed compassion for the people, and I really think it is important to show compassion on a day like this where we are all dealing with something really difficult,” said Father Nault. Canadians from coast to coast are mourning and seeking answers about the devastating crash between a transport truck and a minibus. The bus was carrying 24 seniors on a day trip from the Dauphin Active Living Center. The collision took place just before noon June 15.

Pope returns to Vatican, ‘better than before,’ surgeon says

ROME — Pope Francis has returned to the Vatican after a nine-day hospital stay and intends to go ahead with his planned trips abroad in August and September, according to his chief surgeon. “The pope is fine. He’s better than before,” said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the chief surgeon who operated on the pope June 7 to repair a hernia; he also operated on the pope in 2021.

“The pope has confirmed all his trips,” the doctor told reporters outside Rome’s Gemelli hospital June 16, right after the pope was released. The pope was scheduled to attend World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 2-6, and to go to Mongolia Aug. 31-Sept. 4. “As a matter of fact,” Alfieri said, according to Vatican News, “he will be able to embark on them better than before because now he will no longer have the discomfort of his previous ailments. He will be a stronger pope.” When asked about the pope’s “convalescence” to fully heal from abdominal surgery, Alfieri said, “he doesn’t convalesce; he has already started working.” When the pope emerged from the hospital in a wheelchair the morning of June 16, he greeted well-wishers who asked him how he was. “I’m still alive,” he said, smiling.

Anglican bishop becomes Catholic, says discernment is shaped by whisper of God’s voice

LIVERPOOL, England — A sixth former Anglican bishop has announced his decision to become a Catholic in just the last four years.

Bishop Richard Pain, who retired as bishop of Monmouth in 2019, is the first Anglican bishop from Wales to join the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. He will be received into the full communion at the church of St. Basil and St. Gwladys, Rogerstone Newport, Wales, on July 2, by Msgr. Keith Newton, the leader of the Ordinariate. Msgr. Newton said: “We are delighted that after much prayer Richard has asked to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.” Bishop Pain said in a June 12 statement that he decided to become a Catholic when reflecting on his future following his retirement. “The process of discernment continues throughout life and is constantly shaped by context but more importantly by the whisper of God’s voice,” he said. “The Benedictine understanding of obedience – hearing the Lord –has been significant to my personal formation.”

— OSV News

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Father Juan Miguel Sánchez

That’s how I love you!

A reflection on my journey to the priesthood

As ordination time has come and three new priests are welcomed into our diocese, I feel a little nostalgic as I recall my own ordination to the priesthood. As these days arrive, I also feel a strong gratitude to God for all the opportunities He has given me in my life and for allowing me to get to where I am today.

God has undoubtedly guided me from my beginnings in my beautiful town of Ixtlahuacán del Río, Jalisco, Mexico, to this great Diocese of Charlotte. My life has been a constant migration from place to place. I believe God was already preparing me for what would be part of my life as a priest.

I still remember the first time we moved from the ranch to the city of Guadalajara. With the first change came the first call, because when I arrived in the city, I began to prepare for first Communion, and immediately after that I became an altar boy. There the Lord began to put the idea of the priesthood in my heart. Although at that time I was afraid to think about becoming a priest, the service in the Church became something that I enjoyed a lot, and that always left me with a feeling of peace and tranquility.

Before I knew it, I was already celebrating my confirmation and being part of the teen group, volunteering as a reader and helping with the different activities in the Church. Some time later, I was participating in the youth group, spending time and talking with the priests of my parish.

The second migration was to the United States, and with it came the search for the American Dream. But even when I was immersed in my work, God kept putting the idea of the priesthood in my mind and heart. To which I immediately replied: Miguel, that’s no longer for you.

But God has His ways, and a few years later I found myself living an Emmaus retreat and reflecting on how far I had drifted away from Church service. The retreat brought me a feeling of fulfillment and great joy, which moved me again to seek service in the Church and the possibility of thinking about the priesthood again.

After talking for a while with Father Julio Domínguez, I was encouraged to enter the seminary. That led me to move to Columbus, Ohio, for four years and Rome, Italy, for another four years.

After much effort and sacrifice, I stood before the altar thanking God for the great opportunity to serve Him as a priest and to seek the salvation of souls. I always felt helpless and unworthy and without the necessary talents, but over time I realized that I didn’t have to be perfect to follow God and that even in my imperfection, God would give me what I needed to accomplish great things.

Ordination was an incredible moment that I still relish the fruits of. I do not quite understand how it is that God entrusts us with such an important mission. But with faith in His Providence, I have accepted His call, knowing that I am not alone in this mission. The grace of your prayers accompanies me every day. As a chick priest who is just hatching, I continue to trust and learn a lot to keep improving in my ministry.

May God bless you!