As Bishop Berg wrote in a previous post, “We long for a true communion that can only begin through Christ as we know Him in the Eucharist.” This longing expresses the desire for a True Eucharistic Revival, a revival that revitalizes and renews our own personal faith, our communion with Jesus, our communion with each other, and our outreach to bring others into communion with us. We long for our fallen away family members to come back to the Church. We long for parishes where we feel we truly belong and which provide us with the support we need to face the difficulties of life. We long for spiritual friendship and for grace, peace, and joy in the Lord. Bishop Berg identified this longing for True Eucharistic Revival as one of the main themes to emerge from the 4-part synodal process conducted over the past year, and looking back at this process I think we can see the hand of the Holy Spirit in guiding our discernment and efforts as a diocese.
But where do we go from here? Let me make one suggestion. Here is where we need Enhanced Spiritual Formation in the Holy Spirit, one of the other themes that Bishop Berg identified. The reason that we need such formation is that we do not have the answers. We do not truly know what a True Eucharistic Revival is or how to get there. But God knows, and if He truly has led us to pursue one, He must know how He intends to get us there.
"...our communion with each other, and our outreach to bring others into communion with us."
But we need to ask Him. We need to come together and pray. We need to ask the Holy Spirit, in groups, where we are to go and how we are to get there. This is uncomfortable. We would rather come with our opinions and answers already formed – but all this does is get us into arguments that lead to inaction, another failed initiative, and disappointment. Instead of that, let us turn to the Holy Spirit in faith, trusting that He is waiting to guide us into all truth (Jn 16:13), that He is waiting to bring the communion that comes from a True Eucharistic Revival.
So let us gather together and pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This is something you can begin to do now in your families, with your friends, and in your parishes, but if you would like a model of how we can do this, the Diocesan Eucharistic Revival Team would be happy to come to your parish and facilitate a sample session in which we pray and listen to the Holy Spirit’s guidance on how we can experience more communion in our parishes. Pastors or their delegates can contact me to arrange for such a Parish Discernment Session.
"...the Diocesan Eucharistic Revival Team would be happy to come to your parish and facilitate a sample session..."
As we move forward into the Eucharistic Revival, let us pray that it will be a True Eucharistic Revival, guided by the Holy Spirit and enhancing the communion within our parishes and throughout our diocese.
Lord Jesus, bring us the communion that only You can bring, and send Your Holy Spirit to guide us more deeply into that communion.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Dr. Seth Wright
Director of Missionary Discipleship
If you found this article helpful, you'll enjoy "The Living Garden" E-News" & "The Little Way" magazine!
The Living Garden: a bi-weekly email to your inbox the 1st and 15th of the month.
The Little Way magazine: a quarterly publication delivered to your home.
To subscribe: scroll to the bottom of this page and click on "Subscribe to The Living Garden" and "Subscribe to The Little Way". Subscribing is easy and FREE!