By Vicki Yamasaki
The 2024 Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious and laity to bear witness to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It will take place on July 17-21, 2024, in Indianapolis and is expected to draw at least 80,000 from across the country. It will be the first national eucharistic congress in 48 years and the culminating event of a three-year eucharistic revival planned by the USCCB’s Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.
In reflecting on the upcoming Eucharistic Congress, there is hope that it will:
- Rekindle devotion to the Eucharist and help people rediscover the beauty of the Mass.
- Foster fellowship among Catholics.
- Allow for further formation, healing, and conversion.
And yet there are drawbacks to hosting the Congress worth exploring:
- The price tag for the Congress is $28 million, $18 million of which is expected to come from ticket sales (60 million tickets), with $10 million in Catholic organization donations.
- It may face challenges due to the cost per person precluding many from attending ($300-$350 per person).
- It does not address many of the root cause issues I mentioned in last week’s newsletter.
When praying about writing this blog, Jesus shared with me this scriptural passage:
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (John 12:1-8)
This passage recognizes that the Eucharist is not a symbol but a reality that deserves reverence and lavish adoration, just as Mary recognized Jesus as the Messiah and anointed him as a King. And let us take note of Mary’s overwhelming generosity and devotion to Jesus just like the Eucharistic Congress is a sign of generosity and devotion to Jesus. Both are actions of showing love for Jesus and our appreciation for Jesus Himself.
There are many Catholic publications that are critical of the USCCB approving a $28 million spend on the Eucharistic Congress and using a professional event planner (who planned Trump’s 2017 Inauguration). There is a valid point to this if we look purely from an economic standpoint. But at some point, one has to ask the question:
The answer is YES if it helps in achieving that long term goal.
Although, it is troublesome that the price of the tickets for attendees is as high as it is because it’s likely the more affluent will attend. I understand that scholarships will be given to those who want to attend. I really hope that pans out. I run many events through CUP and offer “scholarships” for those that cannot afford tickets but rarely do folks take us up on this offer. I believe this pricing strategy for the Congress is problematic. We would want as many people to attend as possible. When we layer on travel cost, it makes it cost prohibitive for the laity who are in lower income bracket or are on a fixed income.
Aside from this, I do not think it is helpful to criticize bishops who are mightily trying to promote belief in the Eucharist. To criticize such efforts without ourselves showing equal effort is to be like Judas in John 12:1-8. We need to remember this is a big event that has not been done in 48 years and the bishops are not event planners and must outsource this to a third party. I can attest to the fact how complicated it is to host an event and we certainly do not want bishops consumed with doing this to save a buck. What we should all be praying for is that the participants of the Congress receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We should pray the Congress prompts them to go back into their communities and be true disciples that help them to evangelize on the Real Presence.
But here is the kicker … the ultimate long-term goal will not be achieved and the money spent on the Eucharistic Congress will be wasted if bishops do not also address the root cause issues I surfaced in last week’s blog regarding people’s Disbelief in the Real Presence.
They must do both the Eucharistic Congress and the strategies I outlined in the blog last week.
Furthermore, closing churches and reducing the number of Masses at parishes does the following. It:
- Disrupts laity’s regular participation in the Mass, which is the source and summit of the Catholic life and the celebration of the Eucharist.
- Reduces their access to the sacrament of confession, which is necessary for receiving the Eucharist worthily and growing in holiness.
- Weakens their sense of community and fellowship with other Catholics who share the same faith in the Eucharist.
- Drives them away entirely from the Church, leading to practices of other denominations that do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
We must address this growing problem of bishops shutting down churches and reducing the number of Masses. It would be better for them to cut other programs including social programs before they cut Masses. The Eucharist is the core of our faith. It is central. Period. If we do not have the Eucharist – game over. The Church has become the social justice warrior when the most important thing the church should be doing is helping us believe in the Eucharist.
On a positive note, priests can be excellent role models speaking to the Real Presence. Just this week a board member sent to our fellow CUP board members a beautiful notice from a pastor about how important it is to adore Christ in the Eucharist and all of the ways to reverently do so. The pastor at my church is hosting a beautiful Eucharistic Procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi and he regularly has speakers at the ambo to help promote filling every slot for the 24/7 Eucharistic Adoration Chapel. He also offers confession before Mass seven days a week so that people can receive the Eucharist worthily and grow in strong relationship with Christ. He also reverently offers a nice long time for silence after Communion so that we can unite our hearts with Christ in a loving manner.
I would be negligent if I did not mention the impact the scandal of sexual abuse in the Church has on the laity’s belief in the Eucharist. We have seen in the news in the past few months some horrible reports from the attorneys general regarding extensive sexual abuse from the dioceses in Baltimore and Illinois. It has reached such epic proportions in the U.S. that over 20 dioceses have declared bankruptcy which signals to survivors of sexual abuse that the Church will escape financial accountability for past sins. This must be rectified because the entire Body of Christ is severely injured by the continued lack of accountability and transparency leading to a loss of belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. These types of repeated traumas must stop.
There is only one party that can make them stop. That party is the USCCB. We need them to:
- own up to the full abuse,
- apologize openly for it instead of criticizing AGs or dismissing cases using the excuse that most priests are dead,
- root out the homosexual virus plaguing the priesthood,
- make the appropriate financial restitutions without moving real estate around into different organizations, and
- stop declaring bankruptcy to avoid sex abuse payouts.
God expects reparation for the sins committed. This is injuring his Sacred Heart immensely and in this coming month of the Sacred Heart, let us pray for repentance by our Church leaders and priests, reparation, renewed belief in the Eucharist, and reconciliation.
This erosion of trust and respect for the clergy can be regained. Likewise, the lens through which many, especially young people, view the image of Christ because of these scandals can be restored to its former beauty.
Repentance, reparation, and the Eucharist is the key to this healing grace for all involved. Then He will take care of the rest.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
In closing, the Eucharist is a priceless gift from God, and we should respond with generosity, devotion, and worship. Spending money on a Eucharistic Congress is not a bad thing, as long as it is done with a spirit of love and reverence, and not with a spirit of pride or vanity. However, we should also remember that the best way to honor the Eucharist is to receive Him worthily and frequently, and to live according to Jesus’ demands of charity and holiness. Let us approach the Blessed Sacrament with such awe and do as St. Dominic did when he shed tears of gratitude and reverence when he celebrated the Mass and received Holy Communion, and when he spent countless nights praying for the salvation of souls before the Eucharist.