Historic congress ends with invitation to share Christ in the Eucharist with others
Seminarians, deacons and priests process on July 21 into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the closing Mass of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress. (Photo by Sean Gallagher)
By Sean Gallagher
They came to Indianapolis drawn by Christ’s gift of himself in the Eucharist. And they were sent out to share that gift with others.
More than 50,000 Catholics from across the country gathered in Indianapolis for the historic 10th National Eucharistic Congress. At the end of its closing Mass on July 21 in Lucas Oil Stadium, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., who led the organizing of the congress, spoke to those attending.
“My brothers and sisters, in just a few moments, the 10th National Eucharistic Congress will be over,” he said in remarks after Communion. “And so, go! Don’t stay. Go. Go and tell others about the gift you have received.”
Bishop Cozzens also shared that the leaders of the National Eucharistic Congress are planning to have another eucharistic congress in 2033 in celebration of the 2,000th anniversary of Christ’s death and resurrection that brought redemption to the world.
“Yet, as this event has been unfolding, we’ve actually been discerning. How many people think we should do one sooner than nine years from now?” Bishop Cozzens asked, with the giant congregation erupting in cheers. “We’ll keep discerning and let you know.”
In the near term, Bishop Cozzens announced that another National Eucharistic Pilgrimage with one route will take place next year, starting in Indianapolis and ending in Los Angeles on June 22, 2025, Corpus Christi Sunday.
‘Will you stay with Jesus?’ ‘Yes!’
In addition to more than 45,000 lay Catholics, present at the Mass were also some 150 bishops, 1,000 priests, 500 deacons, 500 seminarians and 900 men and women religious.
With so many taking part, the opening and closing processions for the Mass took more than 20 minutes each. Distribution of Communion by 220 priests and about 170 deacons to the more than 50,000 in the stadium took about 30 minutes.
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra accompanied a choir made up largely of Catholic vocalists from the across the archdiocese in leading the congregation in song during the liturgy.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pope Francis’ special envoy to the congress, was the principal celebrant of the Mass.
The Filipino pro-prefect of the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization, which helps lead the Church in missionary lands, shared the pope’s “fatherly, paternal blessings” and told the congregation that “the Holy Father prays, as we all do, that the congress may bear much fruit for the renewal of the Church and of the society in the United States of America.”
At the start of his homily, Cardinal Tagle greeted congress attendees in 11 languages. He then reflected on “the link between eucharistic conversion and missionary conversion,” in light of Christ’s description of himself as the bread of life in John 6, explaining that Christ was sent by the Father to give of himself for the life of the world.
“The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a gift and the fulfillment of his mission,” Cardina Tagle said. “This is my body given up for you. My blood for you. Always for you. For all. Never for me. For you. For all. In Jesus, mission and gift of self meet. The Eucharist is a privileged moment to experience Jesus’ mission as a gift of himself.”
Too often in the life of faith, he continued, people fail to give of themselves to others when they stop recognizing gifts in themselves and the people and world around them.
“Those who do not see gifts in themselves and in others will not give gifts,” Cardinal Tagle said. “They will not go on a mission.”
Recalling that some of Christ’s disciples, shocked by his teaching about himself as the bread of life, stopped following him, Cardinal Tagle invited his listeners to meditate on “rather painful questions about this mysterious rejection of Jesus by his disciples.”
“Is it possible that we, his disciples, contribute also to the departure of others from Jesus,” he asked. “Why do some people leave Jesus when he is giving the most precious gift of eternal life? Why do some … turn away from the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist?”
Returning to John 6, Cardinal Tagle reflected on how Christ asked the 12 Apostles if they would also leave him, with St. Peter saying “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
“So, I ask you, dear brothers and sisters, will you stay with Jesus?” Cardinal Tagle asked the congregation, who responded with a loud, “Yes!”
In reply, he said, “Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus. The gift of his presence and love for us will be our gift to people. We should not keep Jesus to ourselves. That is not discipleship. That is selfishness. The gift we have received we should give as a gift.”
Closing his homily, Cardinal Tagle said that “a eucharistic people is a missionary and evangelizing people.
“What you have heard, touched and tasted, you must share with others,” he said. “We have received the gift of Jesus. Let us go to proclaim Jesus zealously and joyfully for the life of the world.”
(See all of our coverage of the National Eucharistic Congress at www.archindy.org/congress.)
