The Eucharist: An Encounter with Jesus
This past week, we had our first parent meeting for First Reconciliation! I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone, and it’s amazing that we’re already here! In the talk I gave, I related a story about how when I was very little, upon seeing the priest celebrating the Eucharist, I shouted out from my pew, “LOOK MOM, IT’S JESUS!!!” I’m sure my parents were mortified, but now that I look back on it, there’s something incredibly profound about that! Sometimes children are able to see what we as adults are unable to. Even without fully understanding what’s going on, children are able to see that the Eucharist is an encounter with the Lord.
I think we grow up hearing the phrase “Be quiet and watch,” when we come to Mass, and then we begin to tell our kids the same thing. In some ways, it becomes ingrained in our minds that this is what we should be doing when we come to Mass. Now of course, some of that is true! But when we come to Mass, it’s not just so that we can be quiet and watch the priest pray or watch someone read. The Mass isn’t a show or a production – it is an encounter!
That encounter with Christ in the Eucharist is the foundation of everything we do as Catholics. It’s the source from which all our gifts come, and also the source to which all our devotion is directed. And if Eucharistic Devotion is not strong in a parish, it begins to lose its identity and becomes more of a social club than a community of believers gathered around the Altar.
Lately, we have struggled with Daily Mass attendance and Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays. On some occasions we have had fewer than 10 people at 7:00 Mass, and while this number ebbs and flows, it’s good to have that strong core of parishioners at Mass each day. Likewise, we have struggled to fill three slots on our Eucharistic Adoration schedule at 10:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 5:00 pm. We should have two people in the church at any given time throughout the day, so it is important that we fill those slots. If you’re interested, please contact Joan Hasser at 314-604-3017 or email stmikesadoration@gmail.com.
Obviously, most of us find ourselves busy throughout the day, or maybe the morning routine doesn’t allow for Daily Mass. I simply ask you to pray about whether you might be able to spend some time each week to help our parish grow in our devotion to the Eucharist. Let’s never lose sight of this encounter with the Lord, which is the foundation of everything we do!
