MCCW Thoughts on the Eucharistic Revival

On 19 June 2022, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Church began its three-year journey toward revival of Eucharistic adoration. This revival is meant to draw people into a deeper understanding and faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Archbishop Broglio has asked us, the women of MCCW, to join our efforts to this revival and to nurture this faith so that it is alive and blossoming in the women of the military.

Over the next year we will be putting out a focused effort of formation on the Eucharist: what the Church teaches, what Christ tells us, what the saints show us, and how we can unite our hearts with the faithful in adoring Christ in the Eucharist.

We will be putting out seven studies for individuals and groups to use throughout the year, beginning with Eucharistia de Ecclesia (The Encyclical on the Eucharist) by St. Pope John Paul II. These studies will not only lead to deeper understanding of what we experience in the Eucharist, but also how the priesthood and the Eucharist are deeply connected and what our role is, as women of the church, in supporting this devotion.

The Eucharist is, “the source and summit,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, article 1324) of our faith and we will be digging deeper to grasp this solid foundation and set it in our lives so we can journey toward heaven.

What I ask each of you to consider as we embark on this journey together is to look at the long game we are playing. This Eucharistic Revival will stir the hearts of the most faithful first. Those who already have a strong faith and foundation will find themselves inflamed with the Holy Spirit as they deepen their experience of Christ present in the Eucharist.

What does this mean for those of us who struggle with this teaching or who straight up do not believe it? With the gifts of the Holy Spirit comes the call to go out and evangelize. “The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). We are called to be branches, reaching out from the vine of Christ, not only bringing the truth of Christ to the world but also to draw the world into the heart of Christ.

Imagine the change if you reach only one individual? Their children are changed, their children’s children and so on. God does not have grandchildren. He only has sons and daughters.

The faith in the True Presence is not the faith of our parents. It is our faith. It is our children’s faith. When we show others this personal relationship, this exceptionally loving sacrifice in the sacrament of the altar, we show the world the face of the Father (John 14:8).

This year, let us take the first steps together.

Be the fuel, ready to be lit, to light the way for others, pointing our lamps toward Christ, so that the whole world will be able to see the face of God through the real presence of the Son – in the tabernacle, in the monstrance, at the altar, on our tongues and in our hearts.

In Christ,

Kitty Eisenbiel

Director of Formation

Featured Image taken on board USS Abraham Lincoln by Petty Officer 3rd Class Javier Reyes.