National Eucharistic Revival

“Behold, I make all things new”

From the Eucharistic Revival South Jersey website

The Bishops of the United States are calling for a three-year grassroots revival of devotion and belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. They believe that God wants to see a movement of Catholics across the United States, healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and sent out in mission “for the life of the world.”

In the Diocese of Camden, over the course of the revival, lay leaders and parishioners will be able to participate in a variety of learning opportunities and spiritual enrichment events to help grow their understanding of the Eucharist where we will inherently come closer to Christ.

These three years will culminate in the first National Eucharistic Congress in the United States in almost fifty years. Almost a hundred thousand Catholics will join together in Indianapolis for a once-in-lifetime pilgrimage toward the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith.

NOV 13

The Dismissal
(From The Concluding Rites)

… having heard the Word of the Lord and received the Body and Blood
of the Lord, are sent on mission. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that “the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the sending forth (mission) of the faithful, so that they may fulfill God’s will in their daily lives” (CCC 1332). Sharing the mission of Christ, we are sent to use our God-given abilities to evangelize, to comfort and to help build up the Kingdom of God.

Something to Think & Pray About

Pope Francis has been striving to give the official Church a human face by his compassion and care. What can YOU do to be a human face of the Church in your life?

Question of the Week

For you, what are the very positive things about going to church?

A Notable Quote

Our participation in the Body and Blood of Christ has no other end than to make us become what we eat. (Pope Leo, Sermo LXIII: De Passione Domini III, 7.)

NOV 6

The Agnus Dei
(From The Rite of Communion)

The Lamb of God is a 7th C addition to the Mass. Sung or recited during the Breaking of the Bread, it is an acclamation that provides the faithful another opportunity to praise God for the sacrifice of His Son, the Lamb of God, which has won for us the gift of salvation.

Something to Think & Pray About

In today’s world, what do you find most challenging in trying to hold on to the faith?

• What practices do you find helpful for nourishing your faith?
• Where and how do you find hope?

Question of the Week

How can you help make the parish a place where ‘all are, truly, welcome?

A Notable Quote

…Liturgy is about praises, about rendering thanks for the Passover of the Son whose power reaches our lives. The celebration concerns the reality of our being docile to the action of the Spirit who operates through it until Christ be formed in us. (DD 41)

OCT 30

The Anamnesis (A-nahm-knee-sis)
(From Preface and Eucharistic Prayer)

The Memorial Acclamation is a response made by the faithful to what has just happened at the consecration. Anamnesis is a fancy Greek word that simply means “remembrance”. This moment of remembering, however, has a triple significance. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Eucharist (i) looks to the past, commemorating the passion of Christ… (2) it looks to the present, signifying the unity of the Church…and (iii) it looks to the future, prefiguring our enjoyment with God in heaven (Summa IIIa 73.4)”

Something to Think & Pray About

Consider this – The most extraordinary piece of Christian furniture is the pew, which invites former strangers to sit together as family.

Question of the Week

Do you regularly leave early? Why or why not?

A Notable Quote

The world still does not know it, but everyone is invited to the supper of the wedding of the Lamb. (5)

OCT 23

Setting the Table of the Lord, the Altar
(From Rites of Preparation of the Altar)

When a church is consecrated or a new altar is installed in a church, the altar must be consecrated. The beautiful rite of consecrating an altar requires that the bishop anoint the altar with Sacred Chrism, the Christ oil. As such the altar bears the presence of Christ, the “anointed one.”

Something to Think & Pray About

…The Church is ‘Catholic’ because her destiny is to gather the human family into the peace of Christ’s love.

Question of the Week

What is your attitude on going to church? Anticipation? Duty? Dread? Something else?

A Notable Quote

Every tool can be useful, but it must be at the service of the nature of the Liturgy and the action of the Holy Spirit. A diligent dedication to the celebration is required, allowing the celebration itself to convey to us its art. (DD 50)

OCT 16

Silence is Key
(From The Liturgy of the Word)

The General Instructions of the Roman Missal encourage moments of silence after each reading so as to promote prayer and meditation through which each listener may hear the voice of the Lord. We must remember that we are not listening to “historical” narratives—the Lord is speaking to us today and now in this very moment.

Something to Think & Pray About

…my presence on Sunday is necessary for the Church’s mission of divine love.

Question of the Week

Are you active in the parish? Why or why not?

A Notable Quote

The Liturgy…takes us by the hand, together, as an assembly, to lead us deep within the mystery that the Word and the sacramental signs reveal to us. (DD 19)

OCT 9

When does the Mass begin?
(From The Introductory Rites)

Remotely, Mass begins when you are sent from Mass the previous Sunday as everything you do during the week is preparation for the coming Sunday. Key to this time is actually preparing for Mass by reading the Scriptures assigned to the next Sunday. They are easily available online.

Something to Think & Pray About

In his book “Bored Again Catholic”, Timothy O’Malley writes, “Going to Mass is not fundamentally about my unique spiritual experience, but about giving over part of myself in love to all other believers so that together we ca manifest Christ’s love for the world.”

Question of the Week

Do you get anything out of attending Mass? If not, why not?

A Notable Quote

Writing in his letter, Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis explains:

With this letter I simply want to invite the whole Church to rediscover, to safeguard, and to live the truth and power of the Christian celebration.

…The priestly prayer of Jesus at the Last /Supper that all may be one judges every one of our divisions around the Bread broken, around the sacrament of mercy, the sign of unity, the bond of charity. (DD 16)