Dear friends,
It was wonderful to see faces new and familiar as we gathered to celebrate Mass for the Season of Creation earlier this month with Archbishop Thompson. We are grateful for his leadership and his message! Find picture and homily text below.
As we go forth this Season of Creation and beyond we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the mystery of the Eucharist and the connection to Ecology. In a recent document from the USCCB, our Bishops remind us that
"..no document can exhaust the mystery of the gift of the Eucharist...[yet it is good].. to reflect on certain facets of the mystery that are relevant to contemporary issues and challenges and that help us to appreciate more deeply the gift of grace that has been given to us..."
With this framework in mind, we've gathered some prayers, resources, and actions you can use during these years of National Eucharistic Revival. If there are others you know of please share and we'll add to www.ourcommonhome.org/revival.
Praying for you and a week full of grace and hope,
All of us on the Creation Care Commission
Individuals, families, seminarians and religious gathered at St. Mary (Indianapolis) to celebrate Mass with Archbishop Thompson and Father Pat Biedelman, enjoy music and handbells of a group of elementary students from St. Matthew, and connect in the parish hall afterwards for the Season of Creation!
If you missed it, Archbishop Thompson graciously shared the text of his homily. You can read it here - with a note that it might not be exactly what he said in the moment :).
What is The National Eucharistic Revival?
- The National Eucharistic Revival is an initiative sponsored by the Bishops of the United States to inspire and prepare the People of God to be sent out to a hurting and hungry world through a renewed encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist.
- The Revival officially began in June 2022 and runs through Pentecost 2025.
- Indianapolis was chosen to host the milestone event - National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis from July 17-21, 2024.
- The National Eucharistic Revival and National Eucharistic Congress are a direct response to the Holy Father’s call for a “pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are” so that the Church in the United States might be “permanently in a state of mission” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 25).
What is the connection between the Eucharist and Social Mission?
The Eucharist is the “the source and summit of the Christian Life.” In the Eucharistic Liturgy and our prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, we encounter God’s presence in a personal and profound ways. But the Eucharist is also social.
- We experience the Eucharist as a community.
- The Eucharist awakens us to our dignity and to that of others.
- The Eucharist unifies and heals divisions.
- The Eucharist sensitizes us to those who suffer.
- The Eucharist challenges us to recognize and confront structure of sin.
- The Eucharist prepares us for mission.
- The Eucharist propels us forth to transform the world.
(USCCB: Sacraments and Social Mission / Catholic Charities Social Concerns)
How is caring for creation connected with the Eucharist?
A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Through our participation in the Eucharist, we heal ourselves, our relationship with others, and with the whole world. The Eucharist is the foundation of our need to care for creation.
- A rich theology of creation in the Eucharist as the bread is offered as "fruit of the earth and work of human hands" and the wine as "fruit of the vine and work of human hands." The water is a natural symbol from God’s providence.
- What lies behind our making of the bread and wine - the dying and rising in planting, harvesting, baking or fermenting – comprise the foundation for the celebration of the Paschal mystery in the Eucharist. We participate in the dying and rising of Christ in and through the Eucharist.
- In the Eucharist all that has been created finds its greatest exaltation.… Joined to the incarnate Son, present in the Eucharist, the whole cosmos gives thanks to God. Indeed the Eucharist is itself an act of cosmic love.
- Jesus unites us once again with God and with one another and with all that God has made. All that was broken and scattered is gathered and reconnected in Him. So, Jesus himself is the answer to the ecological crisis. St. Paul tells us that God’s plan is to unite “all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth”, and that everything is reconciled with God through the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.
Cardinal Turkson to the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu, Philippines / Laudato Si' #236 / Msgr. Paul McPartlan, Archdiocese of Westminster
Interested in going deeper?
We encourage you to spend time with Jesus in the Eucharist (ArchIndy Perpetual adoration chapels), explore resources at ourcommonhome.org/revival and join the Indianapolis initiatives at your parish or eucharisticrevivalindy.org.
It's not too late to get started! Challenge yourself this fall to try something new and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.
Send your photos to mail@ourcommonhome.org.
Looking for more Season of Creation Resources?
Visit www.OurCommonHome.org /soc for information about the Outdoor challenge, ideas for action, prayer resources, events, and more.
If you have any questions, please contact us at mail@ourcommonhome.org
Invite your friends or have them text creationcare to 84576 to get the latest updates from the commission via email.
The ArchIndy Creation Care Ministry is a pastoral ministry of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.