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The 10th National Eucharistic Congress in 2024 was a game-changer for a lot of people. If you were there, you felt it. As far as events go for helping people encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, it was second to none.
And now.
Our bishops have voted to have the 11th National Eucharistic Congress in 2029! CAN I GET AN “ALLELUIA?!”
(Psst. You’re supposed to say ‘Alleluia!’)
This will be another life-changing opportunity to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist, and we are incredibly grateful for our spiritual fathers recognizing that.
Speaking of encountering God…
Encountering God is experiencing Who we know to be true.
Encountering God is what makes us a disciple of Christ and not just an adherer of Catholicism.
Encountering God is how the Catholic faith morphs from an honorable belief system into a path of liberation.
Encountering God is what inspires and empowers us to bring others to encounter God.
And the thing is: God constantly makes himself available to be encountered.
Every sacrament is a guaranteed encounter with Jesus. That means every time we go to Confession, we encounter him and his mercy. Every time we receive the Eucharist, we receive him and his very Presence. Every sacrament we encounter, we encounter Christ acting through that sacrament (CCC 1084).
Every time we pray, we can also encounter him. Our prayer is our relationship with Jesus (CCC 2558), so every time we set aside time to pray, we enter into that intimate space of encounter with the Lover of our souls.
Every time we serve someone, making a gift of our time, talent, and treasure, we can encounter him. In the words of Jesus, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40b).
Every time we enter into genuine friendship, surrounding ourselves with people who care about our good, we can encounter him. In other words of Jesus, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20).
Every time we stand in awe at the beauty of creation, we can encounter him. From the Book of Wisdom: “For from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen” (Wis 13:5).
We can encounter God in a plethora of ways, and we need to encounter God in a plethora of ways for our faith to come alive. The question really just becomes, do we have the eyes to see him when we do these things? Do we have the ears to hear him?
