Let your Eucharistic pilgrimage begin today!

Jul 24, 2023

 A couple of Sundays ago, I had the chance to make my first official “at-home” Eucharistic pilgrimage. It was a torrentially rainy day in Chicago — as a matter of fact, if you had a basement, there was a high chance you experienced significant flooding. Despite the intense rain, however, I felt deeply drawn to take a drive out to Des Plaines, Illinois, to visit the  Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

As I approached the parking lot, I recognized that hundreds of people were there for one of the five Sunday Masses celebrated at the shrine. A little while later, I found myself at the outdoor grotto standing before the replica of St. Juan Diego’s tilma, which is enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and which bears the miraculous image of our Lady. I stood in the pouring rain (protected by my umbrella!) and meditated on the Joyful Mysteries of the  Rosary  as I offered my intentions to Jesus through Mary. I noticed so many individuals, couples, and families coming and going — most without protection from the rain — to pray there. One man even knelt in the pouring rain before the Tilma replica with bowed head for ten minutes.

After that, I went to the large, recently erected chapel. As I knelt at the back of the chapel silently uniting myself to Jesus, hidden yet present in the tabernacle, I experienced a deep confidence that my intentions were of great importance to him. I felt united to Jesus in a new way, and rested in the inner silence of my heart, grateful for this time of pilgrimage.

Now, my mind is drawn to the words of Will Peterson, director of the  National Eucharistic Pilgrimage , which we shared on June 15: “My favorite pilgrimage is the one I make each time I attend Mass.” At every Mass, we journey, surrounded by the Blessed Trinity and all the angels and saints, through the paschal mystery, encountering Jesus fully alive in the Eucharist. If our hearts are rightly disposed, every Mass takes us one step closer to heaven.

In my own pilgrimage adventure this month, I was especially grateful to have Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as my special companion. Her words to St. Juan Diego still echo in my heart, “Am I not your Mother?” And, what a good Mother she is! May Mary always lead you and me to her beloved Son, Jesus!

I hope you’ll join me and make your own “at-home” Eucharistic pilgrimage — if not this summer, then as soon as you are able. It is a simple, concrete way to experience the reality that our whole life is truly a Eucharistic pilgrimage toward our heavenly home, if only we desire it and remain open to the grace to live it well.

Don’t worry, we are never alone: Jesus is with us every step of the way!

This originally appeared in the Heart of the Revival newsletter

This article comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

Big “T” traditions

15 Sep, 2023
Traditions are important to families. Singing the family birthday song, making grandma’s banana bread, praying in a special way at holiday meals — traditions are the foundation on which strong families are built. Likewise, the Church was built upon the rituals and traditions of the apostles and the early Christian communities. This body of ritual and teaching is called Tradition (with a capital T), and it serves as a unifying force in the Church today. This Tradition is so important that the teaching office of the Church, called the magisterium, safeguards it. We believe that that sacred Word of God is found in both Scripture and Tradition. In fact, the Tradition of the Church was in place before the Gospels were even written. It’s true! We practiced our faith long before we wrote about our faith. The first Christians were already meeting together, mostly in homes, celebrating the Eucharist, sharing the teachings of the apostles and encouraging one another at the time the New Testament was written down. This was the beginning of St. Paul addressing his letters to these early Christian communities. Those who argue that Scripture alone should be the source of Christian teaching fail to recognize that in the first several centuries of the Church there was no “Bible” in the form we have today. Early Christian communities read from the Old Testament writings, the prophets and from the letters from leaders like Peter and Paul. The earliest writings in the New Testament reflect the belief and practice of the early Christians as the Holy Spirit guided the Church and her leaders. If we truly wish to understand Scripture, we must understand the context in which it was written — the Tradition of the Church.

The reality of sin and forgiveness

15 Sep, 2023
by Catherine Cavadini

September 15, 2023

15 Sep, 2023
Jn 19:25-27 Luke 2:33-35 Today, we pray the Sequence Sabat Mater, which means the mother was standing. Mary stands at the foot of the cross on which her son hangs. She remains with him until the end. Years before, Simeon had told her of her son’s destiny and her own suffering. Mary stood with Jesus through it all. This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.

We are not orphans

15 Sep, 2023
"We are not orphans, we have Mothers: Mother Mary. But the Church is Mother and the Mother Church is anointed when it takes the same path of Jesus and Mary: the path of obedience, the path of suffering, and when she has that attitude of continually learning the path of the Lord. These two women — Mary and the Church — carry on the hope that is Christ, they give us Christ, they bring forth Christ in us. Without Mary, there would be no Jesus Christ; without the Church, we cannot go forward". – Pope Francis   Reflection: Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. What is your typical response to pain or extended times of difficulties? How do the two women – Mary and the Church – offer you hope in the midst of suffering?   This content comes to you from Our Sunday Visitor courtesy of your parish or diocese.
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