The Risen Christ revived the faith of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as he opened up the scriptures “beginning with Moses and all the prophets” and he took, blessed, broke, and gave the Church the gift of his Presence in the Holy Eucharist once again (Luke 24: 27; 30-31). St. Luke’s account of Jesus making himself known in the breaking of the bread is a reminder that the source of renewal and revival for the Church begins first and foremost with Jesus himself. This does not preclude the Church from intentionally cultivating renewal through our own intentional campaigns, but our efforts at any form of revival will come to naught without the Lord as the foundation and center of the work.

A 2022 CARA study, “Eucharist Beliefs: A National Survey of Adult Catholics” reveals that two-thirds of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, but only 17% attend Mass on a weekly basis. The CARA survey underscores the need for a revival in Eucharistic belief and practice; but how can the present Eucharistic revival bolster its present effort beyond the culminating Eucharistic congress in Indianapolis?

Jesuit Father Robert McTeigue¹ and the executive director of the National Eucharistic Revival, Tim Glemkowski,² engaged in a brief exchange of articles that brought to the forefront of my attention the need for an ongoing Eucharistic revival to focus on liturgical renewal and the relationship of the Holy Eucharist with the other sacraments. In particular, we must highlight the intrinsic link between the Eucharist and the sacrament of Penance. There has a been a great deal of focus on the renewal of Eucharistic faith through catechesis on the Eucharist, Eucharistic piety/devotion, and an emphasis on the need for a subjective personal encounter with our Lord in the Eucharist. An authentic revival in Eucharistic piety and faith is inseparable from liturgical renewal—as is the altar from the confessional.

Liturgy as Opus Dei

The “Leader’s playbook” developed by the National Eucharistic Revival emphasizes the need for attentiveness to the rubrics and the ars celebrandi of the liturgy. The foundation for renewal must begin by focusing on the notion that the liturgy is first and foremost the opus Dei (“work of God”). The Second Vatican Council, in continuity with Pope Pius XII’s Mediator Dei, taught that Jesus Christ the High Priest is the main subject of the liturgy. The Council highlighted the centrality of the Paschal Mystery within the liturgy and the action of the liturgy as the work of Jesus Christ and his Body, the Church.³ The liturgy can never be understood as the “work of the people” in the sense that the liturgy can be manipulated according to our subjective whims or preferences.

Two-thirds of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, but only 17% attend Mass on a weekly basis.

The focus on the liturgy as the opus Dei has consistently been articulated by Joseph Ratzinger throughout his varying works dedicated to the theology of the liturgy, which “means that God acts in the liturgy through Christ and that we can act only through him and with him. Of ourselves, we cannot construct the way to God.”⁴ I would suggest that the Church finds itself in need of a revival because we have come to view the liturgy as something we can construct, make, refashion, or fabricate for ourselves. The efforts of the Eucharist Revival should help the Church to reflect on how the Church came to view the liturgy in this way. Creativity has become normative in how people celebrate the Roman Rite according to the Missal of St. Paul VI (the novus ordo). Ratzinger notes that the use of this formula throughout the Pauline Missal fosters this creativity with the phrase: “sacerdos dicit sic vel simili modo…[the priest speaks thus or in a similar way…].”⁵ The Eucharist revival has laudably highlighted the needed “fidelity to the texts and rubrics of the Church,” but it must dive deeper and address the plethora of liturgical options that have displaced what was once normative within the celebration of the liturgy.

Liturgical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

One concrete way in which the National Eucharistic Revival can promote liturgical renewal would be to help the Church appreciate the richness of liturgical diversity within the West and the East—a diversity which, nonetheless, reveals a pattern of normative liturgical practices within each of these other liturgical communities. An effort could be made for Latin Catholics to appreciate the distinct features of the liturgical rites of the Eastern Catholic Churches. There is a great amount of ignorance that Latin Catholics have when it comes to the Eastern Churches. A fuller understanding of their distinct liturgical practices will help foster appreciation and love of the East while at the same time enriching our own understanding of the important role a standardized liturgical form can have for the Roman rite.

With respect to the Roman Rite, it would be beneficial for the unity of the Church for the National Eucharistic Revival to offer resources to the faithful to help them understand and appreciate the distinct features of the Missal of 1962 (as used by parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass) and Divine Worship: The Missal (as used by parishes within the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter). Liturgical diversity can assist the faithful to understand the rich catholicity within the liturgy and ways in which these other forms of the Roman Rite may enrich the present form of the Roman Rite found in the Missal of St. Paul VI. Further, the diversity of the Eastern Churches and their liturgies may highlight our need to recover a clearer eschatological and cosmological imagery via the manner in which we celebrate the liturgy, especially by means of our use of sacred art, architecture, and music.

Ars Celebrandi

The Eucharistic revival could contribute to a renewed liturgical movement by helping the faithful to understand the signs and symbols within the sacred liturgy, the significance of certain solemnities and feasts, and the rich breadth of the liturgical year in its varying seasons. In its handbook, the Eucharistic Revival invites the Church to “attentiveness to the Ars Celebrandi.” Pope Benedict XVI maintains the view that “The ars celebrandi should foster a sense of the sacred and the use of outward signs which help to cultivate this sense, such as, for example, the harmony of the rite, the liturgical vestments, the furnishings and the sacred space” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 40). The Eucharistic revival could help parishes revisit how their sacred furnishings, sacred vestments, sacred art, and sacred architecture could foster the mystery of the Eucharist with greater clarity. For instance, a parish might consider the need for a new tabernacle or simply a new placement for the tabernacle to help the faithful to appreciate the Holy Eucharist as the source and summit of our Christian life.

“As far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another.”
–Pope Benedict XVI

A pressing need for liturgical renewal for the Church is to reflect upon how it has implemented the Church’s teaching on sacred music. Given the preeminent place of sacred music in the ars celebrandi, a Eucharistic revival must include a renewal of music within the liturgy. Benedict XVI outlines the significance of sacred music: “As far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall celebration. Consequently everything—texts, music, execution—ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons” (Sacramentum Caritatis, 42).

Benedict’s emphasis on texts and the structure of the rite highlights the need within the celebration of the liturgy to restore the singing of the entrance, offertory, and communion antiphons as a normative practice at most parishes. These are the texts given to us by the Church in the Roman Missal and the Gradual, so it seems fitting to reinvigorate worship by using the varying chant settings for these antiphons and the other proper texts of the liturgy. It would also behoove parishes to restore the norm of singing the Mass as a fuller form of liturgy that is fitting especially for Sundays, solemnities, and major feasts.

Fuller Sacramental Revival

St. Thomas Aquinas argues that the Eucharist is the greatest of the seven sacraments as it contains Jesus Christ himself, whereas the others bestow simply the grace of Christ.⁶ St. Thomas also teaches that the Holy Eucharist is “perfective of all the other sacraments.”⁷ Given that the Holy Eucharist is the end of all the other sacraments, the present Eucharistic revival can be strengthened by underscoring the relationship of the Eucharist with all of the other sacraments. An authentic revival would be strengthened by an emphasis on the sacrament of Penance in particular.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul exhorts the faithful to examine themselves before receiving Communion (11:28). St. John Paul II emphasizes that this verse helps to underscore the relationship between the sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist: “The Christ who calls to the Eucharistic banquet is always the same Christ who exhorts us to penance and repeats his ‘Repent.’ Without this constant ever-renewed endeavor for conversion, partaking of the Eucharist would lack its full redeeming effectiveness and there would be a loss or at least a weakening of the special readiness to offer God the spiritual sacrifice in which our sharing in the priesthood of Christ is expressed in an essential and universal manner.”⁸ There can be no lasting Eucharistic revival without a renewed appreciation of the sacrament of Penance. As John Paul II notes above, without the regular repentance from sin, “the Eucharist would lack its full redeeming effectiveness.”

There can be no lasting Eucharistic revival without a renewed appreciation of the sacrament of Penance.

Beyond the availability of confession at the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress, there is a need for a renewed understanding, appreciation, and availability of this sacrament of mercy. The Passion and death of Christ are referred to in the third Eucharistic prayers as the “sacrifice of reconciliation.” Holy Communion presupposes our reconciliation, so dioceses and parishes should consider how often they offer the sacrament of confession to assist the faithful in receiving the gift of grace and mercy to partake of the Eucharist worthily. Furthermore, sin is never an individual affair, as it affects the sinner’s relationship with the Church. Hence, this is why a priest gives absolution as a “minister of the Church” because he is restoring a person’s communion with the Church which has been affected by sin.

If a parish only offers the sacrament of confession from 30 minutes to an hour on a Saturday afternoon and/or by appointment, many people will not partake of the sacrament. An effort can be made on the diocesan level or among parishes within a deanery to examine and to discuss when, how often, and where the sacrament of confession is available.

Are there ample opportunities for the sacrament to be made available in a particular deanery or other regional structuring of a diocese? Would it be possible to ensure that each day confession is available at one of the parishes in a deanery? Some dioceses have made the effort to offer confession for the same day and same time period each week in tandem with a marketing campaign to ensure that all people are aware of the power of confession. This could be a great opportunity for a group of people to develop an app or some other hub of information online that allows the faithful to know when the sacrament of reconciliation is readily available.

The greatest obstacle to individual and communal revival is sin.

Closely connected with both the sacraments of confession and the Holy Eucharist is the sacrament of the sick. The Holy Eucharist as viaticum is ideally the final sacrament given to the person seriously ill and dying after having received the sacraments of confession and anointing of the sick as part of the last rites. Unfortunately, in practice many of the faithful who are nearing the end of life receive only the gift of unction because they are unable to go to confession or receive the precious gift of viaticum. There is a clear need for the faithful and their families to appreciate the Holy Eucharist as part of the last rites, so there is a vigilance to ensure that the seriously ill and dying may receive the full gift of sacramental grace from these three sacraments.

Baptism and confirmation lay the foundation for the communion with God and the Church that is embodied by the Holy Eucharist. The friendship with God that is bestowed via the gift of grace becomes fully evident in the gift of the Eucharist. The sacraments at service of communion, marriage and holy orders, offer graces to those recipients to extend that gift of friendship with God to others through charity. As the Eucharistic Revival pivots to focus on the relationship between Eucharist and mission, it will benefit from a renewed focus on the Eucharist and all of the other sacraments.

Further Up—Further In

A unicorn in C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle rejoices with these words: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…. Come further up, come further in!” Since the Church in the United States first announced the Eucharistic Revival, I have pondered the question: When will we know the “revival” in Eucharistic faith is complete? The reality is that we will never bring about a revival on our efforts. It must ultimately be the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in and through us. And a Eucharistic Revival will only be consummated when we reach our final home in the eschaton. In the meantime, every effort must be made for the faithful to understand and appreciate the Eucharist within the liturgy and with the grace that comes forth from the sacrament of confession.

There are varying opinions on the efforts of the National Eucharistic Revival, but I think there is universal agreement that the Church in the United States and beyond needs such a revival.

In his 1965 encyclical, Mysterium Fidei, Pope St. Paul VI expresses the hope that “restoration of the sacred liturgy” via the implementation of changes to the liturgy following the Second Vatican Council would prepare for a “new wave of Eucharistic devotion” that “will sweep over the Church” (13). There was no such revival following the reform; hence, a focus on Eucharistic revival is inseparable from the question of liturgical renewal. The National Eucharistic Revival could help the faithful reflect upon the significance and importance of the liturgy in light of the wisdom developed in the liturgical and theological writings of Blessed Columba Marmion, Louis Bouyer, Romano Guardini, Jean Corbon, David Fagerberg, and Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, to name only a few. The relationship between the liturgical movement and the liturgical renewal represented by the teaching of Pope Pius XII in Mediator Dei and Sacrosanctum Concilium needs to be revisited anew to see how we may engage in the efforts of a new liturgical movement.

The greatest obstacle to individual and communal revival is sin. Without the initial and ongoing repentance from sin, we cannot progress in freedom and virtue. A Eucharistic revival is inseparable from a revival in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Communion with Jesus Christ in the company of saints is the final end which all the sacraments seek. Hence, the Eucharistic Revival must be strengthened and deepened by reflecting on the relationship between the Eucharist and all the sacraments. There are varying opinions on the efforts of the National Eucharistic Revival, but I think there is universal agreement that the Church in the United States and beyond needs such a revival. We should pray for the efforts of the National Eucharistic Revival and the forthcoming Eucharistic Congress. Pray that the Holy Spirit may work in the hearts and minds of our bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and lay people to bring about a lasting Eucharistic revival. Let us hope the revival is deepened by renewed efforts to revisit the need for liturgical renewal and to repent and believe in the Gospel. A Eucharistic mission depends on such a renewal if we desire ultimately to go “further up” and “further in.”

1. See Father Robert J. McTeigue’s expression of his concerns with respect to the National Eucharistic Revival https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/11/04/will-there-be-a-eucharistic-revival/
2. See Tim Glemkowski’s response to Father McTeigue: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/11/07/working-for-a-eucharistic-revival-a-response-to-fr-mcteigue/. Also see Father McTeigue’s reply to Glemkowski’s response: https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/still-concerned-about-the-eucharistic-revival-a-response-to-tim-glemkowski.
3. See Sacrosanctum Concilium, nos. 5 and 7.
4. Joseph Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy: The Sacramental Foundation of Christian Existence, ed. Michael J. Miller, trans. John Saward, Kenneth Baker, S.J., Henry Taylor, et al., Collected Works 11 (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2014), 556.
5. Ratzinger, Theology of the Liturgy, 565.
6. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh. III, q. 73, a. 1, ad. 3.
7. Aquinas, III, q. 75, a. 1.
8. St. John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, no. 20.